[Humour therapy, laughter and the intervention of clowns in gerontology].

Confronted with the growing incidence of age-related pathologies and the limits of so-called traditional medicine oriented towards the prescribing of medicines, non-pharmacological approaches have grown considerably in the geriatric community. A literature review focused on the therapeutic benefit of humour, laughter and the use of clowns on the physical and psychological health of elderly people.