Overview
- The randomized trial of 63 people with COPD was presented at the European Respiratory Society Congress in Barcelona and reported on Monday, September 7, 2026, with participants split between laughter therapy, pursed‑lip breathing, and a no‑exercise control group.
- After an eight‑week programme of 30‑minute sessions three times a week, both laughter therapy and pursed‑lip breathing produced similar, significant reductions in self‑reported breathlessness compared with the control group.
- The benefits from both active interventions remained measurable at least one month after the programme ended, and patients in those groups reported modest improvements in overall health but no change in day‑to‑day care needs.
- Researchers say laughter exercises are low cost and can be practised at home without equipment or specialist support, but they note the physiological reasons for the benefit are unclear and may include deeper exhalation, breathing‑muscle work, or endorphin release.
- Respiratory experts and patient groups call the results promising yet preliminary and say larger, multi‑site trials in diverse populations are needed before the technique is recommended widely; investigators plan to pursue expanded international studies.