5 Reasons You Need To Laugh Everyday - The Benefits Of Laughter

It Can Heal Us

Laughter, as already noted, has a therapeutic quality. Studies have also proved this to be true.

In an Integrative Psychology article on the therapeutic value of laughter, Norman Cousins, who wrote more than 10 books on humor and healing, wrote, “the therapeutic value of laughter relates to the abatement of panic and its effects more than to any specific biochemical manifestations or changes.”

Even if it's just for an hour or two, laughter can relieve us from fear and anxiety.

The studies on laughter and its benefits have inspired laughter yoga, laughter meditation, laughter therapy, and humor therapy. And what's great about laughter is that it’s an easy to access (and free!) technique that we can use daily to help us improve our lives.

It Boosts Creativity

Have you ever noticed that you get your best ideas when you’re relaxed? Well, because laughter relieves stress, it also has a way of opening us up to our creative power.

A study on the effects of humor on creativity found that those who listened to a funny recording performed better on a creativity test than those who didn’t listen to the humorous record.

Lee says, "I have worked with many artists in using laughter to boost their creativity. Laughter de-clutters the brain and allows for clear and critical thinking skills to become more abundant. Also, laughter unifies the left and right brain, which can help us to unleash our creative skills."

So the next time you’re wracking your brain to get something out on the page or come up with a million-dollar idea for your next presentation, try laughing for a couple minutes. If you want to explore the positive effects of laughter even more, check out Creative Laughter events. It may be just what you need to open the creative floodgates.

It Gives Us Perspective

Have you ever been down about something and a friend makes a joke or says something that you can’t help but laugh at? It’s in this moment that laughing takes us out of the mind mush, making us forget for just a few minutes what the problem is.

Certified Laughter Yoga Leader Rhonda Lee, M.A.Ed., says, "Laughter brings us fully to the present moment, which is the same goal as meditation. In fact, if you are fully engaged in laughter, it is impossible for you to really focus on anything other than the laughter. It is during this pause that we are able to redirect out thoughts without trying, and a radical shift in perspective can occur. Also, laughter produces endorphins and boosts our serotonin levels as well. This means that our body has a chemical reaction that causes us to shift our perspective. And then there's cortisol, the hormone produced by stress. Laughter actually causes this stuff to lower as well. You can't not shift your perspective on events when this happens. It's like magic!"

Laughter creates distance from the lost wallet and flat tire. It opens the space around the problem we’re facing, making it easier to handle.

It Makes us Take Ourselves Less Seriously

A couple of years ago when someone would make a comment about how I liked wearing un-matching socks, I would get defensive. The time I went to a hockey game and looked down to see two different shoes on my feet, I beat myself up over it. I responded this way because I didn't know that laughing at myself could make the situation better.

"Laughter allows us fuller emotional expression," says Jeffrey Briar, Director of the Laughter Yoga Institute in Laguna Beach, CA. "When we express our vulnerability (and survive), this teaches us that we can be our true selves without fear. When we are a little vulnerable at the same time as we are being playful, we accept ourselves just as we are — and as we are not. Laughter teaches us to love ourselves."

Laughing at ourselves can help us improve our self-esteem by confirming that who we are, as we are, is unique. It gives us the opportunity to accept ourselves and to let go of judgment and criticism. As we do all of this, we not only improve our relationship with ourselves but also with those around us.

It Relieves Stress

One way to combat stress, especially in the workplace, is to bring in some laughs.

 A study on humor, stress, and coping strategies found that those in a group with a high sense of humor had less stress and anxiety than those who experienced the same everyday problems but with lower sense of humor. The high humor group also used more positive reappraisal and problem solving strategies than the low humor group. What this means is that humor can make us more focused and productive, not only in the workplace but also in our everyday lives.