When, where, how, how not to, with whom, is it working, why you should care… Part 2: Humor and the HCP

Healthcare Professional o oHumor is underutilized o oNurses are socialized to be serious o oIt’s a skill that many haven’t developed

Research of Humor Benefits Laughing lowers glucose Reduces stress, pain Improves immune function Used as a weight-loss therapy Allows for expression of anger Minimizes professional burnout Turns “ha, ha” into an “aha” moment Laugh-learn connection Social lubricant in groups

Possible Side Effects Can be hurtful Someone can be offended Can distract from the message Can promote anger, prevent communication, increase anxiety, widen interpersonal gaps. Avoid these by keeping humor lighthearted.

Contraindications During a crisis, such as high anxiety or serious discussion (may be more distracting and aggravating than tension relieving) During complex tasks (it is important not to stick humor in the middle of a task requiring full concentration)

Developing Your Humor 1. Know the benefits. 2. Identify and avoid inappropriate humor. 3. What is comfortable for you? Be genuine. 4. Do a humor history. 5. Take risks to add more humor. It’s a process not an event. 6. Allow yourself to be silly. 7. Hang out with humorous, positive people. 8. Learn to laugh at yourself! (From Smith, Kevin. Humor. Complementary/Alternative Therapies in Nursing, 2 nd Edition, page 276. Used with permission.)

What Do You See? OPPORTUNITYISNOWHERE

Pt. population, gender, age, culture, goals Case studies Part 3: Specific Diabetes Issues

Environment for Humor Timing Receptiveness Content

Strategies for Humor   Watch who is the punch line   Use common experiences and annoyances   Less is more   Use the rule of threes (2 expected associations, 3 rd unexpected)   Relate the humor to your patient / audience   Practice!   Keep a notebook Adapted from: Secrets of Connecting Leadership & Learning with Humor, by Peter M. Jonas

Patient Assessment and 1:1   Test the waters: during greeting, assess readiness for humor.   Are they receptive to humor?   Watch their eyes. Alert? Look away?   Ask if humor is helpful.   Listen to the tonal quality of laugh.   Apologize if offense taken.   A patient’s humorous manner may signal an unstated wish to talk about feelings.

Groups and Goal Setting   Encourages participants to have fun, open up and take risks.   Can provide insight into the group.   Humor can accentuate the discrepancy within a problem and facilitate goals.   Tell a short, humorous story or joke.   Share a cartoon; create a caption   Use ice-breakers, props   Use open-ended questions, voting, small- group activities, role-playing.

Children Should look quite different Playfulness, body humor, music and facial expressions Study of type 1 children (ages 4-11) re: the expectations for quality nursing care: *humane and reliable *have a good sense of humor *wear colorful clothes *Tell funny stories

Adolescents May interpret the humor as making fun of them. Use cautiously after a relationship is established. Use matter-of-fact use of humor. They expect us to have a sense of humor and to know what we are doing.

Older Adults Aging is associated with loss, except one’s sense of humor. Humor often relates to issues of loss. Use humor when providing nutrition info.

Gender Limited studies Response to laughter… Men vs. women (humor vs. self-disclosure). Funniness ratings of cartoon humor showed no difference for age, sex, region or origin. Younger participants and males found cartoons more amusing.

Cultural Issues Understand humor preferences within a culture. Native Americans have a great sense of humor; may be more subtle. Non-Natives need to allow time for trust (often this will be evident when the patient uses humor).