Effects of laughing, smiling, and howling on mood

Psychol Rep. 2002 Dec;91(3 Pt 2):1079-80. doi: 10.2466/pr0.2002.91.3f.1079.

Abstract

This study examined the effects of forced laughter on mood and compared laughter with two other possible mood-improving activities, smiling and howling. While howling did not substantially improve mood, both smiling and laughing did. Moreover, laughter seemed to boost positive affect more than just smiling by 22 adults.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Affect*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Laughter*
  • Male
  • Personality Inventory
  • Smiling*
  • Voice*
  • Wit and Humor as Topic