For generations, laughter has been touted by psychologists and physicians as a reflex action with huge health and wellness benefits. After all, “Laughter is the best medicine”
While this maxim might seem like a bit of an exaggeration, the truth of the matter is that laughter is actually very beneficial to humans and society in numerous ways. For one thing, humor helps us to regain our sense of control and power when we find ourselves in overwhelming situations. In addition to this, humor allows us to connect with each other and get in touch with our collective humanity. These two are some of the things that we have lost during the coronavirus pandemic and as a result, our lives have become seemingly lackluster and pensive.
While there is nothing ordinary about the circumstances that we find ourselves in today, rediscovering humor and allowing ourselves to laugh can actually help us to navigate these uncertain times a lot better. So, in this post, we will go through some of the ways in which laughing can actually benefit us during these difficult and uneasy times.
Benefits of Laughter
Granted, the implications of COVID-19 on our world and in our lives is nothing to laugh about. Hundreds of thousands have died from this pandemic with millions more infected. Lives and livelihoods have been lost and yet, we are barely out of the woods. It would be no understatement to say that all of us are anxious about the present and what the future holds for us.
Nevertheless, we still need to find effective ways to cope with the prevailing situation in order to preserve our physical and mental health. For most people, laughter is the antidote to the anxiety and restlessness that we are experiencing today.
Science has shown that laughter stimulates the release of feel-good hormones such as dopamine and serotonin in the brain, which help to relieve stress and improve mental wellness. In addition to this, laughter suppresses the production of the stress hormone cortisol and increases the production of antibodies by increasing the number of cells that create these chemicals. This helps to boost the immune system, making it more resilient against infections.
Studies have also shown that humor has great benefits not only to the physical but also the psychological state of human beings. In these studies, laughter has been proven to:
- Improve interpersonal communication
- Enhance emotional homeostasis
- Have pain-relief properties and stress-regulation benefits
- Provide relief from anxiety – which is something we are all facing currently in varying levels.
So How Can You Add Humor to Your Life?
Some of the ways in which you can inject a dose of humor into your life to better manage your stress and improve your wellbeing during this turbulent time include:
Subscribe to Humorous Channels on Youtube
There are plenty of content creators on Youtube who spend a significant amount of their time making fun videos that will cheer you up when you are feeling down.
Watch Online Comedians
Countless comedians on social media regularly create hilarious comedy routines which can give you a dopamine kick when you’re having a bad day
Tell Jokes with Friends/Family
Sometimes just sitting with friends and family and telling each other cheesy jokes is just the kind of thing you need when you are feeling sad or overwhelmed by the situation.
Play Games
Since we are spending much of our time indoors, getting active with board games can inject some fun and humor into your life during this time.
Laugh at Yourself
In times like these, it can be easy to get too inundated with what’s going on until we become too stuck up. For this reason, it is sometimes good to take a step back and poke fun at yourself. This will not only help you to relieve any pent up frustrations, but also make you feel a lot better about yourself.
A Final Word
In the current pandemic that we are facing, self-care should be a top priority for all of us. While everything seems grim and hopeless, learning to laugh more can help us to live in the moment and experience peace and wellness as we continue to navigate the uncertainties that this pandemic has brought forth.
