ICSM Did You Hear the One About...? Humor and Well-Being
Best Bet Database: General OneFile : Begin with a search on Humor and then open the "Subdivisions," among which are "Health aspects," Physiological aspects," and "Psychological aspects."
Laughter
Laughter in literature
Laughter--Philosophy
Laughter--Psychological aspects
Health--Psychological aspects
Mind and body
Mind and body therapies
Psychophysiology
Mental healing
Emotions--Physiology
Stress (Psychology)
Relaxation
Laughter in literature
Laughter--Philosophy
Laughter--Psychological aspects
Comedy
Comedy--History and criticism
Comedy--Social aspects--United States
Comic, The [the funny more than the funnyman]
Comic, The, in literature
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy--United States
Stand-up comedy--United States--History
Comedy films--History and criticism
Comedy films--United States--History and criticism
Parody films--History and criticism
Romantic comedy films--History and criticism
Television comedites--United States
Television comedites--United States--History
Television comedites--United States--History and Criticism
Situation comedies (Television programs)--History and criticism
Situation comedies (Television programs)--United States
Comic, The, in literature
Comedians
Comedians--United States--Biography
Women comedians--United States
Wit and humor [books on jokes and why people tell them]
Wit and humor--History and criticism
Wit and humor--Philosophy
Wit and humor--Psychological aspects
Wit and humor--Social aspects
American wit and humor--History and criticism
Jewish wit and humor--History and criticism
Jewish wit and humor--History and criticism
Afro-American wit and humor--History and criticism
English wit and humor--History and criticism
Irony
Irony
Satire
Parody
Farce
Tragicomedy
Mock-heroic literature
Burlesque (Literature)
Puns and punning--History and criticism​
Humorous stories
Humorous songs
Humorous music
Parody
Farce
Tragicomedy
Mock-heroic literature
Burlesque (Literature)
Puns and punning--History and criticism​
Humorous stories
Humorous songs
Humorous music
Stand-up comedy
Stand-up comedy--United States
Stand-up comedy--United States--History
Vaudeville--United States
Vaudeville--United States--History
Burlesque (Theater)
Burlesque (Theater)--United States--History
Fools and jesters
Fools and jesters--Political aspects
Clowns
Comedy films--History and criticism
Comedy films--United States--History and criticism
Parody films--History and criticism
Romantic comedy films--History and criticism
Television comedites--United States
Television comedites--United States--History
Television comedites--United States--History and Criticism
Situation comedies (Television programs)--History and criticism
Situation comedies (Television programs)--United States
Mind and body
Mind and body therapies
Psychophysiology
Mental healing
Emotions--Physiology
Stress (Psychology)
Relaxation
General OneFile :
The most user-friendly of our comprehensive databases, covering almost any topic from a wide range of disciplinary angles and offering lots of full text. Use the default Subject search to find the best subject heading for your topic (and when you find a good one be sure to look at the "Related Subjects" to see if there's something even better).
When you settle on a subject heading, open the "Subdivisions" link below it. Most General OneFile subject searchs produce very large retrievals and the "subdivisions" help you narrow your search to a particular aspect: "Ethical aspects," "Forecasts and Trends," "History," "Political aspects," "Psychological aspects," and "Social aspects," to name only a few.
If the best available subdivision is still too broad, open it and add your own Keywords in the "Search within these results" slot at the upper left.
User Advisory: When first viewing your retrievals in General OneFile, note that you are seeing only the "Magazines" (popular articles) and must click on the tabs for "Academic Journals" (scholarly articles) or "News" (newspaper articles) to see those results
Academic Search Premier :
Comprehensive subject coverage with considerable full text. Note that there is a “Subject Terms” link just above the search boxes, allowing you to search the index of Subject Headings--often a good first stop for more efficient Subject searching whereby you are guaranteed that your topic is indeed a main subject of the articles retrieved.
The most user-friendly of our comprehensive databases, covering almost any topic from a wide range of disciplinary angles and offering lots of full text. Use the default Subject search to find the best subject heading for your topic (and when you find a good one be sure to look at the "Related Subjects" to see if there's something even better).
