• The Korean Journal of Rehabilitation Nursing
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.126-133
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• 2006

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate Laughter Index, depression and anxiety in middle-aged women. Method: The data were collected from 622 middle-aged women by means of structured questionnaire. The data were analyzed using descriptive analysis, t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation analysis by SPSS version 10. Results: The measuring of respondents' laughter index revealed they scored an average of 94.75 (${\pm}16.13$) of the full score 150. The measuring of respondents' depression showed they marked an average of 42.69 (${\pm}7.72$) of the full score 80. The measuring of respondents' anxiety showed they marked an average of 42.03 (${\pm}9.48$) of the full score 80. Respondents statistically showed the significant difference in their laughter index depending on age(t=.917, p=.000), and economic status(F=21.710, p=.000). Respondents statistically revealed the significant difference in depression depending on religion(F=3.396, p=.018), economic status(F=13.660, p=.000). Respondents statistically revealed the significant difference in anxiety depending on religion(F=5.557, p=.001), economic status(F=16.79, p=.000). The laughter index related to depression and anxiety in middle-aged women were significantly correlated. Conclusion: This study showed that laughter index in middle-aged women was correlated negatively depression and anxiety. Further research is regarded as necessary to evaluate and to compare effects of laughter with physical health status.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.285-293
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• 2011

Purpose: In this study, the effects of laughter therapy on levels of depression, quality of life, resilience and immune responses in breast cancer survivors were examined. Methods: A quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group, pretest-posttest design was used. Participants (n=37) included breast cancer survivors who finished chemotheraphy and radiation therapy: 16 in the experiment group and 21 in the control group. Data were collected from August to November 2009. The experimental group participated in laughter therapy eight times, twice a week for 60 min per session. Questionnaires were used to me-asure pretest and posttest levels of depression, quality of life and resilience. A blood test was used to analyze changes in Total T cell, T helper, T suppressor, Th/Ts ratio, Total B cell, T cell/B cell ratio and NK cell for immune responses. Results: The results showed that laughter therapy was effective in increasing the quality of life and resilience in breast cancer survivors. but depression and immune responses did not differ significantly between the groups. Conclusion: The results of the study indicate that laughter therapy may be an effective nursing intervention to improve quality of life and resilience in breast cancer survivors.

• Journal of the Korea Convergence Society
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.37-49
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• 2015

This study is to suggest the needs of laughter recreation convergence education as educational program to promote leisure use and happiness with the expectation that laughter recreation education will generate positive effect positive attitude and psychological happiness. So we prove that this education contributes to one's happy life through this study since it arouses positive changes on behavior. We included 108 Sampling targets and 216 copies of questionnaires to be done before and after education. As a result, partial factors of positive attitude on laughter recreation convergence education had a good influence on psychological happiness and there were differences between before and after the education. So this proves that it is meaningful to have laughter recreation convergence education.

• Journal of Korean Clinical Nursing Research
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.211-222
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• 2014

Purpose: This study was done to identify the effects of Laughter therapy on recovery status from facial paralysis, pain, and stress in Bell's palsy patients. Methods: This research was a nonequivalent control group non-synchronized pre-posttest quasi-experimental research design. Data were collected from August 8, to October 15, 2013 at D university Oriental Medical Center in B city. Participants were 60 patients with Bell's palsy who were assigned to one of two groups: an experimental group of 30 patients and a control group of 30 patients. t-test, $x^2-test$, Fisher's exact test and Welth-Aspin test were used to test the homogeneity between the two groups and t-test, Welth-Aspin test and ANCOVA were used to test the research hypotheses. SPSS program was used for statistical analysis. Results: There were significant increases in recovery status from facial paralysis and decreases in stress after Laughter therapy in the experimental group. Conclusion: The results indicate that Laughter therapy is effective in facilitating recovery status from facial paralysis and decreasing stress. Therefore, Laughter therapy can be used as an effective nursing intervention for patients with facial paralysis and to relieve stress in these patients.

• Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.298-310
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of the laughter therapy program on perceived stress and psycho-neuro-endocrine-immune responses in obese women. Methods: A nonequivalent control group with a pretest-posttest design was used. The participants (n=60), whose age ranged from 30 to 50 years (pre-menopausal and body mass index of over $25kg/m^2$), were assigned to the experimental group (n=24) or control group (n=26). The experimental group was provided with the laughter therapy program (12 sessions) for 6 weeks. Results: There were significant differences in perceived stress, psychological stress response, fasting blood sugar, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor alpha between the two groups after the program. However, there were no significant differences in normalized low frequency (norm LF), normalized high frequency (norm HF), LF/HF ratio, and cortisol between the two groups after the program. Conclusion: It was found that the laughter therapy program had positive effects on some variables in terms of perceived stress and psycho-neuro-endocrine-immuno responses. It is suggested that the laughter therapy in this study can provide the direction for developing a program for obese women.

