How many times have you laughed today? If you’ve been seated at your desk all morning typing away, you probably have kept a pretty straight face. But apparently, researchers suggest that adults laugh at least 15 times every single day to maintain their health.
This might involve sharing a joke with your colleagues, laughing at your cat as she enjoys her nightly zoomies, and/or watching a funny video with your partner. But whatever it takes, don’t forget to get your daily dose of humor. Because you’ll definitely be able to notice the difference when you haven’t had it.
According to the Mayo Clinic, laughing can be a godsend for anyone dealing with a lot of stress. It can stimulate your heart, lungs, and muscles, which can increase the amount of endorphins released by your brain. At the same time, laughter can activate and relieve your stress response.
No matter how tense a situation is, if you can manage to experience a genuine laugh, you’ll feel a bit more relaxed. Meanwhile, laughter can soothe tension in general. If you’re hangry and arguing with your partner or stressed about meeting a deadline at work, laughter can be a much-needed distraction. It might even be a reminder not to be so tightly wound up.
When it comes to the long-term benefits of laughter, the Mayo Clinic says it might even improve your immune system. “Positive thoughts can actually release neuropeptides that help fight stress and potentially more-serious illnesses,” they explain.
At the same time, laughter can relieve pain, increase personal satisfaction, and improve your mood. Regardless of what ailments you have, mental or physical, giggling might make them a little bit better.
Of course, laughter can bring more than just health benefits. Verywell Mind notes that having a great sense of humor can improve your social life too. Sharing a laugh with others is a great way to bond, and having jokes up your sleeve is a wonderful way to meet new people. Plus, if you have a habit of making others laugh, they’ll be even more excited to spend time around you. Boosting other people’s moods is a wonderful way to spread joy.
If you’re looking for ways to get more laughter in your life, Abundance Therapy Center recommends first starting to look for humor in your everyday life. There are probably more opportunities for laughter in your daily routine than you even realize. But if you keep your eyes open and make yourself open to laughing, you might be surprised at what humorous situations you find yourself in.
While people tend to have mixed opinions on social media, there’s no question that it’s full of hilarious content. It might take you a while to curate your feed in such a way that it actually entertains you and makes you giggle. But once you do, you won’t get stuck doomscrolling anymore. And when you encounter funny memes, you’ll want to share them with your friends to keep the laughs rolling. Focus on using social media in this way, and it’ll be a much more uplifting place.
