A Literature Review on the Effects of Laughter in Nursing Care

Abstract

Object: To demonstrate the efficacy of using laughter in clinical and nursing practice, the present study was designed to overview the effects of laughter previously reported in Japan regarding both physical and mental aspects through a literature review.
Method: Literature search was performed of the Igaku Chuo Zasshi Publishing database using “laughter” or “humor” as the keyword for publications during the period of 1980 to May 2009, and 29 articles were retrieved. For international journals, PubMed was used with the keywords “laughter” and “effect” and the target period of 2000 to May 2009, and 20 papers by Japanese authors were identified.
Results: As the physical effects of laughter, many researchers reported enhancement of the NK cell activity and its effects on the immune system. There were also studies on the alleviation of pain, improvement of various symptoms in allergic patients, reduction of the increase in blood glucose after eating, and improvement of cerebral activity. As the mental effects of laughter, there were a lot of studies on efficacy in coping with stress. In addition, humor have benefits in relation to interpersonal skills, and a relaxation effect.
Conclusion: While there have been many experiments involving healthy people or specific disease, the efficacy of laughter in patients with acute/chronic disease as well as its preventive effects are expected to be explored in future research on laughter as a means of nursing care in clinical practice.