• Women's Health Nursing
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.248-256
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• 2012

Purpose: This study examines the difference of optimism, self-esteem and depression to verify an effect of laughter therapy program for menopausal women. Methods: A quasi-experimental nonequivalent control group pre / post-test design was used. The participants (n=57) were 28 in the experimental group and 29 in the control group. The data were collected in December of 2011. The experimental group participated in laughter therapy for 30 min per session, five times a week for the period of 2 weeks. The questionnaires were used to measure pre / post-test optimism, self-esteem, and depression of menopausal women. Results: The results showed that laughter therapy was effective in increasing optimism (p= .020) and self-esteem (p<.001). And the depression of menopausal women decreased (p= .003). Conclusion: The result of the study indicates that laughter therapy for menopausal women may be an effective nursing intervention to improve optimism, self-esteem and depression of menopausal women.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.34-45
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• 2014

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of laughter therapy and cognitive reinforcement program on self-efficacy, depression and cognitive functions of the elderly with mild cognitive impairments (MCI). Methods: The study design was a non-equivalent control group pre and posttest design. Thirty-six subjects over the age of 65 with a diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment were assigned either to a treatment or a comparison group. Data were collected from February 7 to March 27, 2012 in the dementia supporting center. An eight week treatment program that included laughter therapy coupled with a cognitive reinforcing program including hand exercise, laughter dance routine, laughter technic and cognitive training for attention, memory, orientation and execution skill. Results: MoCA-K (t=-6.86, p<.001) and Stroop test CW correct (t=-2.54, p=.008), self-efficacy (t=-3.62, p=.001) in the treatment group were significantly higher than those of the comparison group. Reported depression (t=2.29, p=.014), Stroop test CW error (U=53.50, p<.001) in the treatment group was significantly less than the comparison group. Conclusion: In this study, the treatment was effective in improving self-efficacy, cognitive function and reducing depression in the elderly with MCI.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Broadcast Engineers Conference
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• 2009.01a
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• pp.267-272
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• 2009

Video digests provide an effective way of confirming a video content rapidly due to their very compact form. By watching a digest, users can easily check whether a specific content is worth seeing in full. The impression created by the digest greatly influences the user's choice in selecting video contents. We propose a novel method of automatic digest creation that evokes a joyful impression through the created digest by exploiting smile/laughter facial expressions as emotional cues of joy from video. We assume that a digest presenting smiling/laughing faces appeals to the user since he/she is assured that the smile/laughter expression is caused by joyful events inside the video. For detecting smile/laughter faces we have developed a neural network based method for classifying facial expressions. Video segmentation is performed by automatic shot detection. For creating joyful digests, appropriate shots are automatically selected by shot ranking based on the smile/laughter detection result. We report the results of user trials conducted for assessing the visual impression with automatically created 'joyful' digests produced by our system. The results show that users tend to prefer emotional digests containing laughter faces. This result suggests that the attractiveness of automatically created video digests can be improved by extracting emotional cues of the contents through automatic facial expression analysis as proposed in this paper.

• Asian Oncology Nursing
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.93-100
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of laughter therapy on mood, state anxiety, and serum cortisol based on a Stress-Coping Model for preoperative breast cancer patients. Methods: The study used a nonequivalent control group pretest-posttest design. The participants were 40 breast cancer patients who were admitted to one general hospital for surgery in 2009 (experimental group 23, control group 17). The experimental group received one hour laughter therapy consisting of dance, lots of laughter techniques, and meditation. Results: The mean ages were 47 years (experimental group) and 49 years (control group). There were no significant differences in demographic and disease-related characteristics between the two groups. After the intervention, the scores of mood and state-anxiety of experimental group were significantly improved than those of control group. However, no difference was found in serum cortisol. Conclusion: The laughter therapy was partially effective in improving stress response in patients with breast cancer. Further research is needed to develop and evaluate the longer periods of interventions to testify the effects on serum cortisol, and other biochemical variables.

• Journal of Korean Academic Society of Home Health Care Nursing
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.121-128
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• 2016

Purpose: This study was aimed at constructing and examining the effects of a laughter therapy program for elderly patients in long-term care hospitals. Methods: A prospective, two-group quasi-experimental design was used and 50 patients (25 experimental and 25 control group patients) from two long-term care hospitals in Gyeonggido province, South Korea, were study participants. The experimental group received 24 laughter therapy sessions twice a week for 12 weeks, and the control group received laughter therapy after data collection. Data were collected between May 26 and August 17, 2014. Results: The level of cognitive function for the experimental group increased(t=3.27, p=.002). The level of forced vital capacity (t=2.78, p=.008) and forced expiratory volume in 1 second (t=4.94, p<.001) increased among members of the experimental group. Conclusion: These results indicated that the laughter program was effective in improving cognitive and pulmonary functions among older patients who were receiving long-term care in hospitals. This program could be used for community-based elderly patients.