We might've hammered home how important laughter is many times here on Bored Panda, but let's do it one more time, just in case (practice makes perfect, after all). The act of laughter releases serotonin in our brains. That's a neurotransmitter that play a key role in regulating our moods.
Laughing also gives us a rush of endorphins which aid in relieving pain naturally and enhances our mood. But holistic therapist Phoebie Wilkinson tells us that despite having these properties, laughter is like an elixir of life. "For not taking yourself too seriously, and a way to feel the intensity of your own natural interests," she explains.
Physical activity and just moving our bodies help us be healthier, stronger, and live longer. But emotional well-being is just as important. According to the CDC, when our mental health is at its best, there's a lower risk of disease, sickness, and injury.
Wilkinson says that, at its core, emotional wellbeing is about being connected to your own sense of who you are. "Laughter is one clear way to simply be yourself," she points out. "What I mean by this is that you can't fake what you do or don't find funny – you just do find something funny or you don't."
Nowadays, we hear a lot about positive thinking. We've got people on social media telling us that if we just manifest hard enough and keep thinking positive thoughts, happiness will ultimately come to us. But holistic therapist Phoebie Wilkinson is not a big proponent of positive thinking.
"I see a place for the full spectrum of emotion at any given time – there's no shame in feeling or thinking 'negatively' sometimes," she tells Bored Panda. And, in fact, it can be therapeutic to sit in the full weight of an emotion that's deemed negative (like sadness or anger) in order to truly release it!"
The problem with 'positive thinking,' as Phoebie explains it, is that it frames certain thoughts as 'positive' and others as 'negative.' "Many people then feel the need to deny their 'negative' emotions, which ultimately gets pushed down to the subconscious and gets stored in the body," she explains.
"Every single emotion is essential to our capacity to understand ourselves, act according to our personal needs and values, and ultimately to our well-being," Phoebie goes on, explaining the importance of 'negative' emotions. "And when we're talking about wellbeing, it's important to remember that we are all a physical being, an intellectual being and an emotional being, all at once."
Humor is a big part of emotional well-being. Phoebie also points out that the word 'humor' itself has pretty symbolic roots. "The ancient Greek root meaning for the term 'humor' is 'fluid.' And humor as a fluid definitely helps to dilute the hard facts of life into a more digestible form," Wilkinson observes.
