Laughing isn’t just fun, it could work wonders for your health, improving circulation and boosting your happy hormones. Here’s how to get more giggling back in your life
Good giggles and belly laughs are harder to come by as we get older. If you remember roaring with laughter more when you were a child, you’re probably right as research shows we drop off a humour cliff in our early 20s. While children laugh around 300 to 400 times a day, by the time we reach early adulthood, it drops to just 15 times a day, according to a review article in the Journal of Hospital Medicine.
In today’s world, worrying about global events and the cost of living means it’s easier than ever to get out of the habit. But seeking out opportunities for a hearty guffaw could be the quickest way to feel better, both mentally and physically. Studies show genuine laughter acts as a release valve for stress hormones, like cortisol and adrenaline, which build up over time when we feel on edge.
At the same time, a good laugh triggers the release of feel-good brain chemicals, including the bonding hormone oxytocin and pain-killing opioids, which help regulate mood and improve our ability to cope. Having a good laugh is good for our bodies too. As well as providing immediate mood-boosting benefits, laughing more can have a range of long-term physical advantages for our health. When you have a good laugh, it’s like a workout for your heart and lungs.
It helps reduce blood pressure, boosts circulation, and relaxes blood vessels. A 2020 Japanese study involving more than 17,000 people under 40 found those who laughed less were “significantly” more likely to develop heart disease and die sooner. When we have a side-splitting belly laugh, the up-and-down movement of our ribcage also releases pain-killing endorphins, easing aches and pains. Laughter can also help fight illness by boosting your immune system.
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Research by California’s Loma Linda University found that men who watched comedy videos for an hour had more infection-fighting antibodies and natural killer cells in their blood afterwards.
Why do we laugh less as we get older?
We start laughing as babies aged about three months old as it is one of our first ways of interacting with caregivers. As we head to school and make friends, we continue laughing at a rate of about 20 times an hour. One reason children laugh so much is they spend more time playing and socialising. Laughter is a key part of their communication as they learn to interact with peers, according to Sophie Scott, professor of cognitive neuroscience at University College London and a leading expert on laughter.
“For children, laughter is a very strong cue to others to join in,” she explains. “It’s a way of saying, ‘I’ve got something in common with you. I want to hang out with you.’” As children become teenagers, laughter continues to play a more important role in defining their emerging peer groups. “When they laugh together, it sends the message, ‘This is our joke, and what we find funny’,” says Professor Scott.
But when we start working, our laughter levels decrease and we fall off the “humour cliff”. The reason? We don’t want to appear unprofessional, says Naomi Bagdonas, a Stanford University lecturer and co-author of Humour Seriously: Why Humour is a Secret Weapon in Work and Life. “We grow up, enter the workforce, and suddenly become serious, important people,” she continues.
In today’s hypersensitive work environment, we tend to curb our laughter in case we cause offence, adds co-author, Dr Jennifer Aaker, a behavioural psychologist. “As we get more serious jobs, it feels safer to play it safe, in case we laugh at the wrong thing. As a result, many of us choose to keep our interactions sterile, measured, and professional. We go to work each day and leave our sense of humour – and so much more of ourselves – at the door.”
But don’t give up on laughter. By adopting a “growth mindset” – the belief that it is within our power to laugh more – and, by actively seeking out more opportunities to see the funny side of life, we can increase our laughter quotient at any age.
How to laugh more:
Spend time with others: Laughter is highly contagious. Research by the late psychologist and humour specialist Robert Provine found people are 30 times more likely to laugh when they are with others than when they are alone. He found it’s even more likely with people you know and trust, like family members or old school friends.
Swap calls for video chats: Do you need to catch up with a friend or relative? If you want to laugh more, have a video call where you can see their faces. A 2012 study published in the Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication found that we giggle more when we can see and hear the other person, compared to voice calls or text messages. “You’re much more likely to have a really good laugh if you can see the people you’re talking to,” adds Professor Scott.
Get your partner to crack a joke: Your partner might be the person you laugh more with, thanks to your shared history and knowledge of each other’s sense of humour. A study published in Personal Relationships found that men are 1.73 times more likely to make their wives laugh than anyone else.
Build a humour bank: If you are on social media or like to listen to podcasts, follow and tune in to comedy pages and series that make you laugh. Set up a WhatsApp group with family members or like-minded friends to share humorous memes or videos. You will be making deposits into a humour store that you can dip into when you need it.
Ditch documentaries for your favourite sitcoms too. A 2023 study presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress found that people with heart disease who watched two comedies a week had better heart health and less inflammation than those who spent the same amount of time watching serious factual programmes.
Look for activities that bring you into the moment: Worrying about the past, which has gone, or the future, which hasn’t happened yet, gets in the way of joy. To really laugh, you need to be in the here and now. This can be helped by physical activities you can do with others – anything from kite-flying to bowling – which demand all your focus and force you to put your worries out of your mind. As we age, look out for that nagging internal voice too that says: “I’m too old for this.” When that voice pops up, talk back to it and tell it you’re entitled to enjoy life at any age.
Feeling Blah? Why Life Feels Joyless and How to Recapture Its Highs by Tanith Carey, published by Welbeck, is out now
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