Humor, Laughter, and Stress Management

When was the last time you had a really good laugh? I’m talking fully body, maybe even to the point of tears laugh? After you finished laughing, do you remember the first thing you did? I’m guessing you took a deep breath and exhaled with a sigh and maybe even said something like, “Wow! That felt good. I needed that.” 

You weren’t wrong! HUMOR and LAUGHTER are actually tools to help you manage your stress. During a stressful moment, you can choose to look at the humorous side of the situation. This allows you to shift your psychological lens and in turn shift your energy to one that is more open and playful. 

Tapping into humor can also induce laughter. Laughter is a physical form of relaxation. At first, the laughter causes your muscular activity, heart rate, respiratory activity, and oxygen exchange to increase, which results in the production of endorphins and catecholamines. As your laughter winds down, these systems rebound and release into a state of relaxation. This release helps to manage anxiety, worry, tension, anger, hostility, and stress. It also allows for an escape from reality, which can be used as a coping mechanism during times of crisis. There is even a therapy called LAUGHTER THERAPY, created by Patch Adams (yes, he was actually a real person and not just a beloved Robin Williams character). ??

However, research shows that as we get older we laugh way less than we did when we were younger. With all this new information, how can YOU tap into the humor of life more and make sure that you are getting more full body laughs every day?

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