Five Ways Laughter Makes Your Life Better
Rev. Dr. Kitty Boitnott, NBCT, RScP
Heart-Centered Career Transition and Job Search Coach | Stress Management Coaching
Everyone’s heard the adage that laughter is the best medicine, but is that true? Can laughter really make you feel better?
Yes, it can! Studies show that laughter has all sorts of benefits that impact the body, mind, and soul. According to one such study, laughter strengthens your immune system. It boosts your mood. It can diminish pain, and it protects you from the damaging effects of stress. ("Laughter is the Best Medicine" Retrieved 2/25/2021.)
You probably know from your own experience that nothing works faster or more dependably to bring your mind and body back into balance than a hearty belly laugh.
That's why we love comedians.
Comedians can make us laugh and laugh hard. One of my favorites is Jim Gaffigan. I gladly paid to go to one of his performances because I love him so much.
We can all think of the many great comedians who have made us laugh so hard we could barely breathe. Carol Burnett comes to mind as one of the best of all time. Then there was the edgier comedy of George Carlin.
And these are just a few examples of wonderful comedians who have made a living making the rest of us laugh. How many of us are fans of Saturday Night Live, and how many great comedians have gotten their start there?
We love to laugh, and studies show that we enjoy different types of humor based on our own temperament and dispositions. But the consensus is clear. Laughter is the best medicine. So, how can you make the most of laughter in your life? Here are some suggestions.
1) Laugh to keep yourself positive and upbeat.
Have you ever tried feeling negative while you are laughing? It’s practically impossible!
Laughing and keeping a good sense of humor helps you stay positive. And positive thinking provides the internal power you need to achieve success, health, and happiness.
By laughing and keeping yourself feeling humor, you’ll have a better time of remaining positive.
This is more than a cosmetic positivity, too. You’re not just smiling and laughing on the outside. You’re smiling and laughing on the inside at the same time.
This helps you truly internalize your positivity and positive thinking.
2) Laughter improves your mood overall.
Laughter keeps you feeling happy. A good sense of humor helps elevate your mood to new heights, keeping you positive and feeling happy.
When you find a way to laugh at most things and keep a good sense of humor about yourself, you keep yourself in a happy mood more often.
When you laugh a lot, it’s harder for you to focus on the negative.
Plus, there’s not much room in your happy state for sadness, anger, or stress to wiggle their way in.
Laughter also diffuses tension, so if any of those negative emotions work their way in, you can diffuse them before setting in.
3) Laughter is contagious and brings people together.
The more you laugh, the more attractive you become. Those around you won’t be able to contain themselves with you making them laugh. This spreads happiness, and it makes everyone feel better.
The more laughter is spread around, the more elevated the mood of the group and the room, and the better everyone is.
We’ve all heard that misery loves company, but so does joy.
The contagious nature of laughter will help keep negativity and misery far away from you. The more optimistic you are, the happier you’ll be and the happier you’ll make those around you.
4) Laughter keeps friends close.
Everyone loves a person with a good sense of humor. If you keep laughing and help keep the mood light, people will want to be around you. This keeps friends around and attracts new friends to join your group.
When you make them laugh and realize that your senses of humor align, you are more likely to develop a friendship.
And friendship is the key to happiness, health, and success.
Human beings are social creatures. We need camaraderie and friendship. We need to feel like we belong somewhere with someone. Laughter can help bring those like-minded people to you and boost your camaraderie.
5) Laughter brings joy into your life.
Laughter brings joy into your life and heart and the lives and hearts of those around you. A good sense of humor and regular laughter can help bring true, rich joy into your life.
Your laughter will make you happy and those around you happy, which brings you even more happiness!
The more you laugh, the happier you’ll be, and the lighter your heart will feel. Laughter makes everything better. It has the power to make battling both physical and mental illnesses easier.
Keep laughter around and see how much better your life will be.
Laughter is the best medicine; it brings joy and happiness, connects people, grows friendships, and heals the soul.
Find a way to bring laughter into your life, share it with others, and keep it around. You’ll be far happier and healthier once you do.
Keep laughter in your life and watch as it improves everything in your life.
Until next time.
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