Motivation and emotion/Book/2024/Humour and stress relief

Humour and stress relief:
How does humour help in relieving stress?

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Overview

Figure 1. Humour

(World Health Organization, 2023)say that stress is a state of worry or mental tension, typically caused by a difficult situation. Stress is a natural response that all humans experience when addressing challenges or threats in our lives. The way we respond to and cope with stress affects our overall wellbeing.

Stress can make it hard to relax and comes with a range of psychological and physical signs and symptoms (Mind UK, 2022)

anxiousness or nervousness
overwhelmed
irritability
headaches or other body pains
trouble sleeping
loss of appetite
increased use of alcohol, tobacco or other substances
decrease of daily cognitive functioning
fatigue
sweating
indigestion or heartburn
blurred eyesight or sore eyes
in females, changes to menstrual cycle or irregular periods


Scenario Marvin, a 49 year old man has been working as a manager at his workplace for the past two years, he works late and when he does get home, is still taking phone calls and doing admin work on his computer. He sits on the couch and barely acknowledges his wife and children. Marvin enjoys fishing, golf and driving his boat but does not regularly do any of these leisure activities or exercise. Marvin will eat breakfast and lunch but skip dinner most nights, instead, he drinks at least 7 standard alcoholic drinks before he goes to bed, even if he is left staying up alone. After Marvin finishes with his computer, he will turn to his phone to scroll through funny videos and often laughs to himself (see figure 1). During this time and, the day afterwards, Marvins[grammar?] mood seems to be vibrant and happy.

Marvin's main stressor could be assumed to be his occupation, however, this case study does not explore Marvin's home life, past traumas or other potential stressors in detail.The "problem" with Marvin's explained situation is that he is experiencing the following symptoms from constant high levels of stress:

loss of appetite
social withdrawal
increased alcohol consumption

This book chapter will focus on the possible underlying causes of stress as well as the effects it can have on the human body, mind and behaviour. It will explore the different mechanisms humans have to cope and relieve their stress and, in particular, the relation that humour has to stress relief.

FOCUS QUESTIONS: 1. Types of Stress 2. What Does Stress do to the Brain and Body? 3. What is the Relationship Between Humour and Stress Relief? 4. Theories of Stress and Humour

Types of Stress

There are many different causes and types of stress, which can cause different reactions, signs, symptoms and coping behaviours for each individual.

Figure 2. Stress

(Australian Psychological Society, 2022a)say that stress is often described using feelings and emotions such as:

anxious
overwhelmed
wound up
tense

(Australian Psychological Society, 2022b)have explained the types of stress severities humans can experience including:

Acute Stress

Acute stress lasts only a short period of time. If managed appropriately, the mind and body typically bounces back from acute stress effectively.

May include situations such as:

exam periods
starting a new job
being faced with a deadline

Chronic Stress

Chronic stress occurs over a longer period of time and typically does not or, takes a long time to go away. These situations may include:

being bullied
financial difficulties
relationship problems
chronic health problems
overworked or burnout
caring for someone with complex needs
living in an unsafe environment
experiencing trauma such as violence in the home

Cumulative Stress

Cumulative stress is when a number of stressors are occurring simultaneously or one straight after the other without the individual having the opportunity to fully recover.

What are the Effects of Stress?

If not managed appropriately or a stressful situation occurs frequently or over long periods of time, there can be great negative impacts on physical and mental health.

What does Stress do to the Brain?

Figure 3. Stress on the brain

Premier neurology and wellness centre has listed some ways that stress can affect the human brain if left untreated:

impairs memory
kills brain cells
changes the brains structure
increased susceptibility to mental illness
improves or declines cognitive function

What does Stress do to the Body?

American Psychological Association outline the ways stress can physically affect the different systems of the human body.

Musculoskeletal system

tensed muscles
tension or migraine headaches

Respiratory system

shortness of breathe
trigger asthma attacks
hyperventilation

Cardiovascular system

increased heart rate
increased adrenaline
increased risk of hypertension or stroke

Gastrointestinal system

stomach discomfort
bloating
nausea
diarrhoea or constipation

Male reproductive system

erectile dysfunction
lower percentage of sperm mobility
prostate infections

Female reproductive system

reduced sexual desire
negative impact on conception or child development
worsened premenstrual symptoms including cramping and negative mood

Quiz

Theories of Stress and Humour

Various theories have been developed to understand both stress and humour individually and can be used when developing a correlation between the two.

Stress Theory - Flight or Fight Response

The flight or fight response

also called hyper arousal or the acute stress response
first described in 1915 by Walter Bradford Cannon
a physiological reaction to perceived harmful event, attack or threat to survival

physiological changes to the body include increased:

blood flow
blood pressure and heart rate
blood sugar (glucose)
respiration to supply the oxygen necessary
speed of blood clotting function
muscle tension
dilated pupils

Humour Theory - Relief Theory

Relief Theory

ever heard the saying "laughter is the best medicine"?

a mechanism for bottled up emotions or tension through emotional relief
laughter is a homeostatic mechanism as it reduces psychological stress
laughter releases excess nervous energy and tension

What is the Relationship Between Humour and Stress Relief?

Stress is a universal human experience, however, is different for each person, therefore, the coping mechanisms used to relieve stress are different for each person.

Suggested strategies to help include:

Learning feature

Feature boxes - add important / take home messages

Conclusion

Suggested word count: 150 to 330 words

Social Contributions

16/08/2024 Direct contribution - Added Theories of humour (Wikipedia) to see also section Humour and Social Bonding (Book chapter, 2024).

16/08/2024 Feedback - Suggested that they "Add hyperlink to your "Neuroscience News (News,2024) citation so that readers can visit additional information with ease!" Alcohol, Dopamine, Motivation and Emotion (Book Chapter, 2024).

16/08/2024 Direct Contribution - Added Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (Wikipedia) to see also section ADHD and emotional regulation: Difference between revisions (Book Chapter, 2024

References

APS. Psychology.org.au. https://psychology.org.au/for-the-public/psychology-topics/stress/types-of-stress

Kashouty, R. (2021, September 24). 6 ways stress affects your brain. Premier Neurology & Wellness Center. https://premierneurologycenter.com/blog/6-ways-stress-affects-your-brain/
Mind UK. (2022, March). Signs and Symptoms of Stress. Mind. https://www.mind.org.uk/information-support/types-of-mental-health-problems/stress/signs-and-symptoms-of-stress/
Wikipedia Contributors. (2019a, February 22). Theories of humor. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Theories_of_humor
Wikipedia Contributors. (2019b, April 22). Fight-or-flight response. Wikipedia; Wikimedia Foundation. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight-or-flight_response
World Health Organization. (2023, February 21). Stress. World Health Organization; World Health Organisation. https://www.who.int/news-room/questions-and-answers/item/stress

External links

Provide external links to highly relevant resources such as presentations, news articles, and professional sites. Use sentence casing. For example:

Six top tips for writing a great essay (University of Melbourne)
The importance of structure (skillsyouneed.com)