Happiness and Humor Group Promotes Life Satisfaction for Senior Center Participants Essay

Abstract The effects of a Happiness and Humor Group in the promotion of life satisfaction in an elderly center were examined. Fifteen participants in the beginning of the study were given a self-rated 32-item Life Satisfaction Scale Survey. After which they engaged in a once a week, 10-week program for the Happiness and Humor Group. Although the number of participants increased throughout the sessions, only the 15 original participants were administered the same test after completion of program. Introduction The purpose of the study is to address former findings conducted by the same researcher. A year ago, the researcher performed a qualitative study on stress. In the earlier study, there were 54 participants, ages 65-100 years, all of whom are members of several Southern California senior recreation programs. It was learned that the primary stressor among older adults was loneliness. As a follow-up to this, the researcher deemed it necessary to develop a group program that would address coping skills for the stressor. In late adulthood, people experience a lot of stressful moments when they face everyday with pessimism and regret about the past. In the opinion of the researcher, the psychological and over all well-being of the elderly is being neglected as the world faces many innovation and continued progress in technology, basically banking on younger people. The elderly continues to be an important part of society and their concerns have to be addressed. Since most of them, especially those living in senior centers, face loneliness as they are already far from relatives and family, the researcher thought that something should be done to ease the pain of being lonely. The Happiness and Humor Group was offered once a week for a 10-week period and was held at a local California Senior Center. An initial test, Life Satisfaction Scale (Lohmann, 1976) was conducted to the original 15 participants. The same is done after completion of program. The Happiness and Humor Group should improve the lives of the participants and increase their satisfaction for their present living status. They should be healthier and more psychologically balanced and score higher in the written scale survey after they finish all the sessions in the program. Review of Related Literature Old age in some books is concretely defined as the stage of a person’s life after 65 years (Burgess, 1949). However, there are people younger than 65 years that tend to manifest those characteristics that encompass being of old age (Burgess, 1949). To clearly define old age, it is the last period of a person’s life terminated by death. According to some books (Papalia, 2002), aging is divided into two stages: Primary and Secondary aging. Primary aging is said to be the time when the body inevitably deteriorates and this process continues through out the years. On the other hand, Secondary aging results from the abuse the body receives through the years. These abuses are often avoidable and are within the control of the human person (Papalia, 2002). Along with other indications of aging is the manifestation of psychological changes. Depression, for one is seen as one of the psychological problems faced by the elderly today. It also affects the biological aspect of living, how organs in our body work, blood flow, etc. Depression is said to speed up physical decline of aging and cause problems internally (Papalia, 2002). As much as there are negative and problematic aspects to aging, like all other stages of development in a person’s life, there is also a positive light to this. Erik Erikson’s Theory on Human Development indicates that at this late period of adulthood, a person experiences a conflict between ego integrity versus despair (Papalia, 2002). One has to get past the troubles of yesterday, get over regret and what-could-have-beens and learn to accept the wholeness of one’s life and the coherence of learning picked up throughout the years. Nonetheless, there are different ways to measure a person’s life satisfaction in aging. There are scientists who measure this through health conditions, cardiovascular functioning, brain activity, psychological well-being, economic stability, etc (Papalia et al). Nevertheless, all of these play a role in a healthy person’s life. Although, in different studies, other people, for example, give more importance to their health or economic stability as their basis for an accomplished or successful aging. In the end, it may still depend on a person’s priorities in life that could help him or her achieve optimal aging. There are different theories that deal with aging. One is the Disengagement theory (Papalia, 2002), which simply states that at this particular stage, people tend to disengage themselves with society and focus more on themselves. They tend to be more in touch with their thoughts, feelings and emotions as they look back at the past and realize what they have learned, gone through—both positive and negative. On the other hand, there is the activity theory (Papalia, 2002) that indicates that to achieve better aging, one must engage him or her in different activities. Another important theory that should be taken into account when dealing with better aging is the Continuity Theory (Papalia, 2002). This states that there is a great need for the elderly to relate the present and the past. For them to be satisfied, they have to be able to continue doing what they are used to when they are younger. It could mean that a once healthy youthful man who is active in sports should not be hindered by age to play his interest. Activities should be present as it was when they had the energy to do it. Of course, one should strain themselves so much to the extent of injury. However, being able to do what one can do before, is an encouragement in itself and provides opportunity for proper aging. Aside from exercise and being active, humor and laughter help a lot in the aging process. As earlier mentioned, the elderly tend to be more serious as they reflect on their lives. This may produce a lot of negative feelings as they face regret and sorrow at losses. Negative feelings do not only affect mental health but also the entire functioning of the human person. There are a great number of studies and literature depicting humor and laughter as greatly influential to the improvement of a person’s over-all well-being. It improves the immune system, heart functioning and mental health, among others (Du Pre, 1998). According to studies, cortisol, a hormone secreted by the body during times of stress suppresses the proper functioning of the immune system making humans more inclined to getting sick (Du Pre, 1998). To counter this, studies have been made to show that laughter, in fact, acts against the negative effects of stress. (Du Pre, 1998). In a study made by Dillon, Minchoff and Baker (1985), participants were made to watch humorous videos. They have found that those who watched the videos had a significant increase in an Immonoglobulin A (IgA) level. This substance is a virus-fighting chemical made by the immune system (Du Pre, 1998). Studies like this show that indeed laughter and humor contribute a great deal to improving a person’s immune system. Laughter can be achieved through social interaction and other forms of entertainment such as videos and film viewing. Another study by Adams and McGuires (1986) showed that through a 6-week period observation of elderly participants watching funny videos, there had been a significant decrease in requests of pain-relieving medication (Du Pre, 1998). The social interaction portion of laughter is very much helpful, as well. Unfortunately, for the elderly, as they try to disengage themselves and focus more on â€Å"self†, they forget to interact and the importance of sharing and relating with others. Such is the importance of group psychotherapy. According to Yalom (1995), group psychotherapy brings about instillation of hope, interpersonal learning, group cohesiveness and universality. People become more hopeful as they see that there are others who are in the same boat. They find out that there are those who can relate to them and that they are not the only ones who are going through the things that they are experiencing. The same is true for its universality. Group dynamics brings natural concern and care for others. They become more mindful of their surroundings and helpful, allowing themselves to be useful (Yalom, 1995). Interpersonal learning is picked up as each one involves him or herself in discussions. As they share their feelings and work out their problems they become more cohesive as a group and help in the development of the social skills that they thought they do not need anymore. Indeed, humor is a powerful force with the psychological and physiological effects on the body similar to the health benefits of aerobic exercise. The National Council on Aging promotes quality of life as an important factor for successful aging and a major component in one’s perception of happiness. In a study involving 182 participants, Vilaythong, Arnau, Rosen & Mascaro (2003) saw a relationship between humor and hopefulness. The researchers discovered an increase in the state of hopefulness after exposure to humor. Moreover, Wooten, (1996), stated â€Å"Finding humor in a situation and laughing freely with others can be a powerful antidote to stress and gives us a sense of perspective on our problems. † Of course, in all this, there is a mind set that should be taken into account. One must be optimistic about things and their outlook in life. At the age nearing death, it could be said that this is somewhat very difficult. The elderly is typically viewed as people who are not as functional as they were in their youth (Cox, 1993). The people or family surrounding a senior person should not automatically think that an elder needs his or her assistance. When an elderly feels that he or she has to be assisted in everything and could not perform independently, this may lead to a feeling of low self-worth and they become more pessimistic about things (Cox, 1993). If people can trust elders to carry out tasks, not to difficult for them to perform independently, then they learn to build confidence on what they can do. Furthermore, doubts about themselves, reservations and other unhealthy beliefs that maybe they cannot have purpose anymore, gradually disappears (Dryden, 2001). Here, one can see the effect that positive thinking or optimism provided by the environment, and later on re-learned by self, helps in healthy and a higher satisfaction in