Laughter Therapy Eases Breathlessness in COPD Patients About as Well as Breathing Exercises, Trial Finds

A clinical trial presented at the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress in Barcelona, Spain, found that laughter therapy can reduce breathing difficulties in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) about as effectively as traditional breathing exercises. In the trial, patients were taught to use deliberate laughter as a breathing exercise and compared with patients doing standard breathing exercises and a group that did neither.

"COPD is a serious lung disease that makes it hard to breathe. It affects millions of people worldwide and is a leading cause of disability and death," said Dr. Goncagul Aldan, a lecturer and nurse at Hacettepe University Faculty of Nursing, Ankara, Türkiye, who presented the results. "Managing COPD requires more than medication alone. Patients need a holistic approach to help them cope with their symptoms, the physical burden of the disease and its emotional and psychological impact."

The trial included 63 people with COPD treated at Ankara Bilkent City Hospital, Türkiye, randomly split into three groups: one-third practiced laughter therapy, one-third practiced pursed-lip breathing, an established technique of breathing in through the nose and out slowly through pursed lips that helps release air trapped in diseased lungs, and one-third did neither. Laughter therapy involved exercises such as rhythmic clapping with vocal sounds, playful laughter mimicking sounds like a motorcycle starting or a lion's roar, laughter meditation, and calm breathing with smiling. Both exercise groups practiced for 30 minutes, three times a week, for eight weeks, with support from video calls and text messages.

After the program, patients doing laughter therapy and those doing pursed-lip breathing both had less difficulty breathing and better overall health than those who did neither exercise, though there was no difference in how much care they needed day to day. "Both pursed-lip breathing exercises and laughter therapy can significantly reduce the severity of breathlessness in COPD patients, and this effect was sustained even a month after the program ended," Aldan said, adding that laughter may exercise the breathing muscles, promote deeper exhalation and trigger the release of endorphins.

Dr. Marc Miravitlles of Vall d'Hebron University Hospital in Barcelona, who was not involved in the research, called it "a small but well-run study," noting that the mechanisms behind laughter therapy in COPD remain poorly understood and that larger, international studies are needed.