Relationship of humour to health: a psychometric investigation.

The effects of humour on health were investigated using a sample of 504 individuals comprising three groups (community group, university students, and respondents with a medical condition). Hypotheses were: (1). that after controlling for other variables, humour would be significantly associated with health: (2). that individuals with a greater sense of humour would report significantly higher levels of good health as compared with those with less humour; and (3). that the assessment of the factor structure of the Multidimensional Sense of Humour Scale (MSHS) would support its construct validity in the Australian context. The present findings supported the view that a sense of humour is associated with health, and also provided support for the validity and reliability of the MSHS instrument.