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Cited by 61Stress Responses and CortisolHumor Studies and ApplicationsMindfulness and Compassion Interventions

Laughter yoga reduces the cortisol response to acute stress in healthy individuals

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Meier, Maria, Wirz, Lisa, Dickinson, Philip, Pruessner, Jens C.·2021·Stress
DOI 10.1080/10253890.2020.1766018
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Abstract

Stress is one of the foremost contributors to the development of psychiatric diseases. Since the prevalence of stress-related complaints is increasing, we are in need for affordable and effective treatment alternatives. Laughter yoga (LY), a popular method encouraging participants to simulate laughter and participate in yogic breathing exercises, is hypothesized to buffer negative effects of stress. Although widely practiced, empirical evidence for beneficial effects of LY is scarce. We investigated the acute effects of a single 30-min LY session on the autonomic, endocrine and psychological response to a standardized psychosocial stressor. Thirty-five healthy subjects (51% female) were randomly assigned to experience either a LY (n = 11), a relaxation breathing (n = 12) or a (non-intervention) control (n = 12) session prior to their exposure to the Trier Social Stress Test for Groups (TSST-G). Salivary cortisol, salivary alpha amylase, and subjective stress were assessed repeatedly throughout the experiment. We expected that LY and relaxation breathing group each show a downregulation of stress response indices compared to the control group. Further, we expected that LY has beneficial effects compared to relaxation breathing. The groups did not differ in salivary cortisol, alpha amylase or subjective stress reactivity during the 30-min intervention. However, in response to the TSST-G, the LY, but neither the relaxation breathing, nor the control condition, showed an attenuated cortisol stress response. These findings highlight the potential of LY to buffer the endocrine stress response. Therefore, LY could be used as a cheap and easily-to-implement add-on to more traditional stress interventions.LAY SUMMARYIn recent years, more and more people have reported to feel stressed. Although our body is well equipped to deal with acute stress, chronic stress can tire our system and contribute to illness in the long run. Therefore, we need affordable and effective measures to reduce stress. In this study we have investigated whether a single laughter yoga session can help us to deal with acute stress. Although laughter yoga did not change how stressful a situation was perceived, it reduced the amount of stress hormones that were released in response to the situation. As such, laughter yoga might be a cheap and easily-to-implement add-on to more traditional stress reduction interventions.

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  • The 30 min of standing during Meier et al.'s intervention may have caused discomfort and interfered with benefits.

    “The 30 min of standing during Meier and colleagues’ human-guided intervention may have caused discomfort and interfered with potential benefits [46]; though perhaps shorter standing practice durations would be effective.”

    From Breathing Practices for Stress and Anxiety Reduction: Conceptual Framework of Implementation Guidelines Based on a Systematic Review of the Published Literature (2023) · cites this paper as [46]

    The Study procedure describes a 30-minute intervention, and Experimental groups says participants in the guided relaxation-breathing group stood during their exercises. The paper does not suggest that standing caused discomfort or interfered with benefits. If the claim refers to the laughter-yoga group, Experimental groups instead says participants lay down for the final ten minutes. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Cited by

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Authors
Meier, M., Wirz, L., Dickinson, P., & Pruessner, J. C.
Affiliations
  • University of Konstanz (DE)
  • Ruhr University Bochum (DE)
  • Institut Universitaire de Gériatrie de Montréal (CA)
Corresponding author
Meier, Maria
ORCID
Venue
Stress
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2020-05-26
Volume
24
Issue
1
Pages
44-52
ISSN
  • 1025-3890 (ISSN-L)
  • 1607-8888
DOI
10.1080/10253890.2020.1766018
OpenAlex
W3024822259
Cited by
61
References
11
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 23 · 2022: 6 · 2021: 4
FWCI
4.61
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Stress (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • KOPS (University of Konstanz) (submittedVersion)
Funders
Canadian Institutes of Health Research (MOP125913)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Humor Studies and Applications
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Mindfulness and Compassion Interventions
Keywords
laughter yoga, acute stress, cortisol, salivary cortisol, salivary amylase, psychosocial stress, Trier Social Stress Test for Groups, stress buffering, stress response, subjective stress, stress reduction intervention
MeSH terms
Emotions, Female, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Male, Saliva, Stress, Psychological, Yoga, Laughter Therapy

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