When you settle on a subject heading, open the "Subdivisions" link below it. Most General OneFile subject searchs produce very large retrievals and the "subdivisions" help you narrow your search to a particular aspect: "Ethical aspects," "Forecasts and Trends," "History," "Political aspects," "Psychological aspects," and "Social aspects," to name only a few.
If the best available subdivision is still too broad, open it and add your own Keywords in the "Search within these results" slot at the upper left.
User Advisory: When first viewing your retrievals in General OneFile, note that you are seeing only the "Magazines" (popular articles) and must click on the tabs for "Academic Journals" (scholarly articles) or "News" (newspaper articles) to see those results
Academic Search Premier :
Comprehensive subject coverage with considerable full text. Note that there is a “Subject Terms” link just above the search boxes, allowing you to search the index of Subject Headings--often a good first stop for more efficient Subject searching whereby you are guaranteed that your topic is indeed a main subject of the articles retrieved.
A good initial strategy in this database is to search a likely topic in the Subject Terms and when you find it “explode” the term by double clicking it--this brings up a list of related Subject terms. You can check as many terms as you like before "adding" them to your search by AND-ing or OR-ing them together.
User Advisory: For any retrieved set of articles, there will be a box displayed on the left that will limit the articles to “Scholarly” journals—just check the box and click the “Update Results” button below.
ProQuest Research Library :
Another comprehensive database with substantial full text. Use the "Thesaurus" (above the search slots) to preview what Subject Headings are available.
Note that to the right of your search results you can limit your retrieval by "Source Type" (including Magazines, Newspapers, Scholarly Journals), "Document Type," (including Cover Story, Editorial, or Interview), and "Location."
Above each set of articles you retrieve ProQuest will display related Subject searches to help either broaden or narrow your focus.
PsycINFO :
The American Psychological Association use their own Subject vocabulary (called "Descriptors"), so a visit to the "Thesaurus" above the search slots is usually a good idea--but unfortunately there is no Subject Heading for "conspiracy" or "conspiracy theories" here. Both will work as keywords, however, and retrieve dozens of articles.
PsycINFO deals only with scholarly literature, much of it assuming a graduate-level understanding of the discipline. But among these you may find interesting, accessible articles on your topic.
User Advisory: If what you're searching for are "journals" in "English," it's a good idea to check those boxes below the search slots.
JSTOR :
JSTOR covers a wide range of scholarly journals in most disciiplines, always beginning with the first issue of each one. This provides 100% full text access to articles from not only the first half of the 20th century but even the second half of the 19th. Be aware, however, that at the other end of the date range articles don't appear in JSTOR until at least 1-2 years after publication.
JSTOR offers only a Keyword search of its complete full text, so retrievals are large, but the relevancy ranking does a good job of putting the strongest matches on the first few pages. This relevancy ranking does not weigh date, however, and will display a mix of articles written decades apart. So if your topic is time sensitive, be alert to publication dates.
User Advisory: The academic journals covered here feature numerous book reviews, so it's a good idea to tic the "Article" limit below the search slots so you won't be overwhelmed by book reviews on your topic.
Project Muse :
Muse provides 100% full text of mostly scholarly journals, but its coverage is entirely current--mainly spanning the only last 10-15 years. Muse uses a "black box" search approach--you enter your search terms in one slot with no designated field options. This broad approach to searching tends to generate large retrievals--almost 500 for "conspiracy theories"--so it's best to be as specific as possible. And note--once you have a retrieval set, you can add more search terms by clicking "Modify Search" at the top.
ScienceDirect :
Because it’s a large database with a great deal of full text, the absence of Subject searching means that your Keyword searches will often retrieve large sets of articles, many of which mention but don’t discuss your search term(s). One way around this is to limit your initial search to the “Abstract Title Keyword” field. Once you have found an article that sounds on-target, click the “Related Articles” link beneath the citation This will open a range of articles on the same topic.
