Laughter workshops: What are they and how can they benefit us?

In a world that's not always funny, laughter workshops are asking us to practise joy anyway, with surprising results...

My partner says there’s nothing she loves more than hearing me cackle loudly from another room. That’s the unique thing about laughter, isn’t it? It’s contagious in all the right ways and has the potential to cut through awkwardness when a giggle starts to ripple around the room, or even build bonds with someone you’ve only just met.

Unfortunately, life isn’t always a barrel of laughs. In fact, it can often feel like there’s more heartache than hilarity – but what if a structured workshop, designed to simulate the physical experience of laughter, was enough for you to reap the therapeutic benefits?

What is a laughter workshop?

Let’s be honest, it’s quite a unusual concept to join a group of strangers in a room so that you can all practise laughing. And when you learn that laughter workshops don’t tend to rely on jokes, it gets temporarily a bit weirder. Instead of cracking one-liners or slipping on banana skins, trained facilitators will use guided exercises to create laughter physically, on the assumption that the body can trigger the same psychological benefits whether the laughter is spontaneous or engineered.

A typical session starts with a warm-up such as clapping in rhythm, stretching, or simple breathing exercises to connect with the body. From there, the facilitator will offer a series of playful prompts, things like greeting each other with exaggerated laughter, pretending to laugh into a phone, or using eye contact and movement to spark group laughter. Yes, it can feel forced or awkward at the beginning, especially for newcomers, but that’s expected… and the group dynamic usually helps it tip into more natural, contagious laughter quite quickly.

Funnily enough, it can feel not too dissimilar to a workout class, with short bursts of laughter followed by deep breathing to avoid dizziness and to regulate the body. You’re engaging your breath, posture, and facial muscles in a way that can feel like light exercise.

I asked laughter coach and therapist Lotte Mikkelsen about some of the most common misconceptions about the laughter workshops she hosts. “People think you need to be in a good mood and have a great sense of humour,” she tells me. “This is not the case, and I discuss this in my workshops and training. Anyone can laugh, even when you’re not in the mood.”

The science behind the smiles

The idea that laughter can be a deliberate practice rather than an unplanned reaction is increasingly being explored in research, too, in a randomised controlled trial involving 101 nurses working during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The study found that laughter yoga had measurable psychological benefits after just four weeks of twice-weekly sessions, as noted in Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. Compared with a control group, nurses showed ‘significant reductions’ in perceived stress and burnout, alongside increased life satisfaction, while those who didn’t receive the intervention showed no change.

Research has also found that laughter therapy is an effective, non-invasive complementary treatment that can even be used on vulnerable populations. Results from one trial, published in 2020 in The Malaysian Journal of Medical Sciences, showed that older adults living in 24-hour nursing homes experienced a significant reduction in depression and anxiety after taking part in regular, structured laughter sessions over several weeks, although it’s important to note that this is not a substitute for other forms of care.

Plus, there are physical benefits, with a small study from 2023 noting that laughter therapy led to improvements in the heart and circulation, expanding the arteries, which increased oxygen flow and reduced inflammation markers in the blood, which could support heart health. And the NHS has even funded projects like Comedy on Referral, allowing social prescribers to give people with trauma or mental health difficulties access to a 10-week course designed to help them write and perform stand-up comedy about their life.

Laughing with friends

One of the reasons why laughter workshops are so powerful is that they are open to anyone. Facilitators like Lotte are trained to welcome participants into the space and to make them feel comfortable, which includes tailoring exercises to fit the needs of those in the room. This, along with personalised conversations with those who attend, makes laughter workshops more than just a way of coping. They become uplifting social events.

“Laughter connects us,” says Lotte, “and in this day and age, many of us are disconnected from each other when we should be enjoying each other’s company. Laughter is the social glue that makes us human.”

One of the more surprising outcomes that Lotte tells me about is how, sometimes, people can process various forms of grief through their laughter. “Sometimes tears flow [...] it means the space is safe for people to open and experience catharsis,” she explains. “And after tears, there is always more laughter and joy, a lightness from letting go of stored-up past events.” This rings true for Lotte personally, who started the Telephone Laughter Club in response to a multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis. Now, every morning at 7am, she laughs for ten minutes on the phone with others, spreading smiles across the globe.

If laughter really is the best medicine, Lotte suggests taking yours as part of your morning routine, with a full-body stretch, followed by stretching your lips and forming a smile. “Then, when you get out of bed, simply say a gentle ‘ha ha ha ha ha’ as you get ready for the day, perhaps in the shower or while waiting for the kettle to boil.”

Above all, remember that laughter therapy isn’t about making light of serious issues or ignoring emotional pain. It’s about making the most of the self-soothing qualities that already live within you – and they’re just a giggle away.