When times are tough, there is a remedy to help us get through — and it’s laughter.

Doom and gloom may come over us like an unwelcome mental fog, but we do have the means to dispel it. And it’s really easy. What is it? It’s laughter. No one knows when we will need something to help us shake ourselves out of a mood, especially when there is turbulence in our country. Why not look for the simplest thing that we do ourselves to change things?

Part of the problem, of course, is that too many of us believe that during difficult times — even when someone dies — laughter is inappropriate. That’s not correct. Actually, some cultures use laughter at memorials to help heal and comfort those who have lost someone. It is both appropriate and available to all of us.

One example, of course, would be Irish wakes where everybody enjoys a good time and reminisces about the dearly departed. It’s a tribute to that person’s life. Also, remember that we can have tributes of laughter when a country is in need and has lost something.

The Quick Pulse of a Laugh

Your body activates a new mode when you experience genuine laughter, which produces deep, belly sounds instead of forced, polite smiles.
But it isn’t just mood. The physical responses of laughter ripple throughout your entire body, including your heart, lungs, blood vessels, stress hormones, and brain chemicals.

What else does laughter do? It functions as a physical exercise that simultaneously provides emotional relief. And it’s not just exercise because there is something more profound, biologically, that is going on.

Your heart starts beating faster while your breathing quickens, and your body requires more oxygen during laughter. At the same time, your body undergoes a beneficial downward transition, resulting in expanded blood vessels, decreased blood pressure, and relaxation of the nervous system.

While all of this is happening, the experience functions as a brief stress evaluation that leads to a system reset. Sometimes we need to reset our computers, don’t we? Our bodies may also need a reset to a previously positive emotional default. A 20-minute comedy session proved effective in enhancing blood vessel function, according to research, which indicates cardiovascular system activation.

The body’s stress management system, which releases cortisol when we encounter challenging situations, is also given a reset. Laughter interrupts it. In fact, spontaneous laughter produced lower cortisol levels than performing regular daily activities intended to relax us. But there is something about laughter that is quite curious.

Laughter, Pain, and Social Connection

When you laugh with others, your brain produces opioids, which are endorphins that create feelings of warmth and social connection and make you more resistant to pain. Additionally, group members who share laughter experiences tend to develop stronger feelings of safety and unity with one another. It’s this group effect that appears to be even more potent than if you were to laugh alone.

But there’s even more interesting research on the simple effect of a smile. Artificial smiles — ones that are posed — can bring a change in mood by doing that alone. There doesn’t have to be any humor or laughing involved in it. It seems that the simple act of pulling your facial muscles into a smile configuration has an effect on the happiness hormones.

Practical Takeaways

1. A brief period of authentic laughter will help lower cortisol levels and heart rate readings.
   2. The release of bonding chemicals through shared laughter becomes impossible when someone laughs by themselves.
   3. You don’t need an hour of laughter to get a benefit. A brief moment of laughter, which affects your breathing and ribcage, will make you feel lighter than before.

We’ve all heard that one way to help yourself laugh if nothing funny is happening: jump on the internet. There are websites that have jokes, amusing videos, and other activities that will bring a smile and a laugh to you. It’s all there waiting for you, and whenever you need it, go to it.