Communication of Humor During Bereavement: Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Emotion Management Strategies

Abstract

Some people cope more effectively with grief than others. This study examined how the communication of humor plays a role in managing emotions and physical symptoms related to bereavement. Results from 484 individuals who had experienced the death of a loved one reveal that predispositional humor production is associated with greater coping efficacy, reduced incidence of negative physical and emotional symptoms, and, overall, aids individuals in functioning during grief. Differential patterns of humor pertaining to the specific death context (appropriateness of humor/avoiding censure) predicted poorer coping and negative symptoms. There were also important male-female differences with men scoring higher on humor enactment, coping efficacy, and lower on negative feelings and symptoms compared to women.

Keywords:

• Coping
• Death
• Grieving
• Humor Appropriateness
• Humor Orientation (HO)
• Sex Differences

Acknowledgments

The authors thank Steve Booth-Butterfield for his assistance with this project.

Notes

While some research has not identified statistically significant differences in humorous communication linked to sex (Booth-Butterfield & Booth-Butterfield, 1991; Wanzer et al., 1995), other research has (Martin et al., 2003). However, it is difficult to state conclusively whether there are sex differences in humor production, due to differences in how humor production has been measured. Research employing the humor styles measure has shown differences in use of aggressive and self-defeating communicator styles, with males reporting significantly higher scores on both. Although male-female scores on self-enhancing and affiliative humor styles did not differ (Martin et al., 2003). Research by Martin and colleagues (2003) indicated that males scored higher on the humor styles associated with maladaptive coping, which would be inconsistent with the current study. Recent research comparing the HSQ and HO measures found that they predicted positive and negative humor outcomes somewhat differently (Cann, Zapata, & Davis, 2009). It appears that findings of sex differences in humor production may be linked to specific measures used.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Melanie Booth-Butterfield

Melanie Booth-Butterfield (Ph.D., University of Missouri, 1985) is a Professor in the Communication Studies Department at West Virginia University.

Melissa Bekelja Wanzer

Melissa Bekelja Wanzer (Ed.D., West Virginia University, 1995) is a Professor in the Communication Studies Department at Canisius College.

Nancy Weil

Nancy Weil (B.S., State University of NY, Empire State College, 2007) is a Trainer and Speaker for The Laughter Academy.

Elyse Krezmien

Elyse Krezmien, (M.S., New Mexico State, 2010) is a Business Analyst.