Article
Perceived Attributes of Health-Promoting Laughter: A Cross-Generational Comparison
The Journal of Psychology
(2002)
Abstract
A small but growing body of empirical data support the popular belief that laughter benefits health. However, there are many varieties of laughter and no reason to assume all varieties should be, or would be, perceived as equally beneficial. The authors examined which types of laughter and which characteristics of laughter people associate with health and whether there are generational differences in this perception. Young adults and older participants rated 12 laughter terms (e.g., chuckle, giggle, belly laugh) on their contribution to health and assessed various aspects of each laughter type on 11 scales. The young adults characterized health-promoting laughter as strong, active, uninhibited, and involving movement; the older participants characterized it as socially appropriate. Both groups associated health-promoting laughter strongly with positive emotion and absence of malice. Implications for placebo effects in laughter interventions are discussed. Differences between humor and laughter and among the proposed mechanisms by which they affect health are clarified.
Keywords
- Cross-generational,
- Health,
- Laughter,
- Perception
Disciplines
Publication Date
2002
DOI
10.1080/00223980209604148
Publisher Statement
Taylor & Francis Group
Citation Information
Diana L. Mahony, Louis Lippman and W. Jeffrey Burroughs. "Perceived Attributes of Health-Promoting Laughter: A Cross-Generational Comparison" The Journal of Psychology Vol. 136 Iss. 2 (2002) p. 171 - 181 Available at: http://works.bepress.com/louis-lippman/20/