Humor and hope: Can humor increase hope?

It has been empirically demonstrated that humor can positively affect psychological and physical well-being, and that sense of humor is a major component of high-hope individuals. In the current study, the authors examined the relationship between humor and hopefulness, stress and hopefulness, as well as the moderating effect of humor on the stress-hopefulness relationship. Prior to and after viewing either a humorous or a neutral video, participants completed the Snyder State Hope Scale. Results indicated that there was a statistically significant increase in state hopefulness after exposure to a humorous video relative to a control group viewing a neutral video. In addition, a negative relationship was found between the severity of recently experienced stressors and state hopefulness, but little or no relationship existed between state hope and the number of recent stressors. The findings support the positive influence of humor on state hopefulness.