1. EFFECT OF LAUGHTER ON THE PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING OF HOSPITALIZED PATIENTS
Charles Okonkwo, Ph.D. & Alomaja Abayomi Smith, MSc
Department of Psychology,
Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu Univsersity

2. OVERVIEW:
Working Title: Effect of Laughter on the Psychological Well-being off Hospitalized Patients
Introduction
What Informed our Research Interest
Research Questions
Conceptual and Theoretical Framework
Methodology
Findings, Implications, Conclusion and Future Directions
Questions and Answers

3. Introduction:
The quality of life of hospitalized patients are usually being affected by a lot of psychological experiences such as pain, distress, anxiety, and depression, which has reduced their quality of life. Laughter therapy is a noninvasive and non- pharmacological alternative treatment for stress and depression, representative cases that have a negative influence on mental health (Yim, 2016).
Laughter therapy physiologically reduces the level of stress hormones, increases the level of health promoting-hormones such as endorphins, and strengthens the immune system by increasing the number of T-lymphocytes through activation of natural killer cells, which multiplies white blood cells in the body, as well as raises immunity in the body (Bennett & Lengacher 2009).
Laughter is a universal aspect of human non-verbal communication. It occurs naturally and plays a big role in social interactions, however, it is only recently that laughter is becoming the subject of research (Ram, 2015).

4. Physiological Outcomes of Laughter
Exercises and relaxes muscles
Improves respiration
Stimulates circulation
Decreases stress hormones
Increases the immune system’s defenses
Elevates pain threshold and tolerance
Enhances mental functioning (Ripoll & Rodera 2008).

5. The Psychological Effects of Laughter
Reduces stress, anxiety, and tension, and counteracts symptoms of depression
Elevates mood, self-esteem, hope, energy, and vigor
Enhances memory, creative thinking, and problem solving
Improves interpersonal interaction, relationships, attraction, and closeness
Increases friendliness and helpfulness and builds group identity, solidarity, and cohesiveness
Promotes psychological well-being
Improves quality of life and patient care
Intensifies fun and is contagious (Arminen &Halonen 2007).

6. Conceptual and Theoretical Framework:
Categories of Laughter:
Genuine or spontaneous laughter
Simulated laughter
Stimulated laughter
Induced laughter; and (5) pathological laughter Spontaneous laughter, unrelated to one’s own free will, is triggered by different (external) stimuli and positive emotions.

7. Conceptual and Theoretical Framework Continues: Three categories in the theories of laughter:
Arousal theory:
Concerned with the cognitive aspects of laughter; stress increases arousal, while laughter is able to reduce stress by easing arousal and tension (Apte 1985; Lefcourt and Martin 2012).

8. Conceptual and Theoretical Framework Continues: Three categories in the theories of laughter:
Discrepancy theory:
Concerned with the cognitive aspect, which says laughter starts from the dithered process, situation, or thought apart from the knowledge or logic that people commonly known. This theory says people laugh when they realize there is discrepancy between the actual situation and their general knowledge of it (Apte 1985; Lefcourt and Martin 2012).

9. Conceptual and Theoretical Framework Continues: Three categories in the theories of laughter:
Superiority Theory:
Laughter occurs when people look down on others more than who they are actually, or when they have a feeling or thought that they are superior to others. The theory says laughter restricts the external environment and raises confidence (MacGhee and Pistolesi 1979).

10. Research Questions and :
Does laughter therapy (watching four, three- minutes comedy skits) improve the psychological well-being of hospitalized patient?

11. Methodology: Data Collection: STEM Participants: Total (n) = 15
Convenient random selection, via personal permission
One private and one public hospital
STEM Participants: Total (n) = 15
Females = 59.9%
Males = 40.1%

12. Methodology Continues:
Measures:
Modified version, 20-item Psychological Well-being Scale (Ryff, 1972)
E.g.: “I am satisfied with state in life?”
Cronbach’s alpha = .96
Content Validity = .77
Four Three-Minute Comedy Skits

13. Before the laughter therapy After the laugh therapy
62/15=4.133
Table 1.1:Psychologycal Well-being, before and after laughter treatment
S/N
Before the laughter therapy
After the laugh therapy
Differences
Person -1 58 52 6
Person -2 68 76 -8
Person -3 57 62 -5
Person -4 65 66 -1
Person -5 67 70 -3
Person -6 63 7
Person -7 60 2
Person -8 59 64
Person -9 -6
Person -10
Person -11 56
Person -12 53 -4
Person -13 61
Person -14 72 74 -2
Person -15 79 80
N=15
955
973

14. Descriptive Statistics
Paired Samples Statistics
Mean N
Std. Deviation
Std. Error Mean
Before Treatment 15
After Treatment

15. Hypothesis:
H0: = 0 (There is no mean difference in the before and after comedy skits on hospitalized patients)
H1: = 0 There is a change)

16. Findings in Relation to Hypothesis
We observed a mean difference of MD = with SD = 4.738, obtained a t = -.981, with df = 14, as such accepted the null hypothesis
Thus, the treatment effect was not statistically significant,
t (14) =-.981, P >.05. In other words, hospitalized patients did not improve significantly on their psychological well-being after watching the four 3-minutes comedy skits.

17. Findings and Implications
Eventhough, the treatment effect was not statistically significant,
t (14) =-.981, P >.05. There was a mean difference, indicating that the after treatment effect the patients showed improvement in their psychological well-being.

18. Conclusion and Future Directions
There was a mean difference, likely indicating that after the laughter experience the patients showed improvement in their psychological well-being. As such, we advocate that laughter experience be part of treatment given to hospitalized patients.
Future Directions: People living with HIV/AIDS

19. Questions and Answers