Abstract
Laughter Yoga (LY) is a structured mind-body practice that combines deep breathing techniques from yoga with intentional, simulated laughter. There are no jokes, cartoons, or comedy involved, laughter begins as a voluntary action and soon becomes genuine through the shared social energy of the group. The body responds to this intentional laughter with the same physiological and psychological benefits as spontaneous laughter. Sessions last 20-30 minutes and include rhythmic clapping, gentle movement, deep breathing, and playful laughter exercises performed in groups. Research consistently supports LY as an effective, low-cost intervention to reduce stress and anxiety. Physiologically, LY lowers cortisol and blood pressure (Yilmaz & Cevik Kaya, 2024). Psychologically, it reduces tension, enhances coping and adaptability, and fosters creativity and self-esteem (Eraydin & Alpar, 2022; Yas & Incesu, 2025). Most studies implemented LY over 6-8 sessions over four weeks, showing improvements in life satisfaction and emotional regulation among nursing students and healthcare professionals (Domnez et al., 2023).
This presentation includes two parts: The first 5-7 minutes will provide an overview of LY’s key concepts and evidence-based physiological and psychosocial benefits. The next 10-12 minutes will include an interactive workshop-style session where participants engage in guided laughter yoga exercises with other participants. Participants will also receive practical tips and strategies to adapt laughter yoga for their classrooms, clinical units, and professional settings.
At the end of this session, participants will be able to: 1. Describe laughter yoga. 2. Identify the benefits of laughter yoga. 3. Demonstrate five guided laughter yoga exercises. 4. Discuss ways to use laughter yoga in practice.
Notes
References:
Aslan, H., Akcin, A., & Celik, H. (2025). The effect of laughter yoga’s on perceived stress and anxiety levels in nursing students: Randomized controlled trial. Advances in Integrative Medicine, 12(1), 49–56. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aimed.2024.10.007
Donmez, A. A., Alici, N. K., Kapucu, S., & Elcin, M. (2023). The effect of laughter yoga applied before simulation training on state anxiety, perceived stress levels, self-confidence and satisfaction in undergraduate nursing students: A pragmatic randomized controlled trial. Nurse Education in Practice, 70, Article 103636. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nepr.2023.103636
Eraydin, C., & Alpar, S. E. (2022). The effect of laughter therapy on nursing students’ anxiety, satisfaction with life, and psychological well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: Randomized controlled study. Advances in Integrative Medicine, 9(3), 173–179. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aimed.2022.06.006
Yas, M. A., & Incesu, O. (2025). The effect of laughter yoga on wellbeing, perceived stress, and academic self-efficacy in nursing students: A randomized controlled trial. Applied Psychology : Health and Well-Being, 17(1), e12610-n/a. https://doi.org/10.1111/aphw.12610
Yilmaz, R., & Cevik Kaya, K. (2024). The Effect of Laughter Yoga Applied to Intensive Care Nurses on Their Perceived Stress, Job Motivation, and Mental Wellbeing: Randomized Controlled Study. Clinical Nurse Specialist, 38(5), 229–236. https://doi.org/10.1097/NUR.0000000000000839
Sigma Membership
Alpha Beta
Type
Presentation
Format Type
Text-based Document
Study Design/Type
Other
Research Approach
Other
Keywords:
Transition to Practice or Onboarding, Stress and Coping, Laughter--Education, Laughter, Yoga, Transitional Programs, Psychological Stress, Stress Management
Recommended Citation
Shrikanth, Shalini, "LOL! Laugh Out Loud with Laughter Yoga" (2026). Creating Healthy Work Environments (CHWE). 31.
https://www.sigmarepository.org/chwe/2026/presentations_2026/31
Conference Name
Creating Healthy Work Environments
Conference Host
Sigma Theta Tau International
Conference Location
Washington, DC, USA
Conference Year
2026
Rights Holder
All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record. All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository. All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.
Review Type
Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host
Acquisition
Proxy-submission
Date of Issue
2026-04-27
LOL! Laugh Out Loud with Laughter Yoga
Washington, DC, USA
Laughter Yoga (LY) is a structured mind-body practice that combines deep breathing techniques from yoga with intentional, simulated laughter. There are no jokes, cartoons, or comedy involved, laughter begins as a voluntary action and soon becomes genuine through the shared social energy of the group. The body responds to this intentional laughter with the same physiological and psychological benefits as spontaneous laughter. Sessions last 20-30 minutes and include rhythmic clapping, gentle movement, deep breathing, and playful laughter exercises performed in groups. Research consistently supports LY as an effective, low-cost intervention to reduce stress and anxiety. Physiologically, LY lowers cortisol and blood pressure (Yilmaz & Cevik Kaya, 2024). Psychologically, it reduces tension, enhances coping and adaptability, and fosters creativity and self-esteem (Eraydin & Alpar, 2022; Yas & Incesu, 2025). Most studies implemented LY over 6-8 sessions over four weeks, showing improvements in life satisfaction and emotional regulation among nursing students and healthcare professionals (Domnez et al., 2023).
This presentation includes two parts: The first 5-7 minutes will provide an overview of LY’s key concepts and evidence-based physiological and psychosocial benefits. The next 10-12 minutes will include an interactive workshop-style session where participants engage in guided laughter yoga exercises with other participants. Participants will also receive practical tips and strategies to adapt laughter yoga for their classrooms, clinical units, and professional settings.
At the end of this session, participants will be able to: 1. Describe laughter yoga. 2. Identify the benefits of laughter yoga. 3. Demonstrate five guided laughter yoga exercises. 4. Discuss ways to use laughter yoga in practice.
Description
Laughter Yoga (LY) includes the use of intentional laughter and requires no jokes or cartoons. The laughter quickly becomes spontaneous, promoting relaxation and reducing stress, anxiety, and cortisol levels. In this session, participants will explore laughter yoga and it's benefits. Participants will also engage in guided laughter yoga exercises and learn ways to implement laughter yoga in practice.