Negative Events and Biochemical Markers: Test for the Moderating Effect of Humor

ABSTRACT

Brazil is known to have a humorous population, but could this humor moderate the relation between negative events and blood markers? This study was designed to conceptually replicate the work of Martin and Dobbin (1988) to investigate whether the sense of humor moderates the immunosuppressive effect of stress. Ninety participants (81% female and 19% male) from a community service project provided by a university laboratory filled out questionnaires of negative events and humor styles. For the immunosuppressive markers, fluid was drawn to describe serum levels of cortisol, glycemia, and neutrophils-lymphocytes ratio (NLR). The results, in general, did not corroborate the effects found by the authors. None of the four humor measures were directed related to negative events or immunosuppressive markers. Although self-deception humor moderates NLR and negative events, showing that it could be used and be protective when there are no or few negative events, but increasing the number of negative events, the use of this humor style is detrimental. The relationship between stressor events and biochemical markers was not moderated by styles of humor for a Brazilian underserved population sample.

KEYWORDS:

Mood · Humor style · Immunity · Cortisol