Relationship between positive humor and state and trait anxiety

In this study, the capacity of positive humor to reduce State-Anxiety levels was assessed. We also explored the association between State-Anxiety and Trait-Anxiety and the emergence of positive or negative thoughts. For this purpose both State- Anxiety (during baseline, after watching 25 minutes of a drama film and after another 25 minutes of watching humor videos) and Trait-Anxiety, as well as the presence of positive and negative thoughts, were assessed in a sample of 41 university students. The humor videos were shown to significantly reduce the levels of State-Anxiety. We also showed that Trait-Anxiety -but not State-Anxiety- was significantly associated with the type and frequency of thoughts, since participants with low Trait-Anxiety scores reported more positive thoughts, as compared to those having higher levels of Trait-Anxiety. Therapeutic approaches based on new technologies are proposed in order to modulate Trait-Anxiety.