When I was a young child, we had a ritual where my oldest sister would come into the bedroom I shared with my other sister and announce, “I bet I can make you laugh”. In my mind, I can still picture her standing in the middle of our bedroom. She would always come into the bedroom after we had laid down to go to sleep. The door would open, and she would walk in ready to make us laugh. Our response was always, “No, you can’t”. My oldest sister would proceed to say something funny – a joke, a story, an impression, and it never failed that my sister and I would laugh. It became so automatic that we would laugh, we began to change “the bet” and the challenge would be how long we could hold out from not laughing. Whoever could keep a straight face for the longest amount of time, “won”. We knew we would laugh; it was just a matter of how long it would take to happen. I never won. I was always the first to laugh and laugh at anything and everything she said.
If someone were to ask me what my favorite sound in the world is, I would immediately say laughter. Anyone’s laughter. I love the sound of a child’s laugh, an adult’s uncontrollable laughter, and the laugh that is so spontaneous, you snort. It immediately lightens my frame of mind and changes my mood. And just like when I was a child, I laugh a lot! I will literally laugh out loud at a funny picture, a silly commercial, and even my own private jokes. When meeting new people, my motto has always been if they can make me laugh, then we will be fast friends. Laughter just makes me feel better.
And I’m not alone. The Mayo Clinic provided research on the short and long-term benefits of laughter. They cite that laughter actually induces physical changes in your body. Laughter can stimulate many organs, activate and relieve your stress response, soothe tension, improve your immune system, relieve pain, and improve your mood. That’s amazing to me. When they say, “laughter is the best medicine”, they weren’t kidding! It really is great medicine! The ability to laugh can lighten our burdens, connects us to others, can help us release anger and forgive sooner, and is a resource for enhancing and strengthening relationships.
With so much power to heal, I’ve often wondered if someone is born with a sense of humor or if it can be developed. Are some children just happy, funny children? My sister was telling funny stories and jokes at a very young age. And to this day, she is one of the funniest people I’ve ever met. She’s quick with a good, witty comeback. I’ve never understood how she comes up with hilarious comments so quickly. As children, it was instinctive to her. I currently spend a lot of time at an early learning center for my job. At the age of two years old, I can already pick out the children with a great sense of humor. They enter the building laughing and smiling and seem to be able to say funny things without even fully realizing it’s funny. But when they notice adults laughing, you can see the light in their eyes, and they repeat what they’ve done or said and continue to do something very similar to get you to laugh again. Because that’s fun, right? Making someone laugh. I once worked with someone who smiled and was a happy guy, but I hardly ever heard him laugh out loud – the kind of laugh that comes from deep in your belly. I remember one time we were driving to a meeting that was a couple of hours away. We had lots of time in the car and spent it talking and telling stories. I said something funny, and he laughed…hard. I was laughing too, but more so at him laughing so hard. It was so new to see him laugh like that and it was a great feeling; I did that. I made him laugh so hard that he could barely catch his breath. I then knew why my sister came into our room all those years ago trying to make us laugh. It’s addictive. Who doesn’t want someone to have that type of reaction to something we said?
We also know that humor can be developed. In fact, many comedians talk about the difficulty of getting the timing just right in a stand-up comedy show or comedic movie. But even those that develop their talent, I believe have always been instinctively funny beginning as a child. Some have used humor to cover up sad situations of bullying or dysfunctional home life. And that’s the beauty of humor – it helps you keep a positive, optimistic outlook through difficult situations, disappointments, and even loss. It provides us with a sense of hope.
Have you ever met a person who is grumpy and never laughs or even smiles? I’ve often wondered what happened in their life that they forgot how to laugh and have fun. And I get it – this journey we are all on can be painful, confusing, and sometimes unfair. Laughter doesn’t come easy to everyone and when you are in a state of grief or hurt, not only do you not want to laugh, but you may even get upset seeing others laugh. I remember when my mother first died, it was difficult for me to see others laughing and moving on in life. Didn’t they know that my world had just shattered? But what I soon realized is sometimes we have to get outside of our own heads, outside of our own feelings, and just experience the joy of being. Most of my good memories all have one thing in common…laughter. How many times have we all sat around a table reminiscing of a past event/experience and there is laughter? Typically, the experience was something that made us laugh or just remembering the experience created laughter. Even our most embarrassing moments will provide a good chuckle later. I recently fell on the snow and ice and was mortified and embarrassed as I tried to stand up in front of my friends. But as I was in the car driving home, I began laughing, picturing what I must have looked like to those watching. At the time of the fall, I was too horrified to laugh at myself, but after some time had passed, I had a new perspective on the matter and saw the humor in the situation.
And in the end, isn’t that what is needed in life? We need relief from stress, and what better stress management than laughter? It’s free, convenient, and beneficial in so many ways. So, watch funny television shows and movies. I’ve watched the Schitt’s Creek series multiple times. It’s my go-to when I just want to laugh. Find a little humor in life and some friends who will say, “I bet I can make you laugh”. And if all else fails, fake it until you make it. Research shows that fake smiles and laughter provide the same benefits as real laughter.
Most of us laughed all the time as children, but as adults, life tends to be more stressful and serious, and laughter becomes more infrequent. Life goes by fast. Would you rather spend it stressed and unhappy or engaged with family and friends laughing out loud? You choose.