laughter and dementia_osaka uni and UCL.pdf (468.54 kB)
Occasions for laughter and dementia risk: findings from a six-year cohort study
journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-10, 06:03 authored by Yu Wang, Kokoro Shirai, Tetsuya Ohira, Mayumi Hirosaki, Naoki Kondo, Kenji Takeuchi, Chikae Yamaguchi, Yudia Tamada, Katsunori Kondo, Dorina CadarDorina Cadar, Hiroyasu IsoAim Currently, there is little evidence on the relationship between laughter and the risk of dementia, and since laughter is mainly a social behavior, we aimed to examine the association between various occasions for laughter and the risk of dementia in Japanese older adults. Methods We draw upon 6-year follow-up data from the Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study, including 12?165 independent older adults aged 65?years or over. Occasions for laughter were assessed using a questionnaire, while dementia was diagnosed using the standardized dementia scale of the long-term care insurance system in Japan. Cox proportional hazards models were estimated, yielding hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results The multivariable hazard ratio of dementia incidence for all participants in the groups for high versus low variety of occasions for laughter was 0.84 (95% CI: 0.72–0.98, P for trend <0.001). A greater variety of occasions for laughter was associated with a lower risk of dementia 0.78 (95% CI: 0.63–0.96, P for trend <0.001) among women, but was less pronounced for men, with significant associations only for the medium group. Laughing during conversations with friends, communicating with children or grandchildren, and listening to the radio were primarily associated with decreased risk. Conclusion A greater variety of laughter occasions in individual and social settings was associated with a reduced risk of dementia.
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Accepted version
Journal
Geriatrics and Gerontology InternationalISSN
1444-1586Publisher
WileyExternal DOI
Issue
5Volume
22Page range
392-398Event location
JapanDepartment affiliated with
- BSMS Neuroscience Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes
Legacy Posted Date
2023-01-24First Open Access (FOA) Date
2023-03-15First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date
2023-01-24Usage metrics
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