Healthcare professionals can play an active role in the mood of the patients far beyond what we can imagine. When the nurse develops his or her capacity for empathy, he or she is facilitating understanding and chooses to display positive and optimistic attitudes, when this happens the patients are more relax and trustful. On the contrary, an anxious mood in the professional transmits anxiety to the patient and his or her family. It has been demonstrated, according to Roger´s phenomenalogic therapy, that it is necessary to foster empathy and the active listening and to foster true relationships so that the patient/nurse relationship becomes more effective. Laugher plays an active role in the biological balance that conditions the health-disease equilibrium. The approach to psychosomatic diseases show a very close relationship between spirit and body, thoughts and the development of processes, and the manifestations of emotions and symptoms.
We, the nurses, who are in contact with people with diverse health disturbances can witness the direct relationship between a good sense of humour and optimism with good health, and pessimism and a bad sense of humour with depression, psychological tension, work overload, stress and an agitated and stressful lifestyle. The latter are vicious circles responsible for many psychosomatic manifestations that can be diagnosed in nursing consultation offices and diverse situations in the provision of care.  The aim of this paper is to make us think on the implications that a good sense of humour and a good state of mind, and being optimistic can exert on the health of the people we care, as well as on the actual carers, whether we practice our profession within the scope of a hospital or a primary care setting, as an adaptive alternative to all processes or as a valuable outlook on our existence.  

“Laugher is the shortest distance between two people”, Victor Borge