A day without laughter is a day wasted.

- Charlie Chapman

It’s quiz time!

How does laughter help foster good health?

a. It stimulates the immune system.

b. It decreases pain.

c. It reduces “stress hormones.”

d. All of the above.

If you answered “d,” then you are correct! Laughter and humor increase the activity of germ-fighting T-cells, trigger the release of pain-killing endorphins, and slow the production of the potentially harmful hormones adrenaline and cortisol. That means that you can relieve feelings of stress, depression, or anxiety when you laugh.

Some ideas to get in a daily dose of humor are:

• Ask a young child or toddler to explain something. Ask them why the sky is blue, how electricity works, or why things are sweet or sour. You are bound to get more than a few chuckles from their creative and random responses. 

• Watch funny pet videos on YouTube. It’s hard to keep a straight face watching dog and cat antics.

• Buy a book or calendar with a joke for every day of the year, or get a comic-strip subscription.

• You can have your smart devices, such as Siri or Alexa, tell you a joke or story or even ask, “am I awesome?” You’ll be surprised by the funny things your device will share.

• Subscribe to comedians or hilarious feeds on social platforms like TikTok, Twitter or Instagram.

Laughter can be healing, so set a goal to make sure you laugh every day!