The Role of Humor in Stress Management and Psychological Well-Being: Coping Strategies in High-Stress Populations
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61194/psychology.v2i2.522Keywords:
Psychological well-being, humor-based interventions, coping strategies, stress management, social support, mental health resilience, workplace well-beingAbstract
Humor has been widely recognized as a critical coping strategy that enhances psychological well-being by alleviating stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms. This study provides a comprehensive narrative review of existing literature on the role of humor in mental health, particularly in high-stress environments such as healthcare, caregiving, and social adaptation. A systematic literature search was conducted across PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and CINAHL, focusing on peer-reviewed studies examining humor-based interventions, social support, and coping mechanisms. Findings indicate that humor positively impacts emotional resilience, workplace stress reduction, and patient care experiences. Healthcare workers, caregivers, and marginalized populations benefit significantly from humor’s psychological effects, particularly when combined with strong social support. However, systemic barriers such as mental health stigma, cultural variations, and economic constraints limit the widespread adoption of humor as an intervention strategy. Addressing these challenges requires tailored humor-based programs, workplace well-being policies, and culturally adaptive approaches. This review underscores the need for future research exploring humor’s long-term effectiveness and digital applications in mental health interventions. A greater emphasis on policy-driven initiatives can facilitate the integration of humor into clinical and community-based settings, ultimately improving psychological well-being across diverse populations.
References
Bartzik, M., Aust, F., & Peifer, C. (2021). Negative Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Nurses Can Be Buffered by a Sense of Humor and Appreciation. BMC Nursing, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-021-00770-5
Chamorro-Garrido, A., Ramírez-Fernández, E., & Martínez, A. R. O. (2021). Autobiographical Memory, Gratitude, Forgiveness and Sense of Humor: An Intervention in Older Adults. Frontiers in Psychology, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.731319
Coulibaly, J. Y., Gbetibouo, G. A., Kundhlande, G., Sileshi, G. W., & Beedy, T. L. (2015). Responding to crop failure: Understanding farmers’ coping strategies in Southern Malawi. Sustainability (Switzerland), 7(2), 1620–1636. https://doi.org/10.3390/su7021620
Dionigi, A., & Canestrari, C. (2016). Clowning in Health Care Settings: The Point of View of Adults. Europe’s Journal of Psychology, 12(3), 473–488. https://doi.org/10.5964/ejop.v12i3.1107
Eden, A., Johnson, B. K., Reinecke, L., & Grady, S. M. (2020). Media for Coping During COVID-19 Social Distancing: Stress, Anxiety, and Psychological Well-Being. Frontiers in Psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.577639
Gabarrell‐Pascuet, A., Lloret-Pineda, A., Franch-Roca, M., Mellor-Marsá, B., Alos-Belenguer, M. d. C., He, Y., Hafi-Elmokhtari, R. E., Villalobos, F., Bayes‐Marin, I., Pareja, L. A., Bobo, Ó. Á., Cabezas, M. E., Osorio, Y., Haro, J. M., & Cristóbal-Narváez, P. (2023). Impact of Perceived Discrimination and Coping Strategies on Well-Being and Mental Health in Newly-Arrived Migrants in Spain. Plos One, 18(12), e0294295. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0294295
Hawke, L. D., Barbic, S., Voineskos, A. N., Szatmári, P., Cleverley, K., Hayes, E., Relihan, J., Daley, M., Courtney, D., Cheung, A., Darnay, K., & Henderson, J. (2020). Impacts of COVID-19 on Youth Mental Health, Substance Use, and Well-Being: A Rapid Survey of Clinical and Community Samples: Répercussions De La COVID-19 Sur La Santé Mentale, L’utilisation De Substances Et Le Bien-Être Des Adolescents : Un Sondage Rapide D’échantillons Cliniques Et Communautaires. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 65(10), 701–709. https://doi.org/10.1177/0706743720940562
Hickman, H., Clarke, C., & Wolverson, E. (2018). A Qualitative Study of the Shared Experience of Humour Between People Living With Dementia and Their Partners. Dementia, 19(6), 1794–1810. https://doi.org/10.1177/1471301218805895
Hyder, A., & Iqbal, N. (2016). Socio-economic losses of flood and household’s coping strategies: Evidence from flood prone district of Pakistan. PIDE Working Papers, 1(142). https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85015040455&partnerID=40&md5=d2b5175b0e937246be10c4a26c21f67b
Jiang, T., Li, H., & Hou, Y. (2019). Cultural Differences in Humor Perception, Usage, and Implications. Frontiers in Psychology, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00123
Kallivayalil, R., Thomas, S., Alexander, A. D., & Divakaran, J. (2022). The Coping Skills and Quality of Life Among Rape Survivors – A Descriptive Study From Kerala. Indian Journal of Psychiatry, 64(4), 387–394. https://doi.org/10.4103/indianjpsychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_78_22
Kantarci, B., & Soylu, F. K. (2024). The Relationship Between the Humor Styles of Nurses and Psychological Well-Being During the COVID-19 Pandemic Period. Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, 43(2), 87–95. https://doi.org/10.1097/dcc.0000000000000626
