Showing papers in "Humor: International Journal of Humor Research in 2018"

Training the sense of humor with the 7 Humor Habits Program and satisfaction with life

Abstract: The current study tested the 7 Humor Habits Program after McGhee (1996, Health, healing, and the amuse system (2. edition): Humor as survival training. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt Publishing; 2010, Humor as survival training for a stressed-out world: The 7 Humor Habits Program. Bloomington, IN: Author House) in two groups receiving the eight-week training (group sessions; one group additionally completing “Home Play” exercises and one group without Home Play) compared to two control groups (a placebo humor group and a waiting control group). The total sample of 110 adults completed measures on the sense of humor, the temperamental basis of the sense of humor, and life satisfaction at three time points: directly before and after the training time, as well as at a two-month follow up. Additionally, peer-ratings on the sense of humor were collected. At each session, the humor-related mood (state cheerfulness, seriousness, and bad mood) was assessed before and after the session. Results show that the sense of humor is malleable, noticeable to the trained individuals as well as to peers (but not in the placebo humor group). The sessions increased cheerful mood and decreased seriousness. Life satisfaction generally increased from the pre-training phase to the post-training phase. To conclude, humor can be trained but more work on consolidation strategies are needed in future studies and intervention designs.

Can self-defeating humor make you happy? Cognitive interviews reveal the adaptive side of the self-defeating humor style

Abstract: The present set of studies employs two cognitive interviewing techniques (thinking aloud and online cognitive probing) of the scale assessing the self-defeating humor style, aiming at delineating the role that self-defeating humor plays in self-esteem and emotions. The self-defeating humor style comprises humor to enhance one’s relationships with others at the expense of oneself, and has often been related to lower well-being. The analyses are based on 392 item responses of a typical sample (Study 1) and 104 item responses of high scorers on the self-defeating scale (Study 2). Content analyses revealed that higher scores on the self-defeating scale went along with humor (Study 1), with higher state self-esteem, with an improvement of one’s interpersonal relationships, and with more facial displays of positive emotions (Study 2). Additionally, the more humor was entailed in the item responses, the higher the state self-esteem and the improvement of relationships was and the more positive emotion words were employed. Thus, the humor entailed in the self-defeating humor style seemed rather beneficial both for oneself and others. These findings call for a reevaluation of past findings with this humor style and provide opportunities for future research and applications of humor interventions to improve well-being.

Playfulness and humor in psychology: An overview and update

Abstract: Abstract The main aim of this overview is to discuss theoretical work and empirical studies on the proposed association between humor and playfulness. Starting point is McGhee’s (1996, Health, healing and the amuse system: Humor as survival training. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt; 1999, The laughter remedy: Health, healing and the amuse system. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt) notion that humor is a variant of play – the play with ideas. Research on play and playfulness is discussed in light of this proposition and an updated definition of playfulness as a personality trait in adults is presented. The latter differentiates among four facets; namely, Other-directed, Lighthearted, Intellectual, and Whimsical. One methodological problem is highlighted in particular: Items such as “I have a good sense of humor” are to be found in both, measures for the sense of humor and playfulness and sometimes used as both predictor and criterion in the same analysis. Overall, there is evidence that the proposed overlap between humor and playfulness exists, but that it does not indicate redundancy. Avenues for future research are presented.

“What do you call a Black guy who flies a plane?”: The effects and understanding of disparagement and confrontational racial humor.

Abstract: Abstract We conducted three studies to test our overarching hypothesis that racial humor may increase or decrease subsequent expressions of prejudice by setting social norms that indicate prejudice is either more or less acceptable, respectively. We selected riddles that were disparaging, confrontational, or neutral, and examined their effects on subsequent prejudiced expressions. We predicted humor that disparaged Blacks would convey that prejudiced expressions are more socially acceptable, resulting in increased expressions of prejudice toward Blacks. Conversely, we predicted humor that confronted prejudiced expressions would convey that prejudiced expressions are less socially acceptable, resulting instead in reduced expressions of prejudice toward Blacks. Our studies demonstrated that, consistent with prejudiced norm theory, disparagement humor, and confrontational humor perceived as disparaging, has the potential to disinhibit expressions of prejudice when used, even in brief social interactions. Our studies also showed that individuals often misinterpreted the subversive nature of confrontational humor, frequently perceiving the confrontation intended to challenge expressions of prejudice as instead intending to disparage Blacks. Thus, while it is possible racial humor may have the potential to tighten norms inhibiting prejudice, the perceptions of confrontational jokes as disparaging may result in jokes (created to subvert and inhibit prejudice) ironically reinforcing prejudiced responding.