aging. Putting all this together, one could see that there is a right way to age. The elderly can get maximum satisfaction in aging if they conserved their energy and strength, if they are able to adapt to challenges and losses, and finally, if they could spend their time productively and wisely (Papalia, 2002). Method Subjects 17 men and women ages 65-89 years who volunteered were administered a pre- and post- self-rated 32-item Life Satisfaction Scale Survey (Lohman, 1976). The form used did not ask for the individual names of the participants. Rather, they were asked to put a fictitious name to ensure honesty and validity of results. The initial testing was conducted during the first session of the Happiness and Humor Group, and the final testing was done on the 10th and final session. Materials A scale survey called Life Satisfaction by Lohman (1976) was conducted. The Happiness and Humor group consisted of a 10-session program which was carried out once a week in a span of 10 weeks. Film viewing was used, this includes DVDs brought by the participants themselves and a few episodes starring Ellen DeGeneres. Lively music was also used in some of the sessions where there was dancing and exercise. Whistles, candies and other paraphernalia were also used in different sessions, serving different symbolisms and purpose. Procedure The first session of The Happiness and Humor Group at their senior center included 15 participants. They were given a test to measure their Life Satisfaction. They were not prompted for real names, rather they were asked to put fictitious names. Afterwards, the first activity began. Each participant was asked to pick a candy or energy bar which best suited or represented his or her personality. The session was ended by the researcher giving a lecture regarding pessimists and optimists. The second session included additional participants. The researcher welcomed the larger group with an activity â€Å"Lighten Your Load† in which everyone shared a way that they could lift pressure from their lives. An intense discussion took place following the introduction of the topic, â€Å"The Typical Wants and Desires of Human Beings†. An activity of light exercise to lively music concluded this session. More people joined during the third session. The importance of Exercise, Nutrition, Recreation and Attitude (ENRA) , and how these all added to a happier and healthy life was discussed. Exploring the ENRA principle of Attitude consisted of an activity â€Å"Count Your Blessings† where the participants wrote down and shared three positive things that happened to them during the week. They were also asked to share with the group how they think they were able to contribute to the positive things that happened to them. At the end of this third session, group members, not the instructor, began to tell jokes which enabled them to connect with each other through shared humor. Similar activities followed after this session, at the same time, more people joined in. Group psychotherapy happens as they share with each other ways to cope with loneliness and how they started thinking more positively. On the seventh session, a discussion was initiated regarding how guilt blocked happiness. Film viewing was also then started. A brief episode that starred Ellen DeGeneres was shown to the group. The video was followed by a laughter prescription issued by the researcher. This entailed all the participants to have a daily dose of 15 minutes of laughter everyday. The session ended with the prescription papers actually signed by the researcher. The eighth session was composed of 25 participants. There was exercise and the researcher introduced an international folk dance. Such activity enforced the ENRA principles. Kazoos and whistles were distributed with the instructions to â€Å"blow the whistle on themselves† when they got too serious. The session again, ended with a summarization of what they have learned that day and group sharing. The sessions that followed were characterized by more film viewing, exercise and dancing. The participants were encouraged to bring their own DVDs or videos should they want to share with the other group members. Later in the session, ENRA principles of Nutrition and Recreation were discussed as they were related to community availability. The researcher offered directories to farmers’ markets nearby and ideas for low cost activities and entertainment around the community. The participants were often reminded that happy people eat healthy foods, exercise, play, and most importantly, have a positive attitude toward life. At the tenth and last session, each participant received a certificate of achievement for being a part of Happiness and Humor Group. They celebrated their success with each other at a healthy buffet which consisted of fresh and healthy food that they themselves purchased from the local farmers’ market. The session ended with humorous stories, ones that they could share with friends or recall for their own 15 minutes of laughter just had been prescribed. Results n=17 Mean SD Pre: 42. 605 54. 256 22. 6 Post: 65. 828 72. 883 13. 7 Difference between tests 5. 6 Table 1. Results for Life Satisfaction Scale Survey (Lohman 1976) Table 1 shows the mean and standard deviations of the group before and after the intervention. Specifically, the mean before the intervention is 54. 