When you think about it, how often do you laugh in your everyday life? For many, the answer is not enough. One study suggests that children laugh around 400 times a day while adults only laugh around four. As we age, how do we drastically decrease the amount of laughs we have in an average day?
Perhaps if we knew the benefits of laughter, we’d feel motivated to make it happen more often. Laughing comes with many positive effects that affect our mood and help us feel better. There are also tons of physical health benefits that laughter has to offer, giving us more reason to prioritize it.
There are many things that laughter can bring to your mental, physical, and psychological wellbeing. Here are four surprising health benefits of implementing it into your everyday life.
Reduces Stress
There are endless reasons why you might feel stressed throughout the day. But it’s important to learn how to manage that stress before it turns into a serious medical problem. Laughter isn’t referred to as a medicine for no reason. It’s actually great at reducing stress and easing anxiety.
Laughter reduces stress by:
- Providing an emotional and physical release.
- Decreasing the level of stress hormones such as dopamine, cortisol, and epinephrine.
- Relaxing your muscles. Laughing releases physical tension built up in different parts of your body.
- Distracting from unpleasant feelings such as sadness, anger, or shame.
The less stressed you are, the better you feel. So it’s important to prioritize managing your stress as soon as possible.
Provides Comedic Relief
A lot is going on in the world right now. It seems like everyday there’s something significant happening to add to the list of chaos. With the coronavirus pandemic and natural disasters at the forefront, it’s difficult to find moments of carefree calmness.
When it’s difficult to stay positive and see the bright side, laughter can provide a solution. It’s important to remember that you only have so much control over what goes on in the world. Sometimes, all you really can do is laugh. And when you do, you instantly start to feel relief.
It can be as simple as turning on your favorite comedy or listening to your favorite funny podcast. Sometimes, it’s the little things that give you the best feeling and can make you feel better.
Improves Emotional Wellness
Have you considered making laughter a priority in your day-to-day life? Perhaps if people understood the effect of laughter on their wellbeing, they would do so.
Studies show that:
- It’s easier to think creatively when you laugh.
- Humor helps you get in touch with your feelings and understand what makes you happy.
- Laughter promotes joy, happiness, and other positive emotions.
- Challenging negativity becomes easier during humorous situations.
When things in life aren’t going how you intended, sometimes all you can do is release control and laugh it off. It’s vital to learn how to manage your emotions. Laughter can serve as the mediator between you and your problems.
Strengthens Relationships
Humans need social connection to feel fulfilled in their lives. People thrive and find meaning in their personal relationships. Humor is a great way for people to bond with each other and find deeper meaning in their connections.
To build successful relationships, it’s important to share laughs with the people you care about. Understanding each other’s humor also helps you understand each other on a deeper level. The more laughing fits you share with someone, the closer you feel to them. And the closer you feel, the easier it is to be vulnerable and maintain a lasting relationship.
Over to You
You need laughter in your life to feel balanced and fulfilled. It’s an essential part of everyday life to share laughter with those around you. Through it, you can improve your health and strengthen your social bonds. It’s important to have conversations centered around being happy and sharing that feeling with others. How else does laughter improve your life?