Are jokes funnier in one’s native language?

Abstract: Abstract Appreciating the humor in jokes involves incongruity-detection and resolution, which requires good language skills. Foreign language comprehension is challenging, including interpreting words within their sentence context. An implication is that jokes in a foreign language will be more difficult to understand and therefore probably less humorous, compared to native language jokes. To study this question while preserving humor across translations, jokes were selected from Turkish and English websites to minimize language play and cultural references. Turkish university students rated both Turkish and English jokes for humor. Humor for foreign language jokes was positively correlated with ease-of-understanding of specific jokes and also by the individual-differences characteristics of English proficiency and likely career investment (e.g., preparing for a future career as English teacher or translator). We propose the proficiency X investment theory: Foreign language jokes will be experienced as funnier than native language jokes when proficiency levels are high (ranging from good to excellent) and bilinguals have a high level of L2 investment. When proficiency levels are only adequate, and without special investment in L2, native language jokes will be evaluated as funnier than foreign language jokes. With intermediate proficiency and investment, jokes can be experienced as similarly humorous in the two language. Important in this pattern is the proposal that weaker L2-proficiency can trade-off with language investment to bolster L2 humor appreciation.

Lexical priming in humorous satirical newspaper headlines

Abstract: Abstract Satire is a type of discourse commonly employed to mock or criticize a satirical target, typically resulting in humor. Current understandings of satire place strong emphasis on the role that background and pragmatic knowledge play during satire recognition. However, there may also be specific linguistic cues that signal a satirical intent. Researchers using corpus linguistic methods, specifically Lexical Priming, have demonstrated that other types of creative language use, such as irony, puns, and verbal jokes, purposefully deviate from expected language patterns (e.g. collocations). The purpose of this study is to investigate whether humorous satirical headlines also subvert typical linguistic patterns using the theory of Lexical Priming. In order to do so, a corpus of newspaper headlines taken from the satirical American newspaper The Onion are analyzed and compared to a generalized corpus of American English. Results of this analysis suggest satirical headlines exploit linguistic expectations through the use of low-frequency collocations and semantic preferences, but also contain higher discourse and genre level deviations that cannot be captured in the surface level linguistic features of the headlines.

Humor and well-being: A little less is quite enough

Abstract: Abstract Paul McGhee, one of the most influential pioneers in the field of humor research has been engaged for decades in exploring how humor can be used for the maintenance or improvement of well-being in the face of adversity. The present paper reviews recent empirical research corroborating several of his propositions. Undeniably, the benefits of humor can be much greater when one generates his or her own humor compared to just passively consuming humor. The active use of humor can be a potent tool to successfully cope with and appropriately recover from stressful situations, especially if it becomes a habitual response to adverse circumstances. While the ice is thin with regard to any beneficial effects of humor on physical health, it certainly may enhance the quality of life of patients. The paper concludes with the general evaluation that the documented potential of humor for the maintenance of well-being is impressive, thereby rendering exaggerations and insufficiently substantiated claims of additional effects unnecessary. Paul McGhee, one of the most influential pioneers in the field of humor research, as well as of structured humor training, has been insisting for decades that using humor can have many benefits beyond being fun, and many followed his lead. Moreover, he had always taken care to systematically collect relevant empirical, scientific evidence and to expertly evaluate it. Not all of his followers took his lead on this matter.

Psychometric evaluation of the revised Sense of Humor Scale and the construction of a parallel form

Abstract: McGhee (1996, Health, healing and the amuse system: Humor as survival training. Dubuque: Kendall/Hunt; 1999, Health, healing and the amuse system: Humor as survival training (3rd edition). Dubuque: Kendall/Hunt) proposed a model of the sense of humor including the six “humor skills” of enjoyment of humor, laughter, verbal humor, finding humor in everyday life, laughing at yourself, and humor under stress, measured with the Sense of Humor Scale (SHS). The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the psychometric properties of the SHS (revised version from 1999) and to develop a parallel form of the SHS to double the amount of items for each humor skill. Combing these two forms should yield reliable and factorially valid scales of the six humor skills. Participants in two online studies (n=315 and 542) completed the SHS and its parallel form, along with measures of various outcomes. The psychometric properties of the SHS were of mixed quality, and those of the parallel form were uniformly good. The parallel-test reliability was sufficiently high to regard the two scales as parallel versions. Combining the two measures resulted in reliable and distinguishable scales of the six humor skills. All humor skills correlated positively with humor-related attitude and mood, cheerfulness, and life satisfaction. Importantly, they spanned different dimensions of the sense of humor, underscoring the usefulness of each humor skill.

