When synchronous online learning goes wrong: using humor to cope and to build resilience

Using the Transactional Theory of Emotion and Coping (TTEC), this study examined college students’ (N = 159) use of humor to cope with stressors in synchronous online courses. Participants viewed hypothetical scenarios detailing a common online stressor, and reported on humor to cope, anxiety, anger, and academic resilience. Humor to cope was a significant negative predictor of both anxiety and anger and a significant positive predictor of academic resilience. These results support humor as an effective coping strategy for reducing negative emotions and promoting the ability to overcome obstacles and adversity when faced with online learning stressors.