International Laughter Day is April 14th. Everyone knows that it feels great to have a good authentic laugh, but did you know that laughing more regularly can have a tremendous positive impact on your mental health and overall well-being? Laughter truly is the best medicine and can help you feel happier and boost your self-esteem. Because our mental and physical health is so closely related, laughter can improve physical health as well.

Learning about the many benefits associated with laughter can encourage you to incorporate more laughter into your life. This can be done through habit and practice. Laughter can be found in each and every day, even if some days are more difficult than others.

Understanding the Health Benefits of Laughter

When you laugh, it allows your body to relax. This can not only help relieve stress, but it can help alleviate tension in your muscles. Stress takes such a toll on an individual’s mental and physical health. When you alleviate it through laughter, you’re going to do your body a significant favor.

By alleviating stress hormones, you can boost your immune system and make yourself better equipped in fighting off sickness and disease. Doing so can also help promote better blood flow. This can help prevent heart disease and other health problems and may even help you to live longer. (Not to mention, it can also burn calories!)

There are plenty of mental health benefits to consider when it comes to laughter. Consider a time when you’ve been feeling overwhelmed or stressed, and you simply let out a big laugh. You probably felt some instant relief. It may even have helped you put things into perspective by realizing that things really weren’t as bad as they seemed.

Laughter can also help to remind us not to take things too seriously. Things can go wrong and disappointments can happen, but at the end of the day, life always goes on. Having a good laugh can reset your mood and allow you to move forward with a more positive mindset. It can also help to ease anxiety and prevent mental health issues like depression.

Perhaps most importantly, laughter can help reinvigorate you with a zest for life, something that is so important for all of us. This provides you not only with the motivation to get up and live each day to its fullest but to truly enjoy life.

Understanding the Effects of Laughter on Relationships

Have you ever been having a tense disagreement or argument with someone only to end up laughing together? A lot of times, this can happen when you realize that what you’re arguing over is really just something petty and unimportant. By choosing to laugh at the situation instead of continuing to argue, you can not only move on to more important things but protect your relationship.

Laughing at something together is also a great way to bond with another person. It is a lighthearted, cathartic, and enjoyable experience to share with someone else. Thus, it makes sense that by laughing with someone else often, you are going to strengthen that relationship and connection with them. Laughter is also a great way to diffuse conflict, which can help you prevent arguments in the future.

When you are known to laugh often, others will also be more likely to simply gravitate to you. Everyone likes being around someone who knows how to laugh and doesn’t take themselves too seriously. By incorporating more laughter into your life, you will not only seem more approachable but will also likely meet new friends.

Ways to Incorporate More Laughter Into Your Life

You might be reading this and thinking to yourself that you don’t laugh nearly as much as you should. For many, this is simply a part of getting older. Think back to when you were a child – laughter was probably more often and frequent during that time for you due to being more carefree.

As you get older and you have more responsibilities and stresses in your life, you might find that true and authentic laughter happens less and less frequently. Maybe you find it hard to simply let loose and relax enough to let it occur. No matter why you may not laugh very frequently, there are things that you can do to change this. It just takes practice; over time, it can become a habit.

Consider who you spend your time with. Do you hang out with people who drag you down emotionally or who lift you up? Try to surround yourself with positive people who laugh often, as they can encourage you to laugh too. You’ll want to also consider what kind of media you are consuming on a regular basis. Instead of flipping through negative news, consider watching a funny show instead.

Laughter has so many benefits, both mental and physical. But when you are so caught up with the stresses of day-to-day life, you might not find that you’re doing it as much as you like. This is something that you can make more of a habit in time. Try to focus on gratitude, don’t sweat the small stuff, and make sure not to hold on to anger. One great way to incorporate more laughter into your life is by getting sober. If you or someone you know is currently struggling with a substance use disorder, The Kimberly Center can help. Call (855) 452-3683 today to learn more about our services.