Laughter — More Than Your Tickle Bone!
Why We Should Make Room for Laughter Every Day
We often think of laughter as something that happens when something is funny.
But laughter is much more than a reaction to a joke.
Laughter is a biological response, a social connector, an emotional release, and potentially a powerful stress-regulation tool.
And perhaps we need more of it.
We live in a world where it is remarkably easy to remain emotionally saturated. News, conflict, social media, work demands, family responsibilities, financial concerns, relationship struggles, and uncertainty can keep the nervous system operating in a state of heightened alertness.
We cannot always change what is happening around us.
But we can intentionally create moments of laughter within our day.
The Science Behind the Laugh
Research increasingly supports the idea that laughter has measurable effects on the body.
A 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis of eight intervention studies involving 315 adults found that laughter interventions were associated with a significant reduction in cortisol, a hormone involved in the body’s stress response. The researchers estimated an average reduction of approximately 32% compared with control conditions. Even a single laughter session was associated with a significant reduction in cortisol in their analysis. (PubMed)
More recently, a 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis examined 15 randomized controlled trials involving 1,344 adults. It found that laughter-based interventions were associated with reduced stress. The authors also cautioned that the studies varied substantially in methods and quality, so the findings are promising rather than proof that laughter is a stand-alone treatment. (PubMed)
That distinction matters.
Laughter isn’t magic. But it is meaningful.
What Happens When We Laugh?
According to Mayo Clinic, laughter can stimulate the heart, lungs, and muscles, increase oxygen intake, trigger the release of endorphins, and activate—and then help calm—the body’s stress response. It can also promote muscle relaxation and circulation. (Mayo Clinic)
In other words, laughter isn’t simply happening in your head.
Your body participates.
Your breathing changes.
Your muscles move.
Your cardiovascular system responds.
Your brain releases chemicals associated with pleasure and relief.
And after the laughter subsides, you may experience a sense of physical and emotional release.
That is one reason a good laugh can sometimes feel like someone opened a window in a room that had become emotionally suffocating.
Laughter Can Interrupt the Stress Cycle
Stress has a way of becoming repetitive.
Something happens.
We think about it.
We replay it.
We anticipate what might happen next.
We become tense.
Then we think about it some more.
Laughter can create a brief interruption in that cycle.
For a moment, your attention shifts.
Your breathing changes.
Your body moves.
Your mind experiences something other than the problem.
That doesn’t make the problem disappear.
It gives you a break from carrying it.
And sometimes that break is enough to help us return to the problem with a little more perspective.
Laughter and Emotional Resilience
Resilience does not mean that you never hurt.
It means that pain does not completely eliminate your capacity for other emotions.
You can be grieving and still laugh.
You can be overwhelmed and still laugh.
You can be healing and still laugh.
You can have experienced tremendous adversity and still find something that makes you smile.
Laughter does not invalidate pain.
Sometimes it demonstrates that pain has not taken everything from you.
This is especially important for people who have spent long periods of their lives in survival mode.
When someone has been constantly focused on danger, conflict, trauma, or responsibility, joy can begin to feel unfamiliar.
Making room for laughter can become a small way of reminding the nervous system:
“I am allowed to experience something other than stress.”
Laughter Connects Us
One of the most beautiful things about laughter is that it is relational.
We often laugh differently when we are with people we feel safe with.
A shared laugh can communicate:
I understand you.
I’m comfortable with you.
We’re okay in this moment.
Research has found evidence that laughter can activate the endorphin system and contribute to social bonding. (PubMed)
Think about the people you feel closest to.
Some of your most cherished memories may not involve expensive vacations, impressive accomplishments, or major life events.
They may involve sitting around a table laughing until your stomach hurts.
A ridiculous story.
An inside joke.
A funny mistake.
A moment when nobody could stop laughing.
Those moments become part of our emotional memory.
Laughter Can Help Us Through Difficult Times
There is an important difference between laughing at someone’s pain and finding moments of humor while experiencing pain.
Healthy laughter does not require us to minimize another person’s suffering.
In fact, humor used compassionately can help people tolerate difficult circumstances without pretending those circumstances don’t exist.
Mayo Clinic notes that laughter may help people cope with difficult situations and may contribute to improved mood, stress management, and social connection. (Mayo Clinic)
That means we don’t have to choose between seriousness and joy.
We can hold both.
We can acknowledge the hard thing and still laugh.
We can cry and laugh on the same day.
We can be exhausted and still find something funny.
We can be healing and still experience joy.
That is not denial.
That is being human.
Why Laughter Every Day?
We don’t wait until we’re dehydrated to drink water.
We don’t wait until our muscles completely deteriorate before moving our bodies.
We understand that small, consistent behaviors matter.
Perhaps laughter deserves the same intentionality.
Not because there is a scientifically established prescription that says, “You must laugh exactly X minutes every day.”
There isn’t.
Rather, think of laughter as something worth cultivating regularly.
A few minutes watching something genuinely funny.
Calling the friend who always makes you laugh.
Sharing a ridiculous story with your family.
Playing with your children or grandchildren.
Watching an old comedy.
Listening to a funny podcast.
Remembering something that once made you laugh.
Even allowing yourself to be silly.
Schedule joy the way you schedule responsibility.
Create a Daily Laughter Practice
Try asking yourself each morning:
“What am I going to do today that makes me laugh?”
Not because everything is wonderful.
Not because you are pretending life is easy.
But because your emotional life deserves more than problems, obligations, and bad news.
Maybe your daily laughter practice is five minutes.
Maybe it’s calling someone who makes you laugh.
Maybe it’s watching a comedy before bed.
Maybe it’s sharing a funny memory at dinner.
Maybe it’s simply giving yourself permission to be playful.
And if you don’t feel like laughing?
That’s okay too.
You don’t have to manufacture happiness.
The goal isn’t to force laughter.
The goal is to make room for it.
And There Is One More Important Lesson
Laughter should never be used to silence someone’s pain.
“Just laugh about it.”
“Get over it.”
“Look on the bright side.”
Those statements can become another form of emotional invalidation.
Healthy humor says something very different:
“I know this is hard. And while we’re walking through it, let’s see if we can find a moment of light.”
That is compassionate laughter.
That is healing laughter.
That is connection.
So Laugh More.
Laugh with people—not at people.
Laugh at the ridiculousness of being human.
Laugh at the stories you’ll someday tell about the things that once felt overwhelming.
Laugh when your plans don’t go perfectly.
Laugh when you make a harmless mistake.
Laugh with the people who make you feel safe enough to be silly.
And when life becomes incredibly serious, remember:
You are not required to earn your right to experience joy.
You don’t have to solve every problem before you are allowed to laugh.
You don’t have to finish healing before you are allowed to smile.
You don’t have to have a perfect life before you experience a beautiful moment.
Because sometimes the smallest moments of joy are what help us carry the heavier ones.
Laughter is more than your tickle bone.
It is a breath of relief.
A moment of connection.
A reset for the stressed mind.
A reminder that joy still exists.
And sometimes…
a little laughter is the soul’s way of saying,
“I’ve been through a lot—but I’m still here.”
Make Laughter Part of Your Daily Wellness
Laugh. Breathe. Connect. Release. Repeat.
Because life is serious enough.