Kavčič, T., Avsec, A., & Kocjan, G. Z. (2022). Coping Profiles and Their Association With Psychological Functioning: A Latent Profile Analysis of Coping Strategies During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Personality and Individual Differences, 185, 111287. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2021.111287
Kim, H. S., & Plester, B. (2019). Harmony and Distress: Humor, Culture, and Psychological Well-Being in South Korean Organizations. Frontiers in Psychology, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.02643
Langdon, R. R., & Sawang, S. (2018). Construction Workers’ Well-Being: What Leads to Depression, Anxiety, and Stress? Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 144(2). https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)co.1943-7862.0001406
Lawn, S., Roberts, L., Willis, E., Couzner, L., Mohammadi, L., & Goble, E. (2020). The Effects of Emergency Medical Service Work on the Psychological, Physical, and Social Well-Being of Ambulance Personnel: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Research. BMC Psychiatry, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-020-02752-4
Mahmud, A., & Islam, M. R. (2020). Social Stigma as a Barrier to Covid-19 Responses to Community Well-Being in Bangladesh. International Journal of Community Well-Being, 4(3), 315–321. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42413-020-00071-w
Mianabadi, A., Davary, K., Kolahi, M., & Fisher, J. (2022). Water/climate nexus environmental rural-urban migration and coping strategies. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, 65(5), 852–876. https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2021.1915259
Mubiru, D. N., Radeny, M., Kyazze, F. B., Zziwa, A., Lwasa, J., Kinyangi, J., & Mungai, C. (2018). Climate trends, risks and coping strategies in smallholder farming systems in Uganda. Climate Risk Management, 22, 4–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crm.2018.08.004
Olympiou, A., & Ahmed, S. (2024). Laughter Interventions to Improve Psychological Well-Being/QoL in Cancer Patients: A Mini Systematic Review. Sage Open, 14(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440241300561
Osincup, P. (2020). How to Use Humor in Clinical Settings. The Ama Journal of Ethic, 22(7), E588-595. https://doi.org/10.1001/amajethics.2020.588
Panda, R. K., Mohanty, U. C., Dash, S., & Parhi, C. (2023). Flash drought in Odisha-prediction, impact assessment, coping strategies: Current status and future strategies. Journal of Agrometeorology, 25(4), 491–497. https://doi.org/10.54386/jam.v25i4.2450
Pérez‐Aranda, A., Hofmann, J., Feliu‐Soler, A., Ramírez‐Maestre, C., Andrés‐Rodríguez, L., Ruch, W., & Luciano, J. V. (2018). Laughing Away the Pain: A Narrative Review of Humour, Sense of Humour and Pain. European Journal of Pain, 23(2), 220–233. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejp.1309
Polenick, C. A., Struble, L., Stanislawski, B., Turnwald, M., Broderick, B. M., Gitlin, L. N., & Kales, H. C. (2018). “I’ve Learned to Just Go With the Flow”: Family Caregivers’ Strategies for Managing Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia. Dementia, 19(3), 590–605. https://doi.org/10.1177/1471301218780768
Puente-Martínez, A., Rovira, D. P., Landa, S. U., & Costa-Dutra, S. D. (2018). Examining the Structure of Negative Affect Regulation and Its Association With Hedonic and Psychological Wellbeing. Frontiers in Psychology, 9. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01592
Santos, V. A., Paes, F., Pereira, V. M., Arias-Carrión, Ó., Silva, A. C., Carta, M. G., Nardi, A. E., & Machado, S. (2013). The Role of Positive Emotion and Contributions of Positive Psychology in Depression Treatment: Systematic Review. Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health, 9(1), 221–237. https://doi.org/10.2174/1745017901309010221
Segerstrom, S. C., Reed, R. G., Presnell, S. R., Al‐Attar, A., & Lutz, C. T. (2023). Resources and Lymphocyte Terminal Maturity Among Older Adults. Health Psychology, 42(1), 46–52. https://doi.org/10.1037/hea0001180
Silawati, V., Effendi, N., Widowati, R., Indrayani, T., & Arundhana, A. I. (2019). Factors associated with coping strategies among primigravida pregnant women in Jakarta. Journal of Pharmacy and Nutrition Sciences, 9(5), 269–275. https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85073686222&partnerID=40&md5=b4ab59ad1c7965f63e96ed99bf8f5ab7
Syahwildan, M., & Hidayah, Z. Z. (2024). The Influence of Financial Literacy, Self-Efficacy, and Coping Strategies on Students’ Finances. Ilomata International Journal of Tax and Accounting, 5(1), 254–265.
Terrill, A. L., Ellington, L., John, K. K., Latimer, S., Xu, J., Reblin, M., & Clayton, M. F. (2018). Positive Emotion Communication: Fostering Well-Being at End of Life. Patient Education and Counseling, 101(4), 631–638. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2017.11.018
Waterworth, S., Raphael, D., Gott, M., Arroll, B., & Jarden, A. (2020). Uncovering Strengths Within Community Dwelling Older Adults: What Does It Mean for Health Care Practice? Health & Social Care in the Community, 28(3), 932–940. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.12924.