256, and this has increased to 72. 883 after the happiness and humor sessions. Significance Level 0. 5 Table 2. T-Tests Variable Method Variances DF t-Value Pr>[t] Score Pooled Equal 32 2. 90 0. 0067 Score Satterthwaite Unequal 26. 3 2. 90 0. 0074 The conduct of the t-tests for dependent groups show that the post-test score is significantly higher than the pre-test score (t=2. 90, pF Score Folder F 16 2. 73 0. 0528 The insignificant F-value shows in Levene’s test for equality of variances (F=2. 73, p>. 05) suggests that both score distributions (pre and post) come from normally distributed score populations. Discussion From the statistical results above, one can see that there is significant change in the participants. Also, qualitatively, their outlook has changed significantly and they have become more optimistic. In the beginning, it was evident that group dynamics and sharing are really effective tools. One member, Cam, 75, shared eagerly during the first session that her selection of the candy bar reminded her of growing up in an orphanage in Scotland. Another, Abraham, 82, told about how he would eat a bite-sized candy bar and relax in the afternoon. The verbal and nonverbal connections were being established between group members, even reaching out to the silent and timid ones. Participants also felt more at ease because of the environment that was presented to them. Jokes are highly welcomed and encouraged. In fact, more than once, the researcher would tell a joke, reminding the participants of the group the theme of happiness that is the program. Also, it encouraged people to show and share parts of their lives through funny and touching anecdotes. Group cohesiveness was noticeable by the fourth session and continued throughout the remainder of the sessions. Participants served each other coffee, listened without interrupting, and best of all, made plans to socialize outside of the weekly group meetings. Edna, 68, stated that she felt like a kinder person. She mentioned that she called friends and invited them to her apartment, equating to a more confident and more sociable outlook in life. Another participant, Keiko, a timid, more quite 83-year-old, cried at the end of one of the sessions when she shared that she allowed her son to drain her of happiness. She declared that she was going to put into practice what she had learned in the group. Sharings were always rewarded and welcomed eagerly by other participants. They have learned to become more open to one another’s concerns and have become greatly supportive of one another. Both participants and researcher saw how popular the Happiness and Humor Group grew. People came in wanting to join because they say that â€Å"they want to be happy. † Even during the course of the program changes and positive results could already be seen in the participants. They themselves would say how much they are already evolving. For instance, Sam, 82, disclosed that he was easily annoyed by many people and he wanted to learn a better way of relating to those who bothered him which showed a shift in his attitude. Many other observations and learnings came from the members themselves. There were observed comments such as a time when it was noted how appointments are made with doctors and dentists for specific health concerns, but one never sets a meeting for life-renewing recreation and leisure. This realization came about during the session when they were given laughter prescriptions. In the latter part of the program, one could easily detect that people are greatly more confident to share personal matters as compared when they were just starting. They were able to vent out concerns and this made them feel really better, emotionally, most especially. One member, Dixie, brought up during one of the sessions the issue about families. The participants spoke of family traditions and ritual, children and parents playing together, laughter and honest, open communication without retaliation. Dixie, once an abused spouse, went on to say that the group has empowered her to be happy and feel less guilty. After evaluation of all these, the researcher feels confident that the Humor and Happiness Group program indeed served its purpose. The elderly felt more comfortable to socialize and felt less lonely, seeing that there are those around them who can relate with their feelings and emotions. They think more positively and are more accepting of where they are now, hopefully, looking at the past with less regret. They are equipped with knowledge of adequate exercise, varying forms of it, to keep them fit, proper nutrition to keep their minds healthy and working. Researchers in gerontology, leisure services, social work and related disciplines are eager to discover how to increase the quality of life for older adults, particularly those stressed by loneliness. Furthermore, many researchers have followed a line of investigation comparing the relationship between possessing a sense of humor and good health. Leslie Gibson, a hospice community liaison, has observed that the more developed the sense of humor, the more graceful the acceptance of physical change and deterioration associated with aging. The Happiness and Humors Group developed for an aging population demonstrated that humor was a significant part of increasing