Humor: a nursing intervention for the elderly.

Researchers should investigate humor's value and impact on quality of life of elders. Humorous interventions should be studied and compared in elders. The effects of endorphin release during laughter is another aspect of humor to be studied. Certainly humor is not the answer to all the discomforts encountered by older adults, but the positive effects on some cannot be disputed. Humor as a noninvasive modality and an adjunct to patient care can be of benefit not only to the patient and family, but also to the professional nurse who encounters the discomforts of the patient on a daily basis. Humor can aid in viewing the pleasures and pains of the world with new perspectives.