Laughter-inducing therapies: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Area of Science:

• Integrative and Complementary Medicine
• Psychology
• Health Sciences

Background:

• Laughter-inducing therapies are increasingly recognized for potential health benefits.
• These therapies offer cost-effective complementary or primary treatment options.
• A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis was lacking for diverse populations and outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To broadly describe the field of laughter-inducing therapies.
• To estimate the effects of laughter therapies on mental and physical health.
• To assess benefits across various populations and health conditions.

Main Methods:

• Conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental studies.
• Included studies on multi-session laughter or humor therapies compared to control groups.
• Searched major databases (PubMed, Web of Science, EBSCO, EMBASE) for English and non-English articles.

Main Results:

• Simulated (non-humorous) laughter interventions were more effective than spontaneous (humorous) laughter.
• Laughter-inducing therapies demonstrated a positive effect on improving depression.
• Overall study quality was low, with a substantial risk of bias across included studies.

Conclusions:

• Laughter-inducing therapies show promise as low-cost interventions, especially for the aging population.
• Simulated laughter may be a valuable addition to conventional treatments.
• More methodologically rigorous research is essential to establish robust evidence for their efficacy.