Investigating the effect of laughter yoga on happiness and life expectancy in an elderly population.

Background: During the elderly period, individuals experience physical and psychological crises. One of the factors that positively influence critical life situations is happiness and hope. Given the significant physical and psychological effects of laughter yoga on the body, this study aimed to determine the impact of laughter yoga on the happiness and hope (life expectancy) of elderly individuals.

Materials and method: This field study employed a pretest, posttest design. The sampling method utilized was non-random, specifically convenience sampling. A total of 220 elderly retirees, who were frequent visitors to the Social Security Retirees' Center in Gorgan, Iran, were selected for the study. These participants were then randomly assigned to either the intervention or control groups through a blocked randomization process, resulting in 110 individuals in the intervention group and 110 in the control group. The intervention group participated in eight sessions of 45-minute laughter yoga, led by certified instructors and researchers. Data collection was conducted using the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire and Snyder's Hope Scale. The data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The significance level for all statistical tests was set at P ≤ 0.05.

Results: The two groups were similar in terms of gender, age, marital status, education level, and occupation. The mean and standard deviation (SD) of the life expectancy of the elderly participants before the intervention began was 65.86 ± 7.64 in the intervention group and 65.70 ± 7.58 in the control group (P = 0.96). The mean and SD of the happiness of the elderly participants before the intervention was 63.18 ± 8.88 in the intervention group and 63.29 ± 7.56 in the control group (P = 0.37). The mean and SD of the life expectancy of the elderly participants after the intervention was 69.4 ± 42.32 in the intervention group and 65.77 ± 8.99 in the control group (P < 0.001). The mean and SD of the happiness of the elderly participants after the intervention was 69.86 ± 10.91 in the intervention group and 64.55 ± 9.28 in the control group (P < 0.001).

Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrate that laughter yoga can significantly increase happiness and improve life expectancy among elderly individuals. Consequently, laughter yoga can serve as a noninvasive method to enhance the mental well-being of older adults and as a preventive measure. It is advised that community service providers and caregivers for the elderly consider integrating laughter yoga into their eldercare programs.