Laugh Off Stress! 5 Ways Laughter Can Relieve Stress

Humor and laughter have been shown to profoundly impact our overall health and well-being. When it comes to managing stress and anxiety, humor can play an important role. Here’s why.

5 Ways Humor And Laughter Are Good For You

1. Laughter can improve sleep and reduce pain

Laughter is a natural stress reliever. For instance, laughter triggers the brain to release endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers, and feel-good chemicals. As a matter of fact, endorphins have a lot in common with prescription anti-anxiety drugs and opiate painkillers.

In addition, laughter can lower cortisol levels, which is a hormone that is associated with stress and anxiety.

Fortunately, since endorphin release can be triggered just by the movement of the muscles in your face, you don’t have to feel like laughing to benefit from a smile. Go ahead, turn the corners of your lips towards your ears… and you can start to reap the benefits!

2. Humor puts things into perspective

Humor allows us to see things from a different perspective by distancing us from the situation at hand. Therefore, we can see things more clearly. For instance, a stressor can be perceived as a threat or a challenge and an opportunity for growth.

Considering that people experience less distress when something is perceived as an opportunity or a challenge that can be met, humor can help us reframe a stressor or stressful situation in a more beneficial way.

Similarly, by bringing lightness into difficult situations, we can experience a sense of control over our lives, and begin to see more of the possibilities around us. Also, humor can open us to a thinking-outside-the-box attitude that can help to increase resilience and reduce feelings of helplessness and hopelessness.

3. Humor and laughter help us connect with others

Laughter is a universal language and a powerful tool for connecting with others. Therefore, when we share a laugh with someone, we form a bond that can help us feel less isolated and stressed. Also, since humans are social creatures sharing joyful times is a way to create community and connection. Being part of a supportive community can help to reduce stress and anxiety, and foster a sense of belonging and well-being.

4. Humor encourages mindfulness

Mindfulness is a state of active, open attention to the present; when we laugh, there is nothing but the present moment. In fact, when we laugh, we become childlike, fully engaged in the laughter and the joy of the present moment.

Laughter can serve as a release valve for daily stressors and preoccupations. As a result, when we move away from our thoughts and into our bodies, we get to experience more clarity and presence.

5. Laughter boosts your immune system

It is known that thoughts manifest into chemical reactions that affect our bodies. Research shows that lots of hearty laughter helps to boost the immune system by releasing beneficial chemicals into the bloodstream making the body more resistant to disease.

Laughter also decreases stress hormones, which are damaging to your immune system. At the same time, by laughing you are also increasing antibody-producing cells and enhancing the effectiveness of T cells in your body. These cells act like a defense army to combat illness.

While experiencing debilitating physical pain after being given a few months to live, Norman Cousins found that a good 10 minutes of belly laughs would give him two hours of pain-free sleep. In fact, nothing else, not even morphine, could help him. With the aid of laughter, Cousins was able to heal from a life-threatening condition and outlived his doctor’s death sentence.

Are you looking to bring more giggles into your day? Here are a few ideas:

• Add laughter to your morning routine. I smile every morning when I realize I’m still in this body!

• Look to find humor in everyday situations.

• Post cues (posters, a funny coffee mug, notes, etc.) around your home, car, and office that make you smile.

• Watch funny movies or sitcoms and listen to podcasts that make you laugh.

• Get together with a few friends and laugh about old times.

• Look at old pictures. Your retro looks might bring on some major laughs.

• Reflect on something totally goofy that happened during your day and laugh about it.

• Make up a silly song and sing it in your worst, loudest singing voice.

• Have a dance party, alone or with friends, and bust out those crazy moves.

• Get a pet.

• Join a Laughter Club online or in person.

• Finally, learn to laugh at yourself and give yourself permission to be silly. This might be one of the most powerful things you can do to reduce stress, consequently improving your health and well-being.

Whatever you do, don’t overthink it. Sometimes, the simplest things can keep you giggling all day long. Your mind and body will thank you!

Photo by Jamie Brown on Unsplash