User Advisory: Uncheck "All books" below the search slots: we don't have access to the books in this database. And if you open the "Dates" drop-down menu you'll find a much wider range of options than the default 10 year span.
ProQuest Research Library :
Another comprehensive database with substantial full text. Use the "Thesaurus" (above the search slots) to preview what Subject Headings are available.
Note that to the right of your search results you can limit your retrieval by "Source Type" (including Magazines, Newspapers, Scholarly Journals), "Document Type," (including Cover Story, Editorial, or Interview), and "Location."
Above each set of articles you retrieve ProQuest will display related Subject searches to help either broaden or narrow your focus.
PsycINFO :
The American Psychological Association use their own Subject vocabulary (called "Descriptors"), so a visit to the "Thesaurus" above the search slots is usually a good idea--but unfortunately there is no Subject Heading for "conspiracy" or "conspiracy theories" here. Both will work as keywords, however, and retrieve dozens of articles.
PsycINFO deals only with scholarly literature, much of it assuming a graduate-level understanding of the discipline. But among these you may find interesting, accessible articles on your topic.
User Advisory: If what you're searching for are "journals" in "English," it's a good idea to check those boxes below the search slots.
JSTOR :
JSTOR covers a wide range of scholarly journals in most disciiplines, always beginning with the first issue of each one. This provides 100% full text access to articles from not only the first half of the 20th century but even the second half of the 19th. Be aware, however, that at the other end of the date range articles don't appear in JSTOR until at least 1-2 years after publication.
JSTOR offers only a Keyword search of its complete full text, so retrievals are large, but the relevancy ranking does a good job of putting the strongest matches on the first few pages. This relevancy ranking does not weigh date, however, and will display a mix of articles written decades apart. So if your topic is time sensitive, be alert to publication dates.
User Advisory: The academic journals covered here feature numerous book reviews, so it's a good idea to tic the "Article" limit below the search slots so you won't be overwhelmed by book reviews on your topic.
Project Muse :
Muse provides 100% full text of mostly scholarly journals, but its coverage is entirely current--mainly spanning the only last 10-15 years. Muse uses a "black box" search approach--you enter your search terms in one slot with no designated field options. This broad approach to searching tends to generate large retrievals--almost 500 for "conspiracy theories"--so it's best to be as specific as possible. And note--once you have a retrieval set, you can add more search terms by clicking "Modify Search" at the top.
ScienceDirect :
Because it’s a large database with a great deal of full text, the absence of Subject searching means that your Keyword searches will often retrieve large sets of articles, many of which mention but don’t discuss your search term(s). One way around this is to limit your initial search to the “Abstract Title Keyword” field. Once you have found an article that sounds on-target, click the “Related Articles” link beneath the citation This will open a range of articles on the same topic.
User Advisory: Uncheck "All books" below the search slots: we don't have access to the books in this database. And if you open the "Dates" drop-down menu you'll find a much wider range of options than the default 10 year span.
Few databases offer 100% full text. Most retrieve a mix of full text articles and article "citations"--article title, author(s), publication info, and usually an "abstract" or one-prargraph summary of the content. When a citation makes you want the full text, look below it for this icon:
Clicking "GETIT" checks (almost all) the IC Library's other databases to see if any offers the full text of the article--or if the Library has a print subscription to the journal in which the article appeared.
Clicking "GETIT" checks (almost all) the IC Library's other databases to see if any offers the full text of the article--or if the Library has a print subscription to the journal in which the article appeared.
- "GETIT" will usually find the full text in another database and open it in a new window.
- If none of our databases can access the full text but we have a print subsciption to the journal, "GETIT" will retrieve the Library catalog record for the journal so that you can see if the date of the article falls within the date range we have on hand.
- If full text is not available from any database or from a print subsciption, "GETIT" will provide a link to the IC Library's Interlibrary Loan. Log in (same as your IC e-mail)--and set up your account if you've never used it before. "GETIT" will have populated the article request form with all the necessary information and you simply submit the request elecrtonically. Most articles are supplied as digital files and will be sent to you via e-mail when they arrive.
