There’s an old saying that ‘laughter is the best medicine,’ and perhaps at no other time do we need more laughter than right now. That doesn’t mean it’s easy to experience, and you may struggle to have a good laugh just about all the time. Read on to find out how it plays a role in mental health and how you can have more of it below.
Laughter is in Short Supply These Days
If you’ve been paying attention the last few years, you’ve probably noticed that people don’t seem to laugh that much anymore. Whether it’s because of Covid or political polarization, the lack of laughter in our daily lives and communities is palpable. It’s also a symptom of some serious mental illnesses like anxiety and depression. Often when people do laugh in public or on TV, it is at other people’s expense; and that’s really a form of derision and contempt instead of true humor. While you’re probably aware of all this, you may not be aware that most laughter happens in social situations as well.
Lack of Laughter Goes with Isolation
The last point I just made is very important because since Covid hit a couple years ago people have by and large suffered from more isolation than just about any other time in our world’s history. With all the lockdowns and quarantining came a new sense of isolation that kept people from being as social as they used to be. Along with that a lot of the humor and laughter that went with those situations also went by the wayside. Sure, you can watch a funny show on TV or look at funny memes on social media, but without anyone to share that with the humor potential is at most 50% of what it once was. The reason I say that is that laughter is contagious, just like yawning can be. If you’re laughing at something funny by yourself, it doesn’t have a chance to make anyone else laugh as well. So that limits its ability to help anyone other than yourself to feel better.
How to Get the Laughter Back in Your Life
Plain and simple, you need to seek out and spend more time with other people. It doesn’t have to happen at a comedy club or a night club setting. There are whole groups organized around just laughing. There is even a form of yoga that is about laughing: it’s called hasyayoga and there are groups that meet regularly to do this very thing all over the world. Many of them probably went online with Covid, but they continue to exist in one form or another. In addition to that, you can look for funny or silly shows on TV, radio, or podcasts to watch. You may have some funny movies you’ve liked over the years, and watching them or clips from them again to re-experience the laughter from them can be a great way to improve your mood and boost your mental health as well. The more you can share these with other people in real-time, the better.
Why Laughter Helps Your Mental Health
Without resorting to brain science or some other geeky reason for experiencing laughter, you can simply understand that looking at things from a humorous perspective can help you ride out many of life’s difficulties. It gives you a perspective that is actually greater than whatever circumstances you are in right now. One of the humorous movies of recent times was about a family in World War II who lived through horrific circumstances because the father was so adamant about making light of everything that happened for their young son. It did have a tragic ending for the father, but it did remind me of the tremendous potential for laughter and humor to help people survive circumstances that would otherwise be unbearable.
If You Continue to Struggle with Your Mood and Laughter
Being able to laugh at things is a very important part of life. If you’ve tried some of the suggestions above and are still unable to find humor in anything, you are welcome to reach out to me. If you also struggle with feelings of depression or emotional numbness brought on by trauma, you may have an underlying mental health condition that requires treatment. I have been helping my clients overcome depression, anxiety, grief and loss, as well as trauma for my entire social work career. I offer free 20-minute phone consultations to all who are interested in finding out if therapy can be of help to them. Just call the number at the top of the page or fill out the inquiry form below in order to schedule your free consultation. You’ve got nothing to lose and may find the ability to laugh again for having gotten the help you need to recover from whatever ails you. There is laughter in liberation from mental illness, and I encourage you to find out just how much joy recovery can bring!
Visit our page on depression therapy to find out how Scott can help you with depression.
About the author: Scott Kampschaefer, LCSW is a private practice therapist in Frederick, Maryland. He has an extensive background in working with depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder at a clinic for older adults with these disorders in Austin. He now works with adults and adolescents 14 and up in private practice. His most recent book is titled The 5 Pillars of Addiction Recovery and is available for purchase on Amazon and in paperback on this website.