Humorous Communication Within the Lives of Older Adults: The Relationships Among Humor, Coping Efficacy, Age, and Life Satisfaction

Abstract

This study explores humorous communication within the lives of older adults by testing the relationships among humor, coping efficacy, age, and life satisfaction. Results overall indicate these four variables function in communicatively complex ways for older adults. As predicted, humor-oriented individuals were more likely to use humor as a coping mechanism and reported greater coping efficacy. In a comparison of individuals who varied in age (under 50, 50–74, and 75 + ), differences in humor orientation scores emerged among the 3 groups. As predicted by Folkman and Lazarus's transactional theory of coping and emotion, the relationship between self-reported humor orientation and life satisfaction was mediated by coping efficacy. In attempting to determine which variables best predicted life satisfaction, coping efficacy and health status explained unique variance in life satisfaction scores. Study implications and limitations are addressed.