- Ebrary
- Citation
- Interlibrary Loan
- Plagiarism Tutorial
- Importance of Not Being Earnest : The Feeling Behind Laughter and Humor
- Psychology of Humor : An Integrative Approach
- Comic Relief : A Comprehensive Philosophy of Humor
- Jokes : Philosophical Thoughts on Joking Matters
- Future of Post-Human Education : A Preface to a New Theory of Joking and Laughing
- Levity Effect : Why it Pays to Lighten Up
- Language of Humour
- Linguistic Theories of Humor
- Pleasure of Fools : Essays in the Ethics of Laughter
- Playing the Fool : Subversive Laughter in Troubled Times
- Primer of Humor Research
- Playboys and Killjoys : An Essay on the Theory and Practice of Comedy
- Morality of Laughter
- Jokes and Targets
- Humor in Interaction
- American Humor
- Very Serious Thing : Women's Humor and American Culture
- Ain't That a Knee-Slapper : Rural Comedy in the Twentieth Century
- Irony in the Age of Empire : Comic Perspectives on Democracy and Freedom
- Taking Humour Seriously
- Laughing Gods, Weeping Virgins : Laughter in the History of Religion
- Rebels Wit Attitude : Subversive Rock Humorists
- Politics, Humor and the Counterculture : Laughter in the Age of Decay
- Using Humor to Maximize Learning : The Links between Positive Emotions and Education
- I'm Dying up Here : Heartbreak and High Times in Stand-up Comedy's Golden Era
- Seriously Funny : The Rebel Comedians of the 1950s and 1960s
- Companion to Film Comedy
- Popular Film and Television Comedy
- Comedy Is a Man in Trouble : Slapstick in American Movies
- Mock Stars : Indie Comedy and the Dangerously Funny
- Blockbuster TV : Must-See Sitcoms in the Network Era
- Seinfeld, Master of Its Domain : Revisiting Television's Greatest Sitcom
- Emotions, Stress, and Health
- Laughter Remedy: Web site of Paul McGhee, a well-known researcher and motivational speaker on humor's relevance for health and happiness. There's not a lot of in-depth content here, but a wide range of related topics are touched on. For an overview of his claims, see this symopsis at Holistic Online.
- ​"Humor and Laughter May Influence Health": A four-part series of short articles available from the US National Library of Medicine. I: History and Background II: Complementary Therapies III: Laughter and Health Outcomes IV: Humor and Immune Function
- Rx Laughter: Media: A non-profit organization operating out of UCLA Medical Center. I've linked to the Media archive of articles, but also note the tabs for Audio and Video.
- This Emotional Life: Humor: Web site for an episode of the PBS series This Emotional LIfe. Use the table of contents on the left.
- Humor Therapy: Brief and somewhat skeptical overview from the National Cancer Society, but with a useful bibliography.
- "A Sense of Humor Helps Keep You Healthy Until Retirement Age" Overview of a recent Norwegian study that found an age limit for the health benefits of humor.
- Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor: Quite a bit of categorized content here under "Humor Resources" on the left.
- International Society for Humor Studies: Some interesting suggestions under Humor Resources and Humor Connections.
- "Do the Health Benefits of Humor and Laughter Have Scientific Support" Overview of the science from the president of the American Institute of Stress.
- Robert Provine: Cracking the Laughing Code: YouTube of a presentation by the author of Laughter: A Scientific Investigation.
- Laughter Yoga International: Organization founded by Dr. Madan Kataria, an Indian physician who argues that voluntary laughter has the same positive effects as spontaneous laughter.
- Humor: A collection of articles from Psychology Today.
- "Philosophy or Humor" from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy and Humor from the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy--both peer-reviewed scholarly resources.
- American Comedy Archives: Interviews: Emerson College provides these highlights from interviews with comedy professionals.
- Humor: Gateway to Web sites from the Open Directory Project. And for a kitchen sink approach, try Humor in the Yahoo Directory.
MLA is the citation style used by most disciplines in the Humanities. The guides below use the latest 2008/9 standards.
