Beneficial effect of laughter therapy on physiological and psychological function in elders.
Yuki Yoshikawa, Etsuko Ohmaki, Hirohisa Kawahata and 4 others
PMID 30534398WHAT IT FOUND
In 17 older adults attending day care, four weekly professional stand-up comedy sessions were followed by lower systolic blood pressure and heart rate, lower depression scores, and better family-rated motivation for activity.
It was uncontrolled, so comedy itself was not proven.
Key findings
01Systolic blood pressure and heart rate were lower after four weekly sessions than before the intervention.
02Bodily pain and social function improved, and depression score decreased.
03Vitality Index total score increased, especially motivation for rehabilitation and activity.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study included only 17 participants, and blood and questionnaire analyses were done in 16. There was no control group and the study was not blinded, so bias could not be excluded, especially for self-rated outcomes. Chromogranin A was measured only before and after one show, and reproducibility was not confirmed. The study did not measure glucocorticoids or intracerebral serotonin, so the proposed mechanism was not shown. It did not show how long the effects lasted. The amount, duration, and type of laughter therapy were not validated. Participants had MMSE scores of 19 or higher and were selected if they could enjoy stand-up comedy, so results may not apply to older adults with more severe cognitive impairment. All participants already attended day care regularly, so normal day-care routine could not be separated from the comedy sessions.
Declared interests
Stand-up comedy was performed by a professional comedian from Yoshimoto Kogyo Co., Ltd., and the authors declared no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat this as proof that stand-up comedy causes these changes. The study had no control group, was not blinded, and included only 17 participants, so the changes could reflect normal day-care routine or measurement bias.