Laughter therapy: A humor-induced hormonal intervention to reduce stress and anxiety

The effect of laughter therapy on nursing students' anxiety, satisfaction with life, and psychological well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: Randomized controlled study

“…In recent years, non-pharmacological techniques have been widely used to reduce anxiety and stress [10] , [11] . Laughter therapy is one of the methods used to reduce anxiety and stress levels [11] , [12] . In 1995, Laughter therapy, introduced by Dr Madan Kataria, is a technique that combines free laughter with yoga breathing [13] .…”

“…During this period of quarantine and isolation [24] , group-oriented laughter therapy will increase the feeling of togetherness and happiness [14] and positively contribute to students' life satisfaction and psychological well-being. In addition, studies have shown that laughter therapy effectively reduces anxiety and stress [12] , [17] , [20] . However, since no studies have been found in the literature on online laughter therapy, methodological studies are needed to confirm the effectiveness of the therapy on its applicability on the online platform.…”

The web of laughter: frontal and limbic projections of the anterior cingulate cortex revealed by cortico-cortical evoked potential from sites eliciting laughter

“…A possible answer comes from studies showing that emotional laughter downregulates anxiety, stress, depression and other negative emotional states [10–12]. In line with such an interpretation, a recent electrical stimulation study [17] reported that in three patients undergoing an awake craniotomy procedure, stimulation of the dorsal anterior cingulate bundle, adjacent to the pACC-L, induced robust anxiolytic responses to the point that intravenous anaesthetic/anxiolytic medications were discontinued.…”

“…It carries information on the behavioural intentions of the agent, and the identity and hierarchical position of the recipient. In addition, following a fortunate perspective initiated by James [9], the physical act of laughing, along with its interoceptive feedback, is conceived to be a quintessential element in the constitution of our perceived sense of happiness which, in turn, downregulates social anxiety and negative emotions [10–12]. Interpreting laughter as a genuine socio-emotional complex behaviour, rather than a peripheral consequence of humour appreciation, makes a case for its complex cerebral representation, moving beyond subcortical structures and potentially encompassing several regions of the social and emotional brain.…”

The Impact of a Laughter Prescription on Creativity, Well‐Being, Affect, and Academic Efficacy in University Students

“…Underpinning our research is a wealth of literature reporting on the links between laughter and positive emotions (Akimbekove & Razzaque, 2021; Foley, Matheis, & Schaefer, 2002; Yim, 2016); positive emotions and creativity (Akbari Chermahini & Hommel, 2012; Amabile, Barsade, Mueller, & Staw, 2005; Baas, De Dreu, & Nijstad, 2008; Wright & Walton, 2003); positive emotions and well‐being (Forgeard, Jayawickreme, Kern, & Seligman, 2011; Jayawickreme, Forgeard, & Seligman, 2012; Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2014); positive emotions and academic outcomes (Beghetto, 2019; Li, Gow, & Zhou, 2020); and creativity and academic outcomes (Beghetto & Kaufman, 2007; Gajda, Karwowski, & Beghetto, 2017; Karwowski et al., 2020; Kaufman & Beghetto, 2009a). It is important to highlight that terminology in all these domains can be misleading.…”