There is an after-life (for jokes, anyway): The potential for, and appeal of, ‘immortality’ in humor

Abstract: Abstract While the appeal of humor lies, typically, in its very spontaneity and original contextual incongruity, there is also the chance of an ‘afterlife’ for the humorous text. In most cases, the humorist seeks an immediate response for what is an ephemeral, fleeting, linguistic transaction. A permanent place in humor culture is probably the least of the humorist’s goals- after all, the immediate, positive response is prioritized as an evidence of skill. Thus, most humor studies focus on the first instantiation of humor, as being generative of the act of humor. This prioritization of the immediate surprise, over the ‘echoes’ of an instance of humor, does not address the fact that many people enjoy revisiting a familiar joke, or comic film, or an entire TV comedy series, and that these revisited texts become incorporated into group and cultural artefacts. These recontextualizations in themselves are potentially funny, but they are also important in sustaining the original instance of humor as a type of ongoing conversation: a very distinctive feature of humor’s social importance. This paper will present a theorization of an interdependency between author, text, and interlocutors for the ‘afterlife’ of texts, and will furnish high-profile examples to support this concept.

Putting “Laughing at Yourself” to the Test

Abstract: McGhee described the ability to laugh at yourself as a facet of the sense of humor that is malleable and constitutes the fifth out of six facets forming the sense of humor. Also, McGhee made it measurable by including it in the Sense of Humor Scale (SHS McGhee, Paul E. 1996. Health, healing, and the amuse system (2. edition): Humor as survival training. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing). The current study investigated whether individuals (N=78) could laugh at photos in which their face was distorted and mocking captions were added (multi-method approach: self-reports, facial responses assessed by the Facial Action Coding System, unobtrusive measures). Moreover, as two possible pre-conditions of being able to laugh at yourself, acceptance and importance of one’s physical appearance were studied. The results show that individuals indeed get amused about themselves, yet, laughing at yourself in McGhee’s sense was a better predictor of the absence of negative responses towards the stimuli (in reported emotions, facial responses, ratings of photos) than the presence of positive responses. Accepting ones appearance correlated positively to laughing at yourself. Thus, to be able to laugh at yourself seems to be a continuum, starting from not feeling negatively about being the target of a joke to “hearty laughter”.

The impact of social power on the evaluation of offensive jokes

Abstract: Abstract The current research examined whether social power affects what people find funny. In two experiments, participants’ psychological state of social power was experimentally manipulated and their evaluations of offensive jokes were assessed. Results showed that participants in a psychological state of high power – as compared to low power – evaluated offensive jokes as less inappropriate, less offensive, and funnier. Mediation analyses showed that power increased the funniness of offensive jokes through decreasing the perceived inappropriateness of these jokes. Implications for research on power and humor are discussed.

Paul McGhee and humor research

Abstract: Abstract Humor research has developed along a trajectory, and branched out in many directions, that were foreseen and stimulated by Paul McGhee. From his initial interest in children’s humor and cognitive development as a graduate student at Ohio State University to his work applying humor in myriad settings, McGhee has broadened our understanding of humor and expanded its horizons. As early as the 1970s, Paul expressed interest in the neuropsychology of humor and laughter and in the evolution of humor in nonhuman primates. The development and validation of the Sense of Humor Scale is an integral part of the 7 Humor Habits Program used effectively to train humor skills. McGhee played an early role in advocating humor and laughter as a learnable tool in the promotion of health and well-being, and in the training of health-care personnel. His work has been recognized through various Lifetime Achievements awards and other honors.

