Laughter…the best medicine

It’s been said, “laughter is the best medicine.” It’s a medicine that we all could use a little more of. I have four adorable grandchildren; three of whom are of reading age. At the present time, three of them live in Wales, UK where my daughter attends school. With the oceans between us, I often think about ways to stay connected with them, exploring what we could share together that would continue to fortify the bond that we already share. One of the ways I have found a lasting connection with my grandchildren is through humor. 

For their birthdays I bought them each age appropriate joke books. Jokes like “why did the boy throw the clock out the window? To see time fly” kind of jokes. Silly riddles and tongue twisters. We spend a good amount of time in our Zoom calls telling each other jokes, attempting to recite tongue twisters and trying to figure out the answers to riddles presented. Whether we make them up on the spot or pull a few from the joke books on hand, we come geared and ready to see who can make us each laugh the hardest. 

My daughter recently sent me a picture of one of her girl’s reading through the joke book, carefully picking out jokes and riddles she wanted to share. It’s a bonding time. It’s something we look forward to doing together. It’s “our thing.” We share a connection through humor that reaches across the airways, drawing us close together. 

Power of Humor

There is power in humor, maybe more than we even realize. In desperate situations, it has been humor that has provided endurance and perseverance. Holocaust survivor Emil Fackenheim said, “We kept our morale through humor.” If you read stories of survivors and discover what research has found, it supports the notion that humor is an extremely effective tool – providing us an advanced awareness and creative ways to cope with what could be deemed as unbearable environments or circumstances. This is certainly true in the times that we are living in. My experience with my grandkids and sharing humor confirms this. 

Possessing a sense of humor has multi-faceted benefits. It has been proven to be beneficial not just mentally but emotionally and physically as well. It’s very good for your brain. Believe it or not, some humor can require advanced cognitive skills involving both the left and right sides of the brain requiring they work together. 

Laughter Has Its Benefits

Having a sense of humor is conveyed through the ability to laugh at oneself and make others laugh as well so we don’t take things too seriously. Laughter produces hope. It lifts us up. The Bible is full of references to laughter and a merry heart. Proverbs 17:22 says, “A joyful, cheerful heart brings healing to both body and soul. But the one whose heart is crushed struggles with sickness and depression.” Science confirms what Scripture has already revealed;  laughter lowers our stress levels, decreases our anxiety and depression and lowers our blood pressure, increases our blood and oxygen flow to our cells and organs enabling us to feel more alive and focused.

Humor turns on our creative juices and heightens our ability to problem solve. It’s even a natural workout for a number of our muscle groups and improves our memory and intelligence. If you want to burn 50 calories, spend 10 minutes in laughter! And after a good laugh, your whole body is able to relax. 

Laughter also decreases pain and increases your pain threshold. Having a sense of humor is good for your brain and actually requires advanced cognitive functioning. The next time you’re gearing up for a meeting or you want better cooperation with your kids, or the intensity in the environment is reaching volcanic pressure, add some humor to the situation.  

Bonding

The beauty of laughter is the bonding that transpires, and the intimacy that is enjoyed. The main hormone that is released in laughter is endorphins, the feel-good neurotransmitters that have an effect similar to narcotics, and endorphins are part of the reason laughing is so contagious. It is known to lead to bonding, creating a sense of belonging. 

“Laughter is the closest distance between two people.” Victor Borge 

Shared laughter creates connection and closeness as it communicates one to another a similar perception, that you see the world in much the same way. It is this shared similarity that produces the sense of connectedness in relationships. When we share the same sense of humor and can laugh at the same things together we find common ground with each other. These feel good moments have lingering effects on our body (literally up to 45 minutes) producing good memories. 

The ability to share a laugh affords us a reprieve from the difficulties in life. It doesn’t solve all the problems, but it allows us a different experience.

The English comedian John Cleese said, “I’m struck by how laughter connects you with people. It’s almost impossible to maintain any kind of distance, any sense of social hierarchy when you are just howling with laughter. Laughter is a force for democracy.”

Intentional Humor

Ecclesiastes realistically reminds us that there is a time to weep, a time to mourn, and a time to laugh. It is paramount in the times that we are living in, that we find ways to lighten the atmosphere, bring shared humor to the table and laugh. Do yourself and those around you a favor, bring some intentional humor into the situations you find yourself in.

My husband and I recently went on a camping trip to Yellowstone with my siblings and their spouses. We left the world behind and enjoyed ourselves. We explored Yellowstone, basked in the beauty of creation, laughed at ourselves and each other, tore up the trails on our ATVs, floated the snake river and ate too much. We played a little ping pong and enjoyed a bike ride. The laughter we shared was good for our soul, it was healing and it was necessary. 

Don’t underestimate the power of humor, the connection of laughter and the healing that it brings to us as individuals but in our relationships and situations. What are some things you can do to lighten the atmosphere? I encourage you to be intentional about engaging in laughter, share a funny story or tell a ridiculous joke. Treat yourself to all the benefits that humor can bring to your life. Get your endorphins pumping and laugh…laugh long and laugh hard.

We don’t laugh because we’re happy, we are happy because we laugh. – William James