Humor, Stress, and Coping Strategies Lecture Review

Flashcards covering key vocabulary, concepts, findings, and methodologies from the lecture notes on humor, stress, and coping strategies.

Millicent H. Abel Study (2002)

An exploration of the relationships between sense of humor, stress, and coping strategies among undergraduate students (N=258).

High Sense of Humor Group (Study Findings)

Appraised less stress, reported less current anxiety, and more frequently used positive reappraisal and problem-solving coping strategies compared to the low humor group, despite similar numbers of everyday problems.

Therapeutic Effects of Humor

Supported by numerous studies for its role in relieving tension and anxiety.

Humor as a Stress Buffer

Appears to protect individuals against the negative psychological effects of stress.

Positive Psychological Effects of Humor

Related to muscle relaxation, control of pain and discomfort, positive mood states, and overall psychological health, including a healthy self-concept.

Cognitive Appraisal (Humor's Role)

The function of humor in evaluating threatening or stressful situations, which can lead to a less stressful perception.

Cognitive-Affective Shift

A restructuring of a situation by humor, making it less threatening, accompanied by a release of emotion and reduction in physiological arousal.

Transactional Model of Stress (Lazarus and Folkman)

Proposes that stress depends on an individual's cognitive appraisal of events and circumstances and their ability to cope, representing a person's transaction with the environment.

Sense of Humor (Individual Difference Variable)

Considered an individual difference variable that influences primarily positive appraisals of challenge in stressful situations, rather than threat.

Humor as a Coping Mechanism

Associated with healthier coping by reappraising stressful events as less threatening and more challenging.

Emotional Distancing (Humor)

A coping technique, often part of perspective-taking humor, used to reduce emotional reactions to threatening circumstances by taking oneself or one's experiences less seriously.

Emotion-Focused Coping (with Humor)

Using humor as a defensive measure to find something funny in a stressful situation to reduce negative emotional reactions (e.g., minimization, reversal).

Problem-Focused Coping (with Humor)

Using humor to alter the stressful situation itself, exploring cognitive alternatives in response to stress.

Perceived Stress Scale (PSS)

A self-report measure assessing the degree to which individuals cognitively appraise their lives as unpredictable, uncontrollable, and overloading over the past month.

Everyday Problems Scale (EPS)

Lists 34 common problems for college students; participants check problems experienced in the past two months to indicate the number of everyday problems.

State Anxiety Inventory (STAI, State Anxiety Subscale)

Measures current feelings and mood states related to anxiety at a particular moment.

Multidimensional Sense of Humor Scale (MSHS)

A self-report measure of overall sense of humor, including its use as a coping mechanism, general humor use, and humor recognition/appreciation.

Revised Ways of Coping Scale

Explores 8 cognitive and behavioral strategies used to cope with stressful encounters, including confronting, distancing, self-control, seeking social support, accepting responsibility, escape-avoidance, planful problem-solving, and positive reappraisal.

Planful Problem-Solving (Coping Strategy)

Problem-focused attempts at actively coping with or changing a stressful situation; found to be used more by individuals with a high sense of humor.

Positive Reappraisal (Coping Strategy)

Creating positive meaning from a stressful event and focusing on personal growth; found to be used more by individuals with a high sense of humor.

Women's Self-Reported Distress (Study Finding)

Women reported significantly greater perceived stress, numbers of everyday problems, and state anxiety than men in the study, consistent with previous research.

Humor and Realistic Stress Appraisal

Individuals with a good sense of humor more accurately and realistically appraise the stress in their lives, perceiving less stress at low and average numbers of everyday problems compared to those with a poor sense of humor.

Neuroticism Link to Low Humor

Individuals with a poor sense of humor may be predisposed to experiencing greater stress regardless of objective stressors and tend to score higher on neuroticism.

Limitations of the Study

Included no causal relationships due to its correlational nature, restricted generalizability due to the use of college students, and specific problems tailored to college life.