Evaluation of the Effects of Laughter Yoga

April 6, 2026 updated by: Gul Dural, Firat University

Evaluation of the Effects of Laughter Yoga on Pain Intensity, Stress, and Beta-endorphin Levels in Patients With Multiple Sclerosis

This randomized controlled study aims to evaluate the effects of laughter yoga on pain intensity, fatigue, and beta-endorphin levels in patients with Multiple Sclerosis. Laughter yoga, a complementary therapy combining breathing exercises and laughter techniques, may help improve symptom management and psychological well-being in individuals with MS.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, autoimmune, and demyelinating disease that generally affects the central nervous system in young adults. Multiple Sclerosis is a highly heterogeneous disease, with a wide range of clinical signs and symptoms depending on the area of the central nervous system affected, including motor, sensory, autonomic, and cognitive impairments. Multiple Sclerosis is associated with a broad spectrum of bodily dysfunctions, including motor problems such as muscle weakness, changes in muscle tone, ataxia, abnormal balance, and sensory disturbances. In addition, fatigue, pain, bladder and bowel dysfunction, cognitive and emotional problems, vision problems, speech and swallowing disorders, and sexual dysfunction also affect individuals with MS. Currently, there are 2.5 million MS patients worldwide, and the cost of treatment and care for these patients is quite high.

In addition to medical treatment, traditional and complementary medicine (TCM) methods are used in the treatment of pain and fatigue. Laughter Yoga, a type of yoga that has begun to be applied as a TCM method, was developed by Indian physician Dr. Developed by Madan Kataria in 1995, each laughter yoga session consists of breathing exercises, stretching and relaxation techniques, and laughter exercises. Physiologically, laughter yoga has been reported to increase breathing, relax muscles, stimulate circulation and the immune system, increase endorphin release, thereby increasing pain threshold and tolerance, reduce fatigue, decrease stress hormone levels, strengthen mental function, reduce depression and anxiety, improve sleep quality, and enhance interpersonal relationships and social interaction, thus improving psychological well-being. This research was planned as a randomized controlled experimental study to evaluate the effects of laughter yoga applied to Multiple Sclerosis patients on pain intensity, fatigue, and Beta Endorphin levels.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

72

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • • Being over 18 years old

    • Being able to communicate adequately
    • Volunteering to participate in the research

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Unwillingness to participate in the study

Having severe cognitive impairment that prevents understanding or participation in the intervention

Having a psychiatric disorder that may affect participation in the study

Experiencing an acute MS relapse during the study period

Having another serious neurological or chronic disease that may affect the study outcomes

Regular participation in another complementary therapy program similar to laughter yoga

Communication problems that prevent participation in the intervention sessions

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Experimental Group
Patients with Multiple Sclerosis who will receive laughter yoga in addition to routine care.
Behavioral: Laughter Yoga
A complementary intervention including breathing exercises, stretching, relaxation techniques, and laughter exercises applied to patients with Multiple Sclerosis.
No Intervention: Control Group
Patients with Multiple Sclerosis who will receive routine care without laughter yoga.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Change in pain intensity measured by Visual Analog Scale (VAS) at [time point]
Time Frame: Baseline and week 4
Pain intensity will be assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), a 10 cm scale ranging from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst imaginable pain). Participants will indicate their pain level by marking on the scale, and the score will be determined by measuring the distance in centimeters or millimeters.
Baseline and week 4

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Fatigue Level
Time Frame: 1 month
Fatigue severity will be assessed using the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), a 9-item questionnaire evaluating fatigue over the past month. Each item is scored on a scale of 0 to 7, with higher scores indicating greater fatigue severity. The Turkish validity and reliability study was conducted by Armutlu et al. in 2007. A change of 0.45 points is considered clinically meaningful.
1 month
Change in plasma beta-endorphin levels measured by ELISA at baseline and week 4
Time Frame: Baseline and week 4
Plasma beta-endorphin levels will be measured using an ELISA method. Blood samples will be collected from participants in the intervention group before and after laughter yoga sessions at week 1 and week 4, and from the control group at week 1 and week 4. Samples will be centrifuged, and serum will be stored at -80°C until analysis. Beta-endorphin concentrations will be determined using a commercially available ELISA kit.
Baseline and week 4

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Firat University

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

March 10, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

July 10, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

August 10, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

March 11, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 6, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

April 13, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 13, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 6, 2026

Last Verified

March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 2024/15-01

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Multiple Sclerosis

Clinical Trials on Laughter Yoga

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Tanzania

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe