Where and Who Did It:

Conducted at ASAN Medical Center, Seoul, South Korea

By researchers: S.H. Kim, Y.H. Kim, and H.J. Kim

Affiliated with the Department of Nursing and the Department of Preventive Medicine, University of Ulsan College of Medicine

Published in 2015

Why This Study Was Done (Objective):

Breast cancer patients often feel high levels of anxiety, depression, and stress, especially during radiation therapy. Traditional medications can help, but doctors are exploring non-drug therapies that are safe and low-cost.
This study wanted to find out:

• Can a Therapeutic Laughter Program (TLP) reduce emotional stress in breast cancer patients?
• Does attending more sessions lead to better results?

How the Study Was Carried Out (Methodology):

 Participants:

• 62 women with breast cancer undergoing radiation therapy
• All were screened to exclude psychiatric illnesses
• Divided randomly into two groups:
  • 31 patients received the laughter therapy (intervention group)
  • 29 patients received no therapy (control group)

 Therapeutic Laughter Program (TLP):

• Conducted by a trained laughter therapist
• Each session lasted 60 minutes
• Included:
  • Loud, intentional laughter
  • Physical movement and breathing
  • Fun games and laughter exercises
  • Information about benefits of laughter

What Was Measured:

• Anxiety, depression, and stress levels
• Tools used:
  • Numerical Rating Scale (NRS): A simple 0 to 10 scale
  • HADS: Hospital Anxiety Depression Scale
  • BEPSI-K: Korean version of a stress questionnaire
• Measurements were taken:
  • Before the sessions
  • After each of the four sessions
  • After the entire program

What Did They Find?

Key Results (TLP Group Only):

Emotion                   Before (Baseline)    After 4 Sessions       Change

Anxiety                    3.42                            1.48                            ↓ 1.94

Depression             3.48                             1.65                            ↓ 1.84

Stress                      3.32                             1.26                            ↓ 2.06

• First session alone showed a big improvement!
• Control group (who did not attend laughter therapy) had no change.
• Results were statistically significant (p < 0.01)

More Sessions = Better Outcomes:

• Scores kept improving with each session.
• After 4 sessions, all 3 emotional indicators dropped by over 50%.

Why This Matters (Discussion):

• Laughter therapy is a non-invasive, low-cost, and fun method that helps improve emotional well-being.
• Patients enjoyed the sessions and actively participated.
• The method can be used in busy hospital settings using just a simple 0–10 scale for quick emotional assessment.

Limitations of the Study:

• Small sample size (only 62 patients)
• Focused only on short-term effects, not long-term benefits
• Only included women with breast cancer, so results may not apply to other groups

Conclusion:

Laughter therapy is safe, effective, and works quickly. Even one session can reduce anxiety, depression, and stress.
It should be considered as a complementary therapy for cancer patients, alongside medical treatments