Memes are one of the most ubiquitous but hardest to describe phenomena of our modern times. Imagine, if you had to explain what a meme is to someone from 100 years ago, what would you say? They'd have to be up to date with today's pop culture references and the concept of the Internet itself.
Memes are almost a language in themselves. Sure, on the surface, they're only for providing instant comic relief. But more and more mental health experts are pointing to how beneficial memes can be to our emotional well-being. These funny little pictures can make us feel more seen and foster a sense of community.
Most memes come with at least some bit of context. Just earlier this year, my friend and I couldn't go a day without sending each other the "Montoya, por favor!" meme. Whether it was the original, featured cats instead of people, or was just a picture instead of a video, we both instantly knew what it was about.
We didn't even watch Temptation Island, yet it reached our separate social media feeds. This just goes to show that memes bring us all closer together in the end. After all, you don't even have to be British to recognize that Jet2 is an airline company; videos with their ad sound are literally everywhere this summer.
Sharing memes can also signal the type of relationship you have with someone. Theodora Blanchfield, AMFT, writes that when someone sends you a meme, it's sort of their way of saying: "I think we have a similar kind of sense of humor."
"Sometimes a meme from a friend will hit my inbox, and I'll feel a bit of surprise. 'Wait, you feel that way too?? I never would have guessed,'" Blanchfield says, describing her personal experience with sharing memes.
We can even choose meme pages according to our likes and interests. If you're a cat or dog lover, there's no shortage of funny pages dedicated to wacky pictures of pets that most owners are bound to find relatable. If you're a mathematician, you might like some numbers incorporated into your funny pics. Blanchfield says that by picking which memes or meme pages we like, we're basically looking for "our people" – a community.
Maybe it's because of the anonymity aspect, but we love sharing memes that reflect our mental health struggles. Research shows that people who struggle with depression are more likely to find dark humor about mental health funny. Blanchfield explains that memes can help us come to terms with or express feelings that we find hard to deal with. "Finding the humor in tough situations can take some of the power away from these otherwise taboo feelings," she says.
I'm a big supporter of the "Normalize sending friends memes instead of updates" movement. Oh, it's not a movement and just a couple of videos my social media feed has shown me? That's okay – I still think that sending your friend a funny meme instead of the obligatory "How are you?" is a good way of checking in. Blanchfield agrees; she says this small gesture of communication helps us build emotional capital in moments when we're too busy or just don't have anything meaningful to share.
