Abstract
AimIn the present study we investigated the effect of laughter therapy on physiological and psychological function in older people.DesignAn open‐label trial.MethodsSeventeen older people who regularly attended an elderly day care centre were recruited. Stand‐up comedy as laughter therapy was performed once a week for 4 weeks. Parameters of physiological and psychological function were evaluated before and after laughter therapy.ResultsLaughter therapy intervention resulted in a significant reduction in systolic blood pressure and heart rate, accompanied by a significant increase in plasma concentration of serotonin and a significant decrease in salivary concentration of chromogranin A. Questionnaire surveys of SF‐8, GDS‐15, and Vitality Index demonstrated alleviation of depression and improvement of sociability and activity in older people. Laughter therapy could be expected to become a practical treatment to improve quality of life of older people in an elderly day care centre.
Highlights
The world’s population has been rapidly ageing in recent decades
Because ageing is associated with progressive degenerative changes in organ function and both physiological and psychological function, re‐ sulting in a decline in quality of life (QOL), promotion of the physical and mental health of older people to improve QOL is becoming a more important issue in an ageing society
This study was designed to investigate the effects of laughter therapy as recreation performed in an elderly day care centre and examine the possibility of estab‐ lishing an accessible, noninvasive, nonpharmacological, cost‐ free, and practical treatment to improve QOL in older people
Summary
The United Nations reported that the population aged 60 or above comprised 12% of the global population in 2015 and is growing at a rate of 3.26% a year. Under this situation, some developed coun‐ tries are already reaching a super‐ageing society. Because ageing is associated with progressive degenerative changes in organ function and both physiological and psychological function, re‐ sulting in a decline in quality of life (QOL), promotion of the physical and mental health of older people to improve QOL is becoming a more important issue in an ageing society. Various strategies for health promotion of older people have already been investigated, among which laughter therapy has been evaluated in many studies and is expected to be effective
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