Quick question: who is the funniest person you know? Pick up the phone & call her now. I’ll wait.
Okay, welcome back. Don’t you just feel better after that call? Yeah, you do! Because the effects of laughter on your mental, physical, emotional, and relational health are almost too good to be true.
Turns out, laughter is no joke (see what I did there?)!
Scientifically speaking, laughter increases the level of endorphins (those feel-good, painkilling hormones) that the brain releases. A deep, hearty, ab-crunchy laugh can actually relax all of your muscles for up to 45 minutes.
But wait, there’s more! Tension & blood pressure? Down, down, down. Immunity to disease & quality of sleep? Up, up up. 💤
Those who laugh together, stay together.
Laughter brings people together in tough times, strengthens relationship resilience, and reduces the amount and intensity of disagreements. It fosters deeper relationships by signaling that we share a similar outlook on the world, and enhances our sense of connection, according to social psychologist Sara Algoe.
As if that’s not enough, laughter also can “significantly” increase our threshold for pain. And if THAT’s not enough, laughter and increased self-esteem are connected too! Those handy endorphins do a lot more than just kill pain. 🤯
Get to laughing, y’all! Here’s how:
Watching some good, NOT mean-spirited stand-up comedy (Jim Jefferies, you’re out. Sorry, dude. Wait, no, I’m not. You go away.). I’m a big believer that watching the great Jake Johannsen can improve anyone’s day.
Witnessing others laugh. Laughter is simply contagious, even if you don’t know why you’re laughing. On my podcast, my favorite moment is still that time Merie forced me to watch some asinine “ASMR” video and we devolved into two giggling-and-snorting idiots. Please laugh along with this audio and feel your blood pressure lower.
1×
0:00
-1:54
Seeking out funny TV shows! While we all love our true crime documentaries and gritty TV dramas, it helps to routinely watch something funny for a mental palate-cleanser. If you want humor but don’t want to give up your murder (and who does?!), give these a try: Steve Martin, Martin Short, and Selena Gomez in Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building; Tiffany Haddish andParks & Rec’s Jean-Ralphio in Apple TV’s The Afterparty; Kristen Bell’s quirky and mildly disturbing The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window on Netflix.
For pure humor, nothing beats the bite-sized sketches from Key & Peele. Watch their “Come Back, Meegan” right now for some real belly laughs.
So, let’s all turn off the the news, avoid people who bring nothing but drama and chaos, and take time today to look at funny memes, watch kitty cat videos or call our funny friend. Me? I’m gonna try and get on a Zoom with a Finnish manager of policy for a Belgian consultancy firm specializing in European Union public affairs & communications. Hey, sometimes the most serious-sounding job is actually held by the most hilarious person, who in this case is also responsible for the laughter you can see below.
Read more on laughter therapy here. It’s pretty cool.