their life satisfaction. In part, it was made possible by connecting the participants with others during the ten sessions in order to create a bond, a sense of belonging through humor and laughter. The researcher encourages administrators and practitioners to explore the possibility of launching a similar group within their own communities to help promote greater life satisfaction among the older adult populations that they serve. Lastly, a further study could be conducted similar to the Happiness and Humor Group. Other activities such as one on one consultations with psychologists and patients could be conducted to maybe reach out to those who are really having a hard time opening up in big groups. Frequency of the session could also be improved, making it twice to thrice a week, instead of once a week. The total length of the program could actually be considered enough to host all needed activities for the participants. However, if such program would be revised, adding more that could specifically cater to the needs of other elders in other cultures, a longer program period is advised. Another improvement could be made by asking the participants who just later joined the Happiness and Humor Group to provide feedback and have them accomplish surveys as to how the program actually enriched their lives. Family support could also be added to the curriculum, although this may be hard for those who have relatives or family far from the center where they are in. All in all, the Happiness and Humor Group could be considered a success on its own and in the future when it would actually be implemented in senior centers, the researcher hopes that more elderly would be able to participate and experience the life-changing process the program offers. References Alpert, J. E. & Fava, M. (2004). Handbook of chronic depression:Diagnosis and therapeutic management. New York: Marcel Dekker. Anastasi, A. & Urbina, S. (2002). Psychological Testing (7th Ed.) New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Arnau, R. C. , Rosen, D. H. & Vilaythong, A. P. (2003). Humor and hope: Can humor increase hope? International Journal of Humor Research. 16-1, 78-89. Ayres, V. E. , Mackenzie, K. R. , Weisman, M. M. , Welch, & R. R. , Wilfley, D. E. (2000). Interpersonal psychotherapy for group. New York: Basic Books. Bernard, M. E. , & DiGuiseppe, R. (1994). Rational-emotive consultation in applied settings. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Burgess, E. W. , Cavan, R. S. , Golhamer, H. , & Havighurst, R. J. (1949). Personal adjustment in old age. Chicago: Science Research Associates. Boyle, G. J, & Joss-Reid, J.M. (2004). Relationship of humour to health: A psychometric investigation. British Journal of Health Psychology, 9, 51-66. Cox, C. (1993). The frail elderly: Problems, needs and community responses. Westport, CT: Auburn House Paperback. Dryden, W. (2001). Reason to change: A rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) workbook. New York: Brunner-Routledge. Du Pre, A. (1998). Humor and the healing arts: A multimethod analysis of humor use in health care. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Elmes, D. G. , Kontowitz, B. H. , Roediger III, H. L. (2001). Experimental psychology (7th Ed. ). Singapore: Wadsworth. Macfarland, K.(2005). Battling late-life depression: Short term psychotherapy for depression in older adults-A review of evidence based studies since 2000. Annals of the American Psychotherapy Association. 8(4). Papalia, D. E. , & Olds, S. W. (2002). Human development (8th Ed. ). New York: McGraw Hill. Pinel, J. P. J. (2003). Biopsychology (5th Ed. ). Boston: Pearson. Roeckelein, J. E. (2002). The psychology of humor: A reference guide and annotated bibliography. Westport, CT: Greenwood. Szabo, A. (2003). The acute effects of humor and exercise on mood and anxiety. Journal of Leisure Research. 35(2). Turnbull, M. & Wolfson, S. (2002). Effects of exercise and outcome feedback on mood: Evidence for misattribution. Journal of Sport Behavior 25, 4. Wooten, P. (1996). Humor: An anecdote for stress. Holistic Nursing Practice. 10, 49-55. Yalom, I. D. (1995). The theory and practice of group psychotherapy. New York: Basic Books.   Plagiarism Report Generated by EVE 2. 4 7/3/2007 11:46:32 PM Document: Humor 1. doc Amount of document detected to be plagiarized: . 54% (less than 1%) Please Note: Because plagiarsm on this paper is below 15%, please check these results carefully to make sure plagiarism has in fact occured. Matching material was found on these sites: http://www. sp. uconn. edu/~yian/frl/26sptrel. htm Student essay with matching content underlined for easy detection: Running Head: LIFE SATISFACTION FOR SENIOR CENTER PARTCIPANTS Happiness and Humor Group Promotes Life Satisfaction for Senior Center Participants Abstract The effects of a Happiness and Humor Group in the promotion of life satisfaction in an elderly center were examined. Fifteen participants in the beginning of the study were given a self-rated 32-item Life Satisfaction Scale Survey. After which they engaged in a once a week, 10-week program for the Happiness and Humor Group. Although the number of participants increased throughout the sessions, only the 15 original participants were administered the same test after completion of program. Introduction The purpose of the study is to