Many people believe laughter yoga boosts serotonin—the so-called “happiness hormone.” But research tells a different story. In a study on 62 bariatric surgery patients (2018–2022), those who practiced laughter yoga for 10 sessions showed a clear drop in depression compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Interestingly, their serotonin levels didn’t rise at all—in fact, they dipped slightly, though not in a meaningful way.
What does this mean? Laughter yoga really does help, but not because of brain chemistry tweaks. Its power comes from stress release, social bonding, and simply allowing yourself to feel joy in the moment. In other words, laughter yoga works—not by raising serotonin, but by reminding us how healing human connection and positivity can be.