The neurology and psychiatry of humor, smiling, and laughter: a tribute to Paul McGhee Part II. neurological studies and brain imaging

Abstract: Abstract This is a continuation of Part I. Section 2 of that part (“Humor and the Body”) should be read before reading reports of the studies described below. Understanding the methods and experiments in this part is, perhaps, easier than making sense of them. As mentioned at the outset of Part 1, the relationship of the brain to humor, smiling, and laugher is but one tiny aspect of the vastly larger mind-body problem that has yet to be fruitfully addressed. What follows is a listing of technical findings that are probably mostly true, but the deeper sense of which remains largely mysterious.

“It’s funny if the group says so”: Group norms moderate disparaging humor appreciation

Abstract: Abstract We tested the hypothesis that group norms would have an effect on humor appreciation, specifically on ingroup disparaging humor. In this study (N=195), participants were exposed to two humor conditions (neutral or ingroup disparaging humor) and to two group norms regarding humor appreciation (favoring or rejecting). Favoring group norm had a direct effect on the funniness scores. Moreover, an interaction effect of group norm and type of humor was found on the humor appreciation. When the group norm was rejecting, appreciation of the two different types of humor was different, whereas in the favoring group norm, no statistically significant differences were observed. Additionally, for the disparaging humor exposure, a favoring group norm promoted a greater acceptation of the stereotypical characteristics presented in the disparaging humor as realistic and representative of the ingroup. These results suggest that group norms act as important contextual information that influences disparaging humor appreciation.

Humor as a developmental phenomenon: the contributions of Paul McGhee

Abstract: Abstract This chapter traces the history of Paul McGhee’s theoretical views, research methods, and body of writing focused on children’s humor development. It describes the state of such research before he became involved, the decision-making process that led him to focus on this area of knowledge, his initial research paradigms and later research methodology, his extensive writings on humor development, and the theoretical ideas about children’s humor development that he proposed, drawing on Piagetian theory. It also briefly discusses his later work in broader fields of humor development. The chapter briefly describes the ways that the body of knowledge he provided and his emphasis on the importance of early humor development have been influential for many subsequent humor development researchers, including that of the author. It also recognizes the playfulness that Paul McGhee has brought to both his scholarly and advocacy work, which provides a model for future researchers in the field of children’s humor development.

Anecdotal evidence: understanding organizational reality through organizational humorous tales

Abstract: Abstract In the paper, we propose a new focus in qualitative organization studies, which we call organizational anecdotal evidence. The novelty of our method is in linking storytelling, studies of organizational anecdotes, and humor studies. We claim that organizational anecdotes, jokes, and short fictional stories should become a core object of organizational culture analysis, rather than be refuted as unimportant. This is so because the study of organizational anecdotes and fictional stories shared by the social actors is more meaningful and gives more insight into their culture than establishing mere facts. In the article, we briefly relate the limitations of factual studies in many areas of organizational research, describe the theoretical background of our method (coming from humor studies, storytelling, and organizational anecdotes analysis), and propose their combination as a new approach for organization scholars, namely, organizational anecdotal evidence research. The utility of the proposed methodological approach is demonstrated based on original research conducted in a public administration organization.

Humor and scatology in contemporary Zulu ceremonial songs

Abstract: Abstract This article focuses on humor embedded in the delivery and lyrics of a form of song sung by Zulu women in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa still widely practiced in rural areas, called amaculo omgonqo ‘puberty songs.’ The aim is to ascertain how and why young Zulu females sing these unusual songs which are normally sung in the days preceding two rites of passage ceremonies; firstly, the umhlonyane ceremony, which is held to mark a young girl’s first menstruation during her puberty years, and secondly, approximately 10 years later, the umemulo ‘coming of age’ ceremony which is held for young girls who have reached marriageable age. Analysis is made of the unusual use of scatological and ribald language in these songs, which are sung by young girls before these two ceremonies. These songs are rendered socially acceptable only because of the context in which they are sung, and for the bawdy humor which is core to the lyrics.

