Humor, Loneliness and Interpersonal Communication: A Quantitative Study of Romanian Older Adults

Abstract

<p>This quantitative study examines the correlations between humor, loneliness, gender and aging by presenting the results from a sample of eighty-three older Romanian adults, aged sixty and above. The first section of the paper is a comprehensive review of the social-psychological literature on aging, gender and humor. The second section assesses the findings generated from a study that uses the Multidimensional Sense of Humor Scale (Thorson & Powell, 1993) and the Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults – short version, (diTomaso, Brannen & Best, 2004). Building on Robert Weiss’s (1973) reflections on the differences between feelings of loneliness because of social isolation or emotional isolation, the research findings nuance –and in some cases challenge several assumptions on gender, age, and emotional and social loneliness. The findings also point to the correlation between feelings of social loneliness and the use of humor in interpersonal communications. The data collected suggests that while Romanian men may value the use of humor more than women when self-reporting, that older Romanian women tend to use humor in interpersonal situations and that there is a significant correlation between the use of this type of humor and a reduced sense of social loneliness.</p>

Loneliness, Social Interactions and Sense of Humor. A Quantitative Study Comparing Romanian Students and Older Adults

“…The current study departs from the study by Schiau (2016) that found the use of humor in interpersonal communication to be correlated with a reduced sense of social loneliness in a sample of Romanian older adults. Humor can function as a coping mechanism, helping individuals adapt to various situations and difficulties, across the age groups, and there are indicators in the literature that humor is experienced and valued differently at different ages.…”

“…A principal components factor analysis was conducted, and produced four dimensions. However, items loaded differently on the four factors than they did in the original English language instrument (Thorson & Powell, 1993), and also differently from the sample of Romanian older adults (Schiau, 2016), suggesting an age-specific difference in the way humor is used and assessed. not used in the current study.…”

“…Ruch and colleagues, found that younger adults laugh more often and more easily than older adults (2010), appreciate verbal humor more and show more appreciation for everyday humor, as indicated in the study by Proyer, Ruch, and Müller (2010). The current study aims to identify age-related differences in the use of humor, by comparing the findings to those obtained in a methodologically-identical study, carried out using Romanian older adult participants (Schiau, 2016). Since this previous study found that humor can function as a mechanism to reduce social loneliness, the current study proposes to investigate the relationship between humor and loneliness in the same cultural space, but for younger adults.…”

“…Sample items are "Other people tell me that I say funny things"; "Humor helps me cope"; "I like a good joke"; I can say things in such a way as to make people laugh", and participants indicated on a 5-point Likert scale how well each of the statements described them; from 1 (not at all) to 5 (very much). We used a back translated Romanian version of the MSHS, previously translated and validated on a population of Romanian older adults in a study by Schiau (2016). A principal components factor analysis was conducted, and produced four dimensions.…”

Evidencias psicométricas de una versión breve de la Coping Humor Scale en adultos mayores peruanos

“…Así, Martin 15 conceptualiza el humor en base a un conjunto de características como 1) la capacidad para comprender chistes y otros estímulos humorísticos, 2) la expresión de humor y alegría, 3) la capacidad de realizar comentarios graciosos, 4) la apreciación de diversos tipos de bromas u otros materiales cómicos, 5) la búsqueda activa de fuentes que provocan risa, 6) el recordar chistes y anécdotas divertidas en la vida y, finalmente, 7) la tendencia a usar el humor como mecanismo de afrontamiento. En relación a esta última característica, estudios recientes 16 indican que el humor puede actuar como un mecanismo de afrontamiento ante las dificultades aparecidas durante la vejez. Esto proporciona a los adultos mayores la capacidad de cambiar el pensamiento y recuperar una sensación de control, permitiéndoles a su vez adaptarse a los cambios físicos, cognitivos y sociales característicos de esta etapa del ciclo vital 17 .…”