When was the last time you had a good laugh? I’m talking about the kind where you laugh until you cry or until your stomach hurts. If you’re like most people, it has probably been far too long. Well, I’ve got good news. It’s Loosen Up, Lighten Up Day. A day for you to set aside your troubles and have a good laugh.
Read on for some facts on laughter and why we need to do more of it. Then, to make sure you properly mark the day, I’ve got 10 ways to add more laughter to your life.
This post was originally published in November 2020 and updated in September 2023.
We can’t blame it all on the pandemic
Let’s face it! Since 2020, the world has seen some difficult times and many of us haven’t had much to laugh about. If we’re honest, though, we’ll admit laughter was in short supply long before 2020.
I remember the days when we used to play practical jokes on each other all the time at work. Laughter in the workplace was common. Hardly a day went by without at least one big belly laugh.
The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.
E.E. Cummings
I’m not sure when things changed but there’s a lot less fun and a lot more stress in the workplace these days. Add to that the stresses we’re all feeling outside of work, and it’s not a pretty picture. (Check out 25 ways to have fun at work today for ideas on how to inject some fun into your workday.)
Let’s look at why laughter matters.
Stress is a serious health issue
Long-term or chronic stress can have serious impacts on our bodies. The American Psychological Association tells us stress affects all systems of the body including muscles, respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrine, gastrointestinal, nervous and reproductive systems.
Stress has been linked to high blood pressure, heart attacks, headaches, stomach issues and even cancer. It can also affect our sleep and make us fat! Fat and tired is never a good combination.
With the fearful strain that is on me night and day, if I did not laugh I should die.
Abraham Lincoln
Why we need to laugh
There’s an old proverb that says laughter is the best medicine. Well, it turns out it’s true. Laughter is a great stress reliever and it’s good for you. The Mayo Clinic tells us that laughter doesn’t just feel good. It actually induces physical changes in our bodies that result in short-term and long-term health benefits.
A good laugh heals a lot of hurts.
Madeleine L’Engle
The short-term benefits include stimulating your heart, lungs and muscles, and increasing endorphins that are released by your brain. In the long-term, laughter can improve your immune system, relieve pain, increase personal satisfaction, and improve your mood.
So, what are we waiting for? Let’s start laughing more.
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10 ways to add more laughter to your life
Today is the perfect day to get started. Here are 10 ways you can add more laughter to your life.
Surround yourself with people who make you laugh
Seek out people who make you laugh. I have a friend who constantly posts funny memes on Facebook. When I see a post from her, I know I’ll have a laugh. With all the negativity and hate in the online world, find people like that to follow, and use that unfollow button if you need to.
Watch funny movies
When I sit down to watch a movie, I will almost always choose a comedy. If you’re looking for a movie that’s guaranteed to make you laugh, here is my top 10 list of funny movies.
- Wayne’s World
- The Naked Gun
- Austin Powers – International Man of Mystery
- Coming to America
- A Fish Called Wanda
- The Hangover
- Meet the Parents
- European Vacation
- Uncle Buck
- Groundhog Day
Binge watch a comedy series
And if sitcoms are more your thing than movies, here are some of my favourites.
- Schitt’s Creek
- Grace & Frankie
- Brooklyn 99
- Modern Family
- The Office
- How I Met Your Mother
- Seinfeld
Read funny books
Although I mostly watch comedy movies and TV shows, when it comes to books, I tend to read more serious stuff. When I’m looking for a light, funny read, my go to is Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. The antics of Stephanie and her friends literally make me laugh out loud.
Find some kids to hang out with
According to Psychology Today, the average four year-old laughs 300 times a day. On the other hand, the average 40-year-old laughs only four times a day.
Laughter is contagious! If you have kids, spend some time with them and see things from their perspective. If you don’t have kids, borrow some from friends or family members for a couple of hours. I’m sure the parents would appreciate the break and you’ll get some laughs in.
Get a pet
Pets are great companions and owning a pet can reduce stress. This article tells us pet owners laugh more than those of us with no pets. Interestingly, the article says dog owners laugh more than cat owners. This makes me wonder why there seem to be more cat memes out there.
Play funny games
There’s nothing like a good game of Cards Against Humanity (or the family-friendly version Apples to Apples), Pictionary, Scattergories, Guesstures or charades to get the laughter going. And, with a little creativity, you can play most of these games virtually.
I think the last time I laughed until I cried might have been during a game of Cards Against Humanity.
