What is laughter yoga, and does it have health benefits as claimed?

Also known as Hasyayoga—from the word hasya, meaning laughter in Sanskrit—laughter yoga has nothing to do with traditional yoga positions. Rather, the sessions involve various stretching and warm-up activities, including clapping, chanting in a “ho, ho, ho” manner (a technique with fast inhalations and exhalations), and other yoga breathing exercises, followed by all sorts of simulated laughing—such as laughing silently with an open mouth, laughing while humming, or laughing heartily. Laughing may be done standing up, sitting, or lying down.

To decrease inhibitions, classes encourage a sense of playfulness and may use visualization and other techniques similar to those done in acting classes. You may be told to laugh while imagining you’re riding a roller coaster, for example. You might feel silly at first, but this usually dissipates as the session proceeds.

Laughter yoga has become popular over the past 20 or so years, thanks to Madan Kataria, an Indian physician known as the “Laughing Guru” or “Guru of Giggling,” who first promoted it in a public park in Mumbai. He has a website, Laughter Yoga International, and his book Laugh for No Reason was published in 1999. Many other books on the subject have followed.

Preliminary studies suggest that laughter yoga may provide some health benefits. For instance, a randomized controlled trial in 2023, which included 90 nurses during the Covid-19 pandemic, found that those who completed eight sessions of laughter yoga online over four weeks experienced improvements in sleep and psychological resilience (their ability to “bounce back” from adversity).

Another clinical trial in 2023 found that people with type 2 diabetes who did a 12-week  program (eight sessions in total) had significant improvements in blood sugar control, compared to a control group that just followed standard diabetes care. “Having fun could be a self-care intervention,” the researchers concluded. Other studies have shown laughter yoga to reduce stress, depression, and anxiety; suppress allergic reactions; and increase activity of natural killer cells.

Larger and longer studies are needed to confirm these effects, but in the meantime, there’s no downside to adding more laughter to your life. There are laughter yoga clubs all over the world, and participation is generally free. You can also find classes at medical or community centers and yoga studios. It’s even possible to join laughter yoga zoom sessions.