address former findings conducted by the same researcher. A year ago, the researcher performed a qualitative study on stress. In the earlier study, there were 54 participants, ages 65-100 years, all of whom are members of several Southern California senior recreation programs. It was learned that the primary stressor among older adults was loneliness. As a follow-up to this, the researcher deemed it necessary to develop a group program that would address coping skills for the stressor. In late adulthood, people experience a lot of stressful moments when they face everyday with pessimism and regret about the past. In the opinion of the researcher, the psychological and over all well-being of the elderly is being neglected as the world faces many innovation and continued progress in technology, basically banking on younger people. The elderly continues to be an important part of society and their concerns have to be addressed. Since most of them, especially those living in senior centers, face loneliness as they are already far from relatives and family, the researcher thought that something should be done to ease the pain of being lonely. The Happiness and Humor Group was offered once a week for a 10-week period and was held at a local California Senior Center. An initial test, Life Satisfaction Scale (Lohmann, 1976) was conducted to the original 15 participants. The same is done after completion of program. The Happiness and Humor Group should improve the lives of the participants and increase their satisfaction for their present living status. They should be healthier and more psychologically balanced and score higher in the written scale survey after they finish all the sessions in the program. Review of Related Literature Old age in some books is concretely defined as the stage of a person’s life after 65 years (Burgess, 1949). However, there are people younger than 65 years that tend to manifest those characteristics that encompass being of old age (Burgess, 1949). Ergo, to clearly define old age, it is the last period of a person’s life terminated by death. According to some books (Papalia, 2002), aging is divided into two stages: Primary and Secondary aging. Primary aging is said to be the time when the body inevitably deteriorates and this process continues through out the years. On the other hand, Secondary aging results from the abuse the body receives through the years. These abuses are often avoidable and are within the control of the human person (Papalia, 2002). Along with other indications of aging is the manifestation of psychological changes. Depression, for one is seen as one of the psychological problems faced by the elderly today. It also affects the biological aspect of living, how organs in our body work, blood flow, etc. Depression is said to speed up physical decline of aging and cause problems internally (Papalia, 2002). As much as there are negative and problematic aspects to aging, like all other stages of development in a person’s life, there is also a positive light to this. Erik Erikson’s Theory on Human Development indicates that at this late period of adulthood, a person experiences a conflict between ego integrity versus despair (Papalia, 2002). One has to get past the troubles of yesterday, get over regret and what-could-have-beens and learn to accept the wholeness of one’s life and the coherence of learning picked up throughout the years. Nonetheless, there are different ways to measure a person’s life satisfaction in aging. There are scientists who measure this through health conditions, cardiovascular functioning, brain activity, psychological well-being, economic stability, etc (Papalia et al). Nevertheless, all of these play a role in a healthy person’s life. Although, in different studies, other people, for example, give more importance to their health or economic stability as their basis for an accomplished or successful aging. In the end, it may still depend on a person’s priorities in life that could help him or her achieve optimal aging. There are different theories that deal with aging. One is the Disengagement theory (Papalia, 2002), which simply states that at this particular stage, people tend to disengage themselves with society and focus more on themselves. They tend to be more in touch with their thoughts, feelings and emotions as they look back at the past and realize what they have learned, gone through-both positive and negative. On the other hand, there is the activity theory (Papalia, 2002) that indicates that to achieve better aging, one must engage him or her in different activities. Another important theory that should be taken into account when dealing with better aging is the Continuity Theory (Papalia, 2002). This states that there is a great need for the elderly to relate the present and the past. For them to be satisfied, they have to be able to continue doing what they are used to when they are younger. It could mean that a once healthy youthful man who is active in sports should not be hindered by age to play his interest. Activities should be present as it was when they had the energy to do it. Of course, one should strain themselves so much to the extent of injury. However, being able to do what one can do before, is an encouragement in itself and provides opportunity for proper aging. Aside from exercise.