ArticleJournal of epidemiology2016
Laughter is the Best Medicine? A Cross-Sectional Study of Cardiovascular Disease Among Older Japanese Adults.
Article in Journal of epidemiology, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers.
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Who cites it
27 citing papers in PubMed.
- Effects of a laughter program on body weight and mental health among Japanese people with metabolic syndrome risk factors: a randomized controlled trial.BMC geriatrics · 2022Trial
- Beyond Humor: Laughter as a Cardiovascular Stimulus.Arquivos brasileiros de cardiologia · 2026Article
- Silly walks: An urgent practical solution to the inactivity and obesity pandemics.Experimental physiology · 2025Review
- How is the Beginning and End of Frequent Laughter Associated With Changes in Loneliness Amongst Older People in Japan? A JAGES Longitudinal Study.International journal of geriatric psychiatry · 2025Article
- Laughing During Conversations, But Not in Response to Digital Media, Is Associated With Less Loneliness, Social Isolation, and Social Withdrawal: A Cross-Sectional Study of German Adults in 2023.Health science reports · 2025Article
- The relationship between gratitude and presenteeism among workers: a cross-sectional study.Nagoya journal of medical science · 2025Article
- Increasing the health span: unique role for exercise.Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985) · 2025Review
- Association between frailty and oral function in rheumatoid arthritis patients: A multi-center, observational study.Archives of rheumatology · 2025Article
- Healing Hearts with Humor: The Potential of Laughter Therapy in Cardiac Rehabilitation.Arquivos brasileiros de cardiologia · 2025Article
- Association of laughter and social communication with oral frailty among residents in Fukushima: a cross-sectional study.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Does online communication mitigate the association between a decrease in face-to-face communication and laughter during the COVID-19 pandemic? A cross-sectional study from JACSIS study.Preventive medicine reports · 2023Article
- Subjective Happiness, Frequency of Laughter, and Hypertension: A Cross-Sectional Study Based on the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study (JAGES).International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- The Association between Laughter and Functional Dyspepsia in a Young Japanese Population.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Association between visual status and the frequency of laughterBMJ open ophthalmology · 2022Article
- Association between Laughter and Lifestyle Diseases after the Great East Japan Earthquake: The Fukushima Health Management Survey.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Association between frequency of laughter and oral health among community-dwelling older adults: a population-based cross-sectional study in Japan.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2021Article
- Does Laughter Predict Onset of Functional Disability and Mortality Among Older Japanese Adults? The JAGES Prospective Cohort Study.Journal of epidemiology · 2021Article
- The Smiles of Older People through Recreational Activities: Relationship between Smiles and Joy.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Does variety of social interactions associate with frequency of laughter among older people? The JAGES cross-sectional study.BMJ open · 2021Article
- Associations of Frequency of Laughter With Risk of All-Cause Mortality and Cardiovascular Disease Incidence in a General Population: Findings From the Yamagata Study.Journal of epidemiology · 2020Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundWe sought to evaluate the associations between frequency of daily laughter with heart disease and stroke among community-dwelling older Japanese women and men.
methodsWe analyzed cross-sectional data in 20 934 individuals (10 206 men and 10 728 women) aged 65 years or older, who participated in the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study in 2013. In the mail-in survey, participants provided information on daily frequency of laughter, as well as body mass index, demographic and lifestyle factors, and diagnoses of cardiovascular disease, hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and depression.
resultsEven after adjustment for hyperlipidemia, hypertension, depression, body mass index, and other risk factors, the prevalence of heart diseases among those who never or almost never laughed was 1.21 (95% CI, -1.03-1.41) times higher than those who reported laughing every day. The adjusted prevalence ratio for stroke was 1.60 (95% CI, 1.24-2.06).
conclusionsDaily frequency of laughter is associated with lower prevalence of cardiovascular diseases. The association could not be explained by confounding factors, such as depressive symptoms.
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