Read or listen to a joke every day
There are lots of websites that will send a daily joke right to your inbox. Check out A Joke a Day or Jokes of the Day.
Learn a new skill or sport
I might have mentioned once or twice before that I’m a klutz. For me, trying to learn anything that requires any physical skill is guaranteed to produce a few good laughs.
Watch some funny TikTok videos
I don’t really get TikTok but, I must admit, my daughters used to spend ages watching these videos. Every once in a while, they show me one they think I will like, and I laugh every time. Maybe I need to set up an account.
Make it a priority to laugh every day
In these days when we’re all feeling isolated and there is so much division in the world, this quote from one of my favourite funny men John Cleese sums up why we need more laughter in the world:
Laughter connects you with people. It’s almost impossible to maintain any kind of distance or any sense of social hierarchy when you’re just howling with laughter. Laughter is a force for democracy.
John Cleese
With so many health benefits, choose to make laughter a priority in your life.
What will you make you laugh today? Tell us about it below.
Love, love, love your post! 🥰
Thanks Vicki. Laughter is so important, especially in the workplace. I miss the old days of practical jokes and general silliness at work.
😉agree!😉
Bloggers are a great source for laughter. I know three that do regular days sharing funny cartoons and real-life humor that always makes me laugh. I agree with the scientific evidence as well- laughing actually feels really good physically!
Yes, our blogging community often makes me laugh. So much talent here.
I do miss laughing so hard my belly hurts! My best friend and I used to have moments like that! And yes, we can’t blame it all on 2020. I try to watch a comedy movie or series too for the laughs. It’s a good stress buster.
Liz
http://www.piecesofliz.com
Thanks Liz! It’s a shame we are all so serious now. We definitely need to bring the laughter back into our lives.
What a fantastic post Michelle! I really love everything that you said here. I like the 10 actionable steps for adding more laughter to your life. For me personally I find that the three you mentioned that help me the most are spending time with the kiddos, pets, and playing games. I just spent a week at home with my family and met my new baby niece for the first time. I haven’t laughed and smiled so much in a long time! I’m also the oldest of five children in my family loves loves loves to play games. I played a lot of cards cribbage and dice this week and there were plenty of laughs to go around. Thank you for the reminders and the wisdom here Michelle!
Thanks so much Clarissa. I definitely laughed a lot more when my kids were small, although my 17-year old has a quirky sense of humour. She usually finds a way to make me laugh with her stories. My husband’s family loves to play board games and we always have a good laugh when we get together.
One of my go-to self-care interventions is to watch something funny like stand-up comedy. Nothing can change my mood faster than a good laugh
I know. Somehow laughter makes us forget all our troubles!
It feel so good to laugh! I’m lucky to have some great coworkers that I laugh with all of the time. It makes life so much better. I love watching comedies too to make me laugh. I just finished watching New Girl, which I loved. I think I’m going to have to re-watch Brooklyn 99 as that’s so good too!
I agree. We spend so much of our time at work. It’s important to have fun while we do it.
Laughter really is so important, isn’t it? I’m going to look for that game you mentioned that made you laugh so hard (Cards Against Humanity). You are right about workplace laughter. I remember years ago working with a group of people that were absolutely hilarious! We all got our work done, but we sure did have fun at the same time! Cher xo
It’s such a fun game. It’s pretty inappropriate but you literally laugh your ass off. LOL
Can you play it with two players? It sounds hilarious!
No. You need a few people because you have to choose the best answer from the cards everyone puts down in response to your question card.
So I was thinking about this and I searched to see if there’s a way you can play with two players. I found this:
https://www.quora.com/How-can-you-play-Cards-Against-Humanity-with-two-players
Turns out it is possible! 🙂
Woo hoo! Thank you so much for finding this out, Michelle! Muchly appreciated!! Cher xoxo
Schitt’s Creek and Grace & Frankie always add laughter to my life! I love finding silly comedies to watch too, though humorous books and chatting with friends with stories to relate about silly things in their life always adds laughter to my life too!
Schitt’s Creek is such a brilliant show with an amazing cast. The first couple of episodes, I wasn’t so sure about it. By the middle of the first season, I was hooked!
I laughed when small boy understood a place named Newcastle to mean we were going to a day out at a new castle. He was quite disappointed.
Ha ha. An understandable mistake.
I love this. It’s true we don’t laugh enough. 😀
I know. When did life get so serious?