Humor and Nursing I: Impact of Humor and Laughter on Physical Health

~ Exam ~

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This test has 23 questions.

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1. In what century did the surgeon Henri de Mondeville observe that laughter appears to facilitate recovery from surgery, while negative emotions slow recovery?
  a. 11th Century
  b. 13th Century
  c. 15th Century
  d. 17th Century
2. In 1979, Norman Cousins wrote Anatomy of an Illness, in which he described how humor and laughter (in his view) helped him recover from a serious illness. What was his illness?
  a. Cancer
  b. Meningitis
  c. Heart Disease
  d. Ankylosing Spondylitis
3. Which of the following stress-related hormones have been shown to be reduced in the blood following a one-hour comedy program?
  a. Cortisol and epinephrine
  b. Cortisol and growth hormone
  c. Epinephrine and growth hormone
  d. All of the above
4. Which two of the following health benefits of humor/laughter have the greatest number of studies backing up their claims?
  a. Blood pressure reduction and immunoenhancement
  b. Blood pressure and pain reduction
  c. Immunoenhancement and pain reduction
  d. Pain reduction and reduced sedimentation rate
5. The great majority of studies documenting the immunoenhancement effects of humor have studied which component of the immune system?
  a. Immunoglobulin A
  b. Immunoglobulin G
  c. Natural killer cells
  d. T cells
6. Which of the following components of the immune system have been shown to be enhanced as a result of watching a one-hour comedy video?
  a. B cells
  b. Gamma Interferon
  c. Complement 3
  d. Both a) and b)
  e. All of the above
7. According to existing research, which two components of your immune system have been shown to be enhanced or stronger on days when your mood is "up," and to be suppressed or weaker on days when your mood is "down?"
  a. B cells and natural killer cells
  b. Immunoglobulin A and immunoglobulin G
  c. Immunoglobulin A and Natural killer cells
  d. B cells and T cells
8. Numerous studies have now established that humor helps reduce pain. Which of the following approaches have been used to measure pain thresholds in this research?
  a. Length of time someone can leave their hand in ice water
  b. Increased pressure on the arm using a blood pressure cuff
  c. Ability to tolerate higher levels of electric shock
  d. Both a) and b)
  e. All of the above
9. In a study of laughter and pain, what percentage of patients in a rehabilitation hospital agreed with the statement, "Sometimes laughing works as well as a pain pill?"
  a. 24%
  b. 54%
  c. 74%
  d. 94%
10. Why is laughter (or humor + laughter) such an effective tool for reducing pain? Research has clearly shown that this effect is due to the release of endorphins.
  a. This statement is true.
  b. This statement is false.
11. The power of humor and laughter to reduce experimentally-induced pain is clearly established. But which sources of chronic pain have also been shown to be reduced following humor/laughter?
  a. Rheumatoid arthritis
  b. Musculo-skeletal disorders
  c. Spinal cord injury
  d. Both a) and b)
  e. All of the above
12. Which of the following negative emotions is the only one that was NOT noted in this course to be a risk factor for coronary heart disease?
  a. Anger
  b. Jealousy
  c. Depression
  d. Anxiety
  e. Hopelessness
13. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
  a. Heart attacks in the affected community do NOT significantly increase in response to disasters like an earthquake.
  b. The cardiac risk posed by chronic anger is due to its accompanying elevated heart rate and blood pressure.
  c. About 30% of the risk of a heart attack can be attributed to stress.
  d. The so-called Type-A personality is now known to NOT be a risk cardiac risk factor.
  e. Both a) and d) are not true.
14. How do humor and laughter help support a healthy heart?
  a. By causing dilation of the endothelium of arteries
  b. By reducing cardiovascular reactivity
  c. By reducing blood levels of nitric oxide
  d. Both a) and b)
  e. Both a) and c)
15. Which is the following statements is true?
  a. A single episode of extreme anger or stress is not sufficient to trigger a heart attack.
  b. While chronic anger is a risk factor for heart disease, chronic depression is not.
  c. Such risk factors as poor diet, lack of exercise, smoking, and family history only account for half the incidents of CHD.
  d. There is no evidence that your daily emotional state has on influence on heart health.
16. Which of the following best describes the state of current research on the impact of humor/laughter on cancer?
  a. There is one study at this point which shows that cancer patients with a good sense of humor do survive longer.
  b. We now have clear evidence that humor and laughter are effective tools in battling cancer.
  c. Although humor and laughter do boost aspects of the immune system that help battle cancer (NK cells), there is no evidence that humor boosts survival rates among cancer patients.
  d. Humor is not a tool commonly used by cancer patients in coping with cancer.
17. Which one of the following is a general pulmonary benefit resulting from hearty laughter?
  a. Increased level of residual air in the lungs
  b. Decreased water vapor in the lungs
  c. Increased carbon dioxide in the lungs
  d. Reduced coughing - especially in respiratory patients
18. Only one study to date examines the possible value/harm resulting from humor/laughter among COPD patients. That study found that
  a. Gentle laughter reduced levels of residual air (and air trapping), but intense laughter caused increased hyperinflation.
  b. Smiling without laughing actually increased hyperinflation.
  c. Pursed-lip breathing was more successful than laughter in reducing residual air.
  d. Hearty laughter reduced levels of residual air (and air trapping), but restrained or inhibited laughter caused increased hyperinflation.

19. Which statement best summarizes the current state of research on humor/laughter and asthma?
  a. Laughter triggers asthma attacks in somewhere between 1/3 and ½ of asthma patients.
  b. Mild laughter supports good breathing among asthma patients, but hearty laughter makes breathing more difficult.
  c. Any form of positive emotion consistently supports easier breathing among asthma patients.
  d. Both a) and b)
20. Other asthma research indicates that
  a. Mildly emotionally arousing events support good breathing among asthma patients while highly arousing events interfere with good breathing.
  b. Strong negative emotion often triggers an asthma attack in asthma patients, but strong positive emotion does not.
  c. Relaxation of muscles not directly involved in laughter relaxes the bronchi, making breathing easier among asthma patients.
  d. Briefly contracting the facial muscles actually interferes with breathing among asthmatics.
21. Recent research has shown that humor and laughter reduce the level of allergic response in which of the following areas.
  a. Allergic skin response in patients with dermatitis
  b. Allergic skin response to poison ivy
  c. Allergic skin response among breast-fed babies with atopic excema
  d. Both a) and b)
  e. Both a) and c)
22. Which of the following statements best summarizes the current state of research on diabetes and humor/laughter?
  a. Only intense laughter decreases the level of blood glucose among diabetics.
  b. Humor/laughter decreases the level of blood glucose among diabetics.
  c. Only mild or gentle laughter decreases the level of blood glucose among diabetics.
  d. Any kind of laughter actually increases the level of blood glucose among diabetics.
23. Several studies have now shown that the pleasure associated with the experience of humor and laughter are mediated by phylogenetically old pleasure centers in the brain called the

  a. Frontal cortex reward center
  b. Cortical dopamine center
  c. Mesolimbic dopaminergic reward system
  d. Nucleus accumbens
  e. Both c) and d)