Laughter as medicine? new study tests if a good chuckle can ease pain and boost lung power in seniors
NCT ID NCT07352774
First seen Jun 25, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study is testing whether laughter therapy can improve breathing and reduce pain in people aged 60 and older. 64 participants will attend weekly 45-50 minute sessions that include warm-up, breathing, and laughter exercises, plus meditation. Researchers will measure lung function and pain levels before and after 4 weeks to see if there's improvement.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- laughter therapy
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could offer a simple, drug-free way to help older adults breathe easier and feel less pain.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage study with only 64 people, so results may not apply to everyone. The benefits of laughter therapy may be modest or temporary.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 64 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Nov 2025
- Expected to finish
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Jan 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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60 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Members of the Dikmen Retirees' Club, who do not accept to leave, are 60 years of age or older, have any work, visual, mental or orthopedic disability that would prevent them from participating in the sections, including those who smoke and use alcohol. Exclusion Criteria: * Being under 60 years of age and having conditions that prevent the application of laughter therapy (having had abdominal surgery in the last three months, glaucoma, hernia and epilepsy), smoking and drinking alcohol.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
The full official record for this study. This one lists no contact details, but it is the first place any would appear.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Ankara University
Ankara, Ankara, 06230, Turkey (Türkiye)
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