Laughter has measurable health benefits, including short-term reductions in stress and improved mood.

Is it true that Laughter has measurable health benefits, including short-term reductions in stress and improved mood?

Unclear. A meta-analysis of laughter interventions reports significant reductions in cortisol, a stress biomarker, and a meta-analysis of laughter therapies in students plus two small crossover trials in middle-aged and older adults report improved mood and reduced psychological stress. All placed evidence is partial: it covers specific populations or uses cortisol as a proxy, so it supports only a narrower version of the claim.

Verdict: PARTIAL LEAN · 4 sources for, 0 against · Last checked 3 Oct 2026

The private library was unavailable for some searches in this check. Missing library results are not evidence against the claim.

Wu, L. & Yuen, M. (2026). Effectiveness of Laughter Therapies on Students' Mental Health: A Meta-Analytic Review. eric.ed.gov. https://doi.org/10.1080/03069885.2024.2449013

Effects of laughter on focus and stress in middle-aged adults: a single-blind, randomized controlled trial. (n.d.). cir.nii.ac.jp. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-025-04863-5

The effects of laughter on attention focusing and psychological stress in healthy older adults: a single-blind, randomized controlled trial using a comic video intervention. (n.d.). cir.nii.ac.jp. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4598246/v1

Kramer, C. K. & Leitao, C. B. (2023). Laughter as medicine: A systematic review and meta-analysis of interventional studies evaluating the impact of spontaneous laughter on cortisol levels.. doi.org. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0286260

Laughter as medicine: A systematic review and meta-analysis of interventional studies evaluating the impact of spontaneous laughter on cortisol levels. (n.d.). cir.nii.ac.jp. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0286260