OK, today I’m coming to you from my little house on the prairie. And I did that because I’m standing out in my wheat field here. Because I wanted to share this with you: “Why did they give the scarecrow an award? Because he was outstanding in his field.” Get it? Out. Standing. In. His. Field? [insert laugh track here] Laugh, don’t laugh, doesn’t matter. Silly, yes. Ridiculous, yes. And also…healthy.
Laughter and humor are some of the healthiest things that we can add to our lives to boost our immune system, release a flood of neurotransmitters in the brain (the feel-good chemicals like Serotonin, dopamine, endorphins), the kinds of chemicals that give us the “runner’s high” and that decrease stress, depression, and anxiety. Laughter has an immediate impact on all of those things (and more). It’s also been proven to reduce our risk of cardiovascular disease and other chronic health issues. It’s fun, it’s healthy, and (a nice benefit) it’s free.
Interestingly, laughter is one of the things that best connects us as human beings. In fact, researchers are clear that laughter predates language…by thousands of years. One Harvard researcher says that laughter “punctuates our communication and our relationships,” and what a cool exclamation point that is!
So, what I want to encourage you to do this week is to explore your options for laughter and humor. Whether it’s a silly joke, movies or memes, or better yet, sharing funny stories of things that have happened in your life. That way, we have the shared experience of laughter, which feels good and helps us feel connected, and we’ve got shared history together that helps us remember it in the future. Those things are the funny little gifts that keep on giving. Laugh a little, better yet, laugh a lot this week! Be happy, be healthy, and by all means, be humorous this week. Have a good one.
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