Psychological Reports, 1992, 70, 402.
O Psychological Reports 1992
CORRELATION BETWEEN HUMOROUS COPING STYLE AND HEALTH ' JAMES L. CARROLL AND JERRY L. SHMIDT, JR.
Central Michigan University Summary.-A significant correlation of -0.34 was found between scores on the Situational Humor Response Questionnaire and a measure of perceived physical health for 5 1 college students. Mean scores on the questionnaire were similar to those of the original standardization population.
Carroll (I), using the IPAT Humor Test of Personality, found for men and women a number of factors were related to good physical health. Other research has suggested that the way a person handles conflict may also be related to health, that is, the overly serious person may be psychologically at risk (2). There have been, however, few studies of coping, humor, and health. The subjects were 51 college students enrolled in an introductory psychology course at a middle-sized midwestern university (about 17,000 students). Subjects (9 men and 42 women) were white and in the main came from middle-class homes. They were given the Situational Humor Response Questiomaire (3) to measure the extent to which students used humor in dealing with anxiety-evoking events. Health was measured on a 13-item health inventory composed of items taken from the Cornell Index (1). The present subjects scored somewhat lower on the humor questionnaire than those in the standardization sample (M= 51.3, SD = 10.4 for the present group versus 59.1 and 8.3 for the standardization sample); however, a t test comparing sample and population means was not significant (t = .93, p < .65). A Pearson correlation of -0.34 ( p < .01) between the arrays suggests that people who reported using humor as a coping strategy reported fewer health problems than did those who scored low on using humor. The present data support the notion that a light-hearted or humorous style of coping may be related to good physical health. REFERENCES 1. CARROLL, J. L. (1990) The relationship between humor appreciation and perceived physical health. Psychology: a Journal of Human Behavior, 27, 34-37. 2. MARTIN, R. A,, & LEFCOURT,H. M. (1983) Sense of humor as a moderator of the relation between stressors and moods. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45, 13131324. 3. MARTIN,R. A,, & LEFCOLIRT, H . M. (1984) Situational Humor Response Questionnaire: quantitative measure of sense of humor. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 47, 145-155. Accepted February 25, 1992. 'The authors thank the Faculty Research and Creative Endeavom Committee for its support. Reprints may be obtained by writing to J. L. Carroll, Ed.D., 102 Sloan Hall,Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859.
O Psychological Reports 1992
CORRELATION BETWEEN HUMOROUS COPING STYLE AND HEALTH ' JAMES L. CARROLL AND JERRY L. SHMIDT, JR.
Central Michigan University Summary.-A significant correlation of -0.34 was found between scores on the Situational Humor Response Questionnaire and a measure of perceived physical health for 5 1 college students. Mean scores on the questionnaire were similar to those of the original standardization population.
Carroll (I), using the IPAT Humor Test of Personality, found for men and women a number of factors were related to good physical health. Other research has suggested that the way a person handles conflict may also be related to health, that is, the overly serious person may be psychologically at risk (2). There have been, however, few studies of coping, humor, and health. The subjects were 51 college students enrolled in an introductory psychology course at a middle-sized midwestern university (about 17,000 students). Subjects (9 men and 42 women) were white and in the main came from middle-class homes. They were given the Situational Humor Response Questiomaire (3) to measure the extent to which students used humor in dealing with anxiety-evoking events. Health was measured on a 13-item health inventory composed of items taken from the Cornell Index (1). The present subjects scored somewhat lower on the humor questionnaire than those in the standardization sample (M= 51.3, SD = 10.4 for the present group versus 59.1 and 8.3 for the standardization sample); however, a t test comparing sample and population means was not significant (t = .93, p < .65). A Pearson correlation of -0.34 ( p < .01) between the arrays suggests that people who reported using humor as a coping strategy reported fewer health problems than did those who scored low on using humor. The present data support the notion that a light-hearted or humorous style of coping may be related to good physical health. REFERENCES 1. CARROLL, J. L. (1990) The relationship between humor appreciation and perceived physical health. Psychology: a Journal of Human Behavior, 27, 34-37. 2. MARTIN, R. A,, & LEFCOURT,H. M. (1983) Sense of humor as a moderator of the relation between stressors and moods. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 45, 13131324. 3. MARTIN,R. A,, & LEFCOLIRT, H . M. (1984) Situational Humor Response Questionnaire: quantitative measure of sense of humor. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 47, 145-155. Accepted February 25, 1992. 'The authors thank the Faculty Research and Creative Endeavom Committee for its support. Reprints may be obtained by writing to J. L. Carroll, Ed.D., 102 Sloan Hall,Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859.
