The Healing Power of Humor and 25 Things to Make You Laugh

“Against the assault of laughter, nothing can stand.”
~ Mark Twain

The Healing Power of Humor

If you subscribe to my newsletter, you know that I often include a “Belly Laugh of the Week” – for good reason! Humor is healing. We know this intuitively, because when we laugh, we simply feel better. Do you remember late-night sleepovers with friends, where one of you would giggle, then another, and soon you were all laughing so hard, you were gasping for air with tears rolling down your faces? Laughter is contagious, and it feels soooooo good. There's even something called Laughter Yoga, to help adults relive this childhood experience.

We are born to laugh. Even in our darkest moments, laughter can take us by surprise and soothe not only our soul but also our body. How does this work? The physical act of laughing releases endorphins, chemicals in our bodies that are called “nature's narcotics.” They can give us a feeling of euphoria and even relieve pain. In fact, famed author, Norman Cousins, treated his autoimmune disease (ankylosing spondylitis) through laughter therapy, saying it was the best pain relief he could find. Laughter also reduces cortisol (the stress hormone), and even makes our memory sharper. Goodbye brain fog.

Living with autoimmunity is hard, and sometimes laughter feels out of our reach. Yet, those are the moments when we need laughter the most. So, instead of a recipe roundup, today I offer you a laughter roundup:

25 Reasons To Laugh

1. 1. The Hazards of Backyard Hens
   2. Coconut Oil – The Magic Elixir
   3. Cat Friend vs. Dog Friend
   4. Bacon Slam Poem by Nick Offerman
   5. Portlandia: How to Order in a Restaurant
   6. Real Food Ryan Gosling
   7. What Should We Call Paleo Life
   8. 20 Things Only Someone with Autoimmunity Will Understand
   9. Me Trying to Flirt
   10. Big Bang Theory – Howard Wolowitz Impressions
   11. 11 Month Old Twins Dancing to Daddy's Guitar
   12. Ultra Spiritual Life – If Meat Eaters Acted Like Vegans
   13. Lip Sync Battle with Emma Stone
   14. Father Guido Sarducci's Five Minute University
   15. FDA Approves Depressant Drug For The Annoyingly Cheerful
   16. If Juliet Had a Sassy Gay Friend
   17. Alanis Morissette Updates ‘Ironic' Lyrics
   18. Cholos try Kale Chips and Kombucha
   19. Goat Crossfit
   20. Angry Yoga
   21. Flight of the Conchords – The Most Beautiful Girl in the Room
   22. 25 Funniest Tweets About Sleep
   23. Comedy Wildlife Awards
   24. Sarah Jones – One woman, eight hilarious characters
   25. The Katering Show – We Quit Sugar *Warning: this one contains a lot of profanity, but it's very funny.

Shoutout to my husband, who considers himself the funniest man alive
and routinely makes me laugh.

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A version of this post originally appeared as a guest post for Autoimmune Wellness.

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Photo credits: Photo at top of page by cheriejoyful (creative commons). Photo at bottom of page is of me and my husband, taken by my stepdaughter, Jasmine.