Professional nurses' attitudes towards humour

A study of the attitudes of 204 registered professional nurses' towards humour showed differences in the attitudes in two settings. Fishbein & Ajzen's theoretical framework of attitude development and measurement was used to guide the study. The positive functions of humour indicate that it is a useful strategy for nurses to employ in their professional work setting. Although the nurses held positive attitudes towards humour in both the professional and personal settings, they were less positive in the professional work setting. The findings indicate that a potentially useful nursing strategy is not being fully utilized by nurses.