Take A Minute to Laugh

Sometimes I think we forget how important it is to laugh. We need to laugh at ourselves, at (well, with) one another, and at the world around us. There's humor in everything, and there's nothing wrong with getting a little bit of joy out of life. I spent a lot of time laughing last night, and I feel really good about it today. (So what if most of the laughing was at the expense of Swamp People?)

It's all about finding humor in your life. When someone says, “That's your boyfriend? I thought he was your father,” don't get angry at her. Just laugh. Instead of complaining about life's frustrations, try laughing about them. People are going to do what they do whether we react or not. So we might as well react in a positive way, right? No sense being a jerk. We always say, “Someday we'll look back on this and it will all seem funny.” But why can't it be funny now? Think of how it will sound as a story that you tell your friends. Laugh about it. When you keep thinking that way, you'll end up being more lighthearted and silly. Approach life with a healthy dose of mirth and you'll be less stressed with just about everything. And laughter is healthy!

It's totally fine to fake it. You know that studies show that the positive effects of smiling occur whether the smile is real or fake, right? Well I'm sure the same applies to laughter. Smile more, fake laughter, and you'll still see some positive effects. (Hell, the fake happy might even lead to real happy.)

So why exactly is laughter beneficial to us?

Well, it reduces the level of stress hormones like epinephrine, dopamine, and cortisol. It also increases the level of endorphins and neurotransmitters. And, seriously, how great do you feel after a good laugh? It's a physical and emotional release (that's second only to an orgasm, really. Wow, imagine laughing during orgasm). And laughing can strengthen your ab muscles!

Laughter connects us with others. And it's probably the most contagious things out there (next to lice and herpes). So if you start laughing, you'll get others around you laughing.

Look, I know I have a bunch of goofy laughs. Sometimes I have a really deep belly laugh, and other times I think I literally howl like a hyena. But it doesn't matter— it's my laugh.

I found this really cool link to different Laugh Sounds. What are you? Are you song-like? Grunt-like? Or snort-like?

If listening to these laughs doesn't make you laugh yourself... then there's something way wrong with you.

But you can fix it! Try dancing the Cha-Cha, but keep the beat by saying “ho-ho, ha-ha-ha.”

Or practice laughing! Pay attention to your laughs. Do a “ho-ho-ho” laugh, then a “ha-ha-ha” laugh, then try a “hee-hee-hee.” See when you use the different types of laughs throughout the day. Do you “ha-ha-ha” at certain times and “ho-ho-ho” at others?

If all else fails, Farts are Funny.