Introduction:

Elderly people constitute an age group that requires special care. With this aim in mind, it has become necessary to implement activities to promote active aging and psychosocial wellbeing.

Objective:

This procedure researches the benefits of taking part in a laughter therapy workshop for an elderly group of people based on their experience.

Methodology:

This is a qualitative study conducted via the semi-structured interviewing of 57 non-institutionalized elderly people, of ages ranging from 60 to 88, members of three day centers for the elderly from the Salamanca Social Services Territorial Management Department (Junta de Castilla y León). The laughter therapy workshop was conducted in four 3-hour weekly sessions.

Results:

The analysis of the contents of the participants' discourses revealed categories related to personal growth, state of mind or mood improvement, laughter therapy assessment considering it a physical and a recreational activity, motivation enhancement and the strengthening of interpersonal relations.

Conclusions:

Results show the positive effects of the laughter therapy workshops on elderly people's psychological and subjective well-being.

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