The intertextual Jewish joke at the turn of the twentieth century and the poetics of a national renewal

Abstract: Abstract The article examines the role of the intertextual Jewish joke at the turn of the twentieth century, in its historical and cultural contexts. The case studies would be Alter Druyanow’s popular anthology, Sefer Habediha Vehahiddud (The Book of Jokes and Witticisms, Frankfurt 1922), and his archived, unpublished collection of sexual jokes. The frequent use of quotations from sacred Jewish texts, characteristic of these collections, is discussed in light of the distinction between sub-genres of the intertextual joke: the allusive joke, the parodic joke, and the satiric joke. While most reflect the folklorist’s ambition to bridge the gap between Hebrew as a holy language and Yiddish as a Jewish vernacular, a deeper examination of the jokes may discover Druyanow’s subversive motivations as a national activist as well. Druyanow and his contemporaries engaged the biblical and rabbinical sources freely, as vessels capable of sanctifying the secular subject matter of the Jewish national revival. Moreover, the unpublished collection exposes satirical elements embodied in the intertextual Jewish joke of the time, potentially threatening the traditional Jewish worldview.

Humorous sublimation of a dying Cuban writer in Reinaldo Arenas’ The Color of Summer

Abstract: How does a human being deal with suffering? How can we emotionally cope with the vicissitudes of life, especially in times where they suddenly multiply themselves? In this study, we present an innovative interdisciplinary study on the use of coping mechanisms by career writers dealing with difficult life events. We focus in particular on the use of humor and sublimation, two creative mental mechanisms that contribute to the lowering of anxiety while at the same time dealing constructively with the external stressors. Never before have these mechanisms been studied in a complementary way in the context of a literary study. This paper offers an in-depth analysis of Reinaldo Arenas’ The Color of Summer. In this novel, this Cuban author introduces an autobiographical perspective of the Cuban sixties and seventies, intending to present a facet of history that would never appear in Cuban history books. The combination of both coping mechanisms, which we call humorous sublimation, offers a novel that not only helped the author cope with his tormented life, but also allowed the reader to gain an understanding of a dark period of Cuban history by means of a very funny and surreal reading.

Health among humorists:: Susceptibility to contagious diseases among improvisational artists

Abstract: Abstract There is a widely held belief that humor contributes to better health, but the research on this topic yields mixed results. To assess the relationship between humor and health, we compared the susceptibility to various infectious diseases of 511 comedy performers (amateur improvisational artists) and a control group of 795 non-performers that were matched to the comedy performers sample in age and sex. Subjects reported the number of episodes and the total days they had had various infectious diseases. Contrary to the prevailing sentiment that humor boosts health, results showed that the comedy performer group reported more frequent contagious diseases and more days having these infections diseases, compared to the control group. Improv artists had significantly more infections and reported more days infected than the control group on respiratory infections, head colds, stomach or intestinal flu, skin infections, and autoimmune diseases. The control group had significantly more bladder infections with non-significant difference on days infected. Results held after controlling for BMI, age, number of antibiotics used and neuroticism. We found no evidence that humor positively contributes to health, and a career in a humor-related profession may be detrimental to one’s health. Our research highlights the complex relationship between humor and health outcomes.

Chimpanzee and gorilla humor: progressive emergence from origins in the wild to captivity to sign language learning

Abstract: Abstract This article examines available (mainly anecdotal) evidence related to the experience of humor among chimpanzees and gorillas in the wild, in captivity and following systematic sign language training. Humor is defined as one form of symbolic play. Positive evidence of object permanence, cross-modal perception, deferred imitation and deception among chimpanzees and gorillas is used to document their cognitive capacity for humor. Playful teasing is proposed as the primordial form of humor among apes in the wild. This same form of humor is commonly found among signing apes, both in overt behavior and in signed communications. A second form of humor emerges in the context of captivity, consisting of throwing feces at human onlookers—who often respond to this with laughter. This early form of humor shows up in signing apes in the form of calling others “dirty,” a sign associated with feces. The diversity of forms of signing humor shown by apes is linked to McGhee, Paul E. Humor: Its origin and development. San Francisco, CA: W. H. Freeman & Co, McGhee, Paul E. Understanding and promoting the development of children’s humor. Dubuque, IA: Kendall/Hunt. model of humor development.

Static and non-linguistic quantitative indicators to evaluate Japanese comic dialogues of Manzai

Abstract: Abstract This paper proposes the use of quantitative indicators to evaluate the comedic success of Japanese “Manzai” performances without using semantic processing or time sequence information. The validity of the proposed indicators was verified by predicting the rankings of the final rounds and decision matches of ten M1 Grand Prix, a national-level humor contest in Japan, using leave-one-out cross validation. The results demonstrate that the proposed indicators are able to predict the ranking of Manzai championships as the mean prediction precision was 0.58 (rank correlation) for final rounds, and 0.70 (champion prediction accuracy) for the decision matches.

