Longitudinal Trends in Blood Pressure Associated With the Frequency of Laughter: The Circulatory Risk in Communities Study (CIRCS), a Longitudinal Study of the Japanese General Population

Subjective Happiness, Frequency of Laughter, and Hypertension: A Cross-Sectional Study Based on the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES)

In recent years, positive psychological factors, such as subjective happiness and laughter, have been reported to be associated with cardiovascular disease. In this study, we examined the relationship of hypertension with subjective happiness and frequency of laughter using the data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES). Of the 138,294 respondents, 26,368 responded to a version of the self-administered questionnaire that included a question about the frequency of laughter in the JAGES 2013. In total, 22,503 (10,571 men and 11,932 women) were included in the analysis after excluding those with missing responses regarding a history of hypertension, frequency of laughter, and subjective happiness. The prevalence of hypertension in this study was 10,364 (46.1%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age, female sex, obesity, infrequent chewing, former and current drinker, seeing three to five friends, and the absence of hobbies were positively associated with hypertension. However, infrequent laughter/high level of subjective happiness, frequent laughter/high level of subjective happiness, being underweight, and current smoker were negatively associated with hypertension. As per the findings of this study, it was determined that subjective happiness was negatively associated with hypertension. Therefore, this study suggests that having more opportunities to feel happiness may be important in preventing hypertension.

Comparison of Sense of Humor and Burnout in Surgeons and Internal Medicine Physicians

OBJECTIVES

We aimed to evaluate humor styles in surgeons and internists and investigate the association between humor and burnout.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey of physicians in surgical and medicine departments was conducted, assessing sense of humor and burnout using the Humor Styles Questionnaire and the Emotional Exhaustion subscale of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services Survey for Medical Personnel.

RESULTS

For 131 surgeons and 72 internists, no differences in humor styles were found. A sense of personal accomplishment was more common among surgeons (P = 0.03) and rates of burnout were lower for surgeons (P = 0.02). Physicians with a higher-than-average score in affiliative and self-enhancing humor were less likely to suffer from burnout (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.03, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Surgeons and internists have similar styles of humor. Surgeons suffer less from burnout. Affiliative and self-enhancing humor styles are associated with reduced burnout.

Effects of a laughter program on body weight and mental health among Japanese people with metabolic syndrome risk factors: a randomized controlled trial

Background

While there have been several intervention studies on the psychological effects of laughter, few have examined both the psychological and physical effects. This study investigates the effects of a laughter program on body weight, body mass index (BMI), subjective stress, depression, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among Japanese community-dwelling individuals using a randomized controlled trial with a waitlist.

Methods

Overall, 235 participants (37 men and 198 women) aged 43–79 years (mean 66.9, median 67.0) were randomized into laughter intervention and control groups (n = 117 and n = 118, respectively) to participate in a 12-week laughter program. Body weight, subjective stress, subjective well-being, and HRQOL were measured at the baseline, with a 12-week follow-up. The laughter program intervention’s effects on these factors were analyzed using an analysis of covariance adjusted by age, sex, risk factors, medication, and area. Furthermore, Pearson’s correlation and a general linear model analyzed the relationship between participants’ BMI and psychological index changes.

Results

The comprehensive laughter program significantly improved the mean body weight (p = 0.008), BMI (p = 0.006), subjective stress (p = 0.004), subjective well-being (p = 0.002), optimism (p = 0.03), and physical component summary (PCS) scores of HRQOL (p = 0.04). A similar tendency occurred for the mean changes in BMI and subjective stress score by area, sex, and age. Moreover, there was a significant and negative correlation between the change in BMI and PCS change (p = 0.04).

Conclusion

The comprehensive 12-week laughter intervention program, mainly comprising laughter yoga, significantly improved physical and psychological functions such as body weight, BMI, subjective stress, subjective well-being, and HRQOL among predominantly elderly Japanese community-dwelling individuals with metabolic syndrome risk factors. Moreover, PCS improved among participants who reduced BMI after the intervention. These results suggest that the laughter program may help reduce body weight in participants with metabolic syndrome risk factors by reducing stress and improving HRQOL and mental health factors, such as subjective well-being and optimism.

Trial registration

Registered with the University Hospital Medical Information Network Clinical Trials Registry UMIN-CTR000027145 on 27/04/2017.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12877-022-03038-y.

Does laughing with others lower the risk of functional disability among older Japanese adults? The JAGES prospective cohort study

While laughter is evoked mainly in social contexts, the potential link between laughter in daily life and health benefits is unclear. This study aimed to examine the association between laughter in daily life and the onset of functional disability among older adults in Japan. Data were obtained from a 6-year follow-up cohort of 12,571 participants (46.1% male) in the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study, aged ≥65 years, who could independently perform daily activities. We evaluated their laughter in daily life from three perspectives: the types of situations in which people laugh, the number of situations in which people laugh with others, and the persons with whom people laugh. Using the Cox proportional hazards model, the risk of functional disability was estimated. A total of 1420 functional disabilities were observed during follow-up. After adjusting for potential confounders, participants who laughed with others (e.g., during conversations with friends) were at a reduced risk of functional disability (hazard ratio, 0.77; 95% confidence interval, 0.65-0.92) than those who laughed alone (e.g., during watching television). Similarly, the number of situations to laugh with others was inversely associated with the risk of functional disability (P_trend < 0.001). Laughing in a conversation with friends reduced the risk of functional disability by approximately 30% compared to laughing alone. Overall, laughing with others was associated with a reduced risk of functional disability. Having more situations to laugh with others or at least the situation to laugh with friends might contribute to reducing the risk of functional disability later in life.