Psychological and physiological effects of laughter yoga sessions in Japan: A pilot study

Abstract

The purpose of this pilot study was to examine and evaluate the psychological and physiological effects of multiple sessions of laughter yoga on community members. Participants took part in a 45 min laughter yoga session once per month for 6 months. Before and after all sessions, participants completed the Profile of Mood States-Brief Japanese Version (J-POMS-B) questionnaire to assess their mood, and had blood drawn for the measurement of stress indicators and immune function. Serial changes in J-POMS-B scores were tested by three way analysis of variance, and changes in laboratory results per session were evaluated with a paired t-test. The results showed that repeated sessions of laughter yoga had psychologically beneficial effects, especially on the aspects of tension-anxiety, and vigor. Adrenocorticotropic hormone and cortisol values related to the participants' stress levels were significantly decreased after the fourth laughter yoga session. These results indicated that multiple laughter yoga sessions appeared to be effective in improving the psychological and physiological status of healthy adults.

Effect of laughter yoga on mental symptoms and salivary cortisol levels in first‐year nursing students: A randomized controlled trial

“…Lee and Sohn (2010) stated that laughter yoga provided a significant reduction in anger level among people staying in a shelter and is an effective nursing intervention that can be used to reduce anger. In a study conducted in Japan, laughter yoga was found to be effective in reducing hostility levels (Tanaka et al, 2018). It is thought that laughter yoga can be used to reduce the level of hostility in students.…”

“…In other words, it was determined that salivary cortisol levels decreased significantly in the intervention group compared with the control group in the sessions after the fourth laughing yoga session, which suggests that the effect of the intervention on salivary cortisol started after the fourth session. Tanaka et al (2018) found that laughter yoga significantly reduced cortisol levels after the fourth session. The fact that onset of significant decrease in cortisol values occurred after the fourth session suggests that the students might have learned the laughter yoga intervention over time, got used to it and participated in the sessions more eagerly.…”

The effects of laughter therapy on depression symptoms in patients undergoing center hemodialysis: A pragmatic randomized controlled trial

“…Previous randomized studies in people with depression showed similar improvements in depression using the Depression Anxiety Scale Stress Score 45 and the Geriatric Depression Scale 32 . A noncontrolled healthy sample also described the reduced anxiety effects of laughter, as measured by the Profile of Mood States‐Brief Japanese Version 46 …”

“…32 A noncontrolled healthy sample also described the reduced anxiety effects of laughter, as measured by the Profile of Mood States-Brief Japanese Version. 46 Depression is a major ESRD comorbidity with 23% of patients suffering depressive symptoms 6 and reporting lower levels of happiness than age-matched nondialysis cohorts. 40 Therefore, interventions such as laughter therapy may have a place in hemodialysis centers.…”

Stress und Covid-19: Ein Narrativer Review über neuroendokrin-immune Mechanismen, die eine Abwehr von SARS-CoV-2 verbessern könnten

“…Eine Reihe von Studien fand eine Erhöhung der NK-Zellaktivität durch Lachen [117]. Diese Erhöhung der NK-Zellaktivität kann ein direkter Effekt sein, aber auch ein indirekter über die Senkung des Cortisolspiegels durch Abbau von chronischen Stresseffekten [118]. Tatsächlich scheint sich z.…”