Introduction: Festschrift for Paul McGhee – Humor Across the Lifespan, Theory, Measurement, and Applications

Abstract: The special issue of Humor touches on the many areas in which Paul McGhee was a pioneer. This Festschrift begins with an intellectual biography of Paul McGhee (by Goldstein & Ruch), with reminiscences by Peter Derks, followed by issues that emerge out of his work. Contributions are from academics and practitioners from psychiatry, nursing, education, and psychotherapy highlighting research and practice that has profited from Paul’s influence. These include the role of humor in children’s development and education (Doris Bergen; Joyce Saltman), measurement and humor research (Willibald Ruch and Sonja Heintz; Rene Proyer; Jennifer Hofmann) and humor training (Willibald Ruch, Jennifer Hofmann, Sandra Rusch and Heidi Schultz; Ilona Papousek). Paul’s mark has also been found in nursing (Karyn Buxman) and psychiatry and neurology (Frank A. Rodden). Paul comments on the contributions to the Festschrift and adds his latest thoughts about humor research. This is followed by his article on humor among non-human primates, a topic that has long engaged him.

“Boy’s Club:” Examining sexist humor on types of sexism and femininity ideology using two research approaches

Abstract: Abstract The current study examined sexist humor and participants’ level of sexism and femininity ideology using two research approaches: (1) a quasi-experimental design in which participants were primed with sexist humor and (2) a correlational approach using content analysis to estimate exposure to sexist humor in media. It was hypothesized that exposure to sexist humor would influence viewer’s sexist views and femininity ideology. It was also hypothesized that the quasi-experimental design would yield confirmatory results of our initial hypothesis while the correlational design would not. Participants included 1,559 male and female college students who were randomly assigned to three experimental conditions (viewed sexist humor, viewed non-sexist humor, viewed no videos) and then answered questions related to sexism and femininity ideology followed by general demographic items and media viewing preferences. Results confirmed that the quasi-experimental design, in comparison to the correlational design, yielded more confirmatory results in that those exposed to sexist humor had higher scores on all outcome measures examined. Limitations of priming and content analysis are discussed as well as directions for future research.

How one mad scientist grasped the profound potential of humor and changed the face of nursing

Abstract: Abstract The history of nursing and the history of humor theory become intertwined with the help of a look-alike-mad-scientist, Dr Paul McGhee. A review is given as to how McGhee played the role of catalyst, pioneer and mentor to many in the health profession and the impact that has resulted in the nursing profession.

The influence of performance expectations and personality on audience ratings of humor

Abstract: Abstract Are our ratings of comics and the humor of their material affected by our perceived expectations? We tested the responses of fifty participants, recruited from comedy club audiences in the United States, who completed a standard personality test and then watched and rated video clips of stand-up comedy performances. The comedians in each clip were unknown to the viewers, and were either introduced with enhanced/exaggerated credentials (such as having experience writing for The Tonight Show or appearing on the Modern Family television series), or were given a more generic introduction, hinting that they have not yet achieved notable success. Participants rated their enjoyment of each comedian at three points during each eight-minute video clip, and rated their favorite joke and favorite comedian overall. Results indicated that expectations (based on exaggerated/enhanced credentials) affected humor ratings early in the performance but dissipated as the performance continued, suggesting that expectations only briefly affect one’s judgment of humor. Personality results indicated that the traits Extraversion and Agreeableness were significantly and positively correlated with overall performance ratings but only Extraversion affected whether viewers’ ratings were influenced by enhanced/exaggerated introductions. Agreeableness, gender, and age were more salient predictors of viewers’ humor ratings of comedians than were viewer expectations based on enhanced/exaggerated credentials.

Comments on the special issue

Abstract: Abstract This article includes comments on each contributing author’s article in this special issue of Humor. The articles represent an assessment of McGhee’s research, work on practical applications or influence in the following areas: 1) the development of children’s humor, 2) construction and validation of the Sense of Humor Scale (SHS), 3) usefulness of specific subscales of the SHS, including “playfulness” and “laughing at yourself,” 4) development and evaluation of the 7 Humor Habits Program—a training program for learning to use humor to cope with stress, 5) humor’s impact on physical health and emotional well being, 6) impact on the field of nursing, and 7) humor and the brain. McGhee provides here his response to each contributed article.