8 Reasons to Laugh More as We Age (and how!)

Aging is no joke to many of us. As British writer, John Mortimer said,

“The aging process is not gradual or gentle. It rushes up, pushes you over, and runs off laughing.”

Yet, if we persistently maintain a negative attitude about getting older, we’ll reap what we sow. As Henry Ford said,

“Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t — you’re right.”

So, why not cultivate a positive mindset about aging? One of the best ways to do this is to give yourself a great big laugh! Let’s take a look at how laughter can lift your mood, ease stress, and even give your body a little boost.

Laughing Matters

We all like to laugh, but will it make getting older easier? Scientists have studied the benefits of humor and laughter for decades and found many positive physical and emotional benefits.

• Improves mood and personal satisfaction and self-esteem - Laughter releases dopamine, which makes us feel good. Laughter also increases beta-endorphin levels, natural opioids that decrease pain and promote positive feelings. Research has also shown that laughter activates parts of the brain related to emotional regulation, reward/pleasure centers, and social and emotional processing.
• Organ stimulation - Laughter increases heart and respiratory rates as well as oxygen consumption over a short period.
• Relieves stress response – Cortisol, one of the body’s primary stress hormones, shows decreased levels after laughing.
• Soothes tension - Laughter can also stimulate circulation and aid muscle relaxation, both of which can help reduce some of the physical symptoms of stress.
• Improves immune system – Studies of subjects who watched humorous videos demonstrated increases in natural killer (NK) cell activity. These are cells that identify and destroy tumor cells and virus-infected cells.
• Improves pain tolerance – In another experiment, subjects found that after listening to a funny story, they showed higher pain thresholds.
• Boosts creative thinking – People listening to upbeat music and a video of a laughing baby showed significantly better performance on creative thinking tasks.
• Improves cardiac health – Studies have shown that when we laugh, heart rate and blood pressure increase almost to the level of light exercise. After laughter, the heart rate slows and the body relaxes.

Overall, laughter contributes to a more relaxed state of mind, a greater sense of well-being, and encourages an optimistic outlook on life. Laughter allows you to connect with your loved ones and bring an excellent mood to yourself and the people around you.

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Just For a Laugh

What are some ways we can get a little more laughter into our lives?

Go to a comedy club

Most areas have options for live comedy performances. Famous comics like Jerry Seinfeld and David Sedaris tour nationally, so check their websites for dates in your locality. Even if you have never heard of the comedians at a local comedy club, check them out anyway. You may catch a rising star before they hit the big time.

Read a funny book

Believe it or not, people laughed before radio, TV, and the Internet were around. For instance, humorous books have been popular for centuries. Don Quixote by Cervantes (17^th century), Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift (18^th century), and the books of Charles Dickens and Mark Twain (19^th century) are examples of funny works that are still read. Today’s authors continue this tradition by spinning out countless humorous offerings.

Find a new TV sitcom

Although there have been previous eras in TV history described as a “golden age”, there is little doubt that the flood of content now available both on network TV and streaming services is unprecedented. Many of these productions are comedies, which provide a rich trove of humor to choose from.

Watch a comedy movie or play

Like TV shows, movie streaming is wildly popular, with a fabulous array of amusing movies. You can also catch the newest comedy films the old-fashioned way at your local cinema. But have you ever considered attending a comedic stage performance? If so, you are honoring a tradition that goes back to the time of the ancient Greeks, when such playwrights as Aristophanes and Menander had citizens of Athens howling in the amphitheaters.

Listen to recorded humor

Podcasts of every stripe abound on the internet, and many have a humorous style and content. Also, stand-up comics produce recordings of their gigs that can be seen on YouTube videos or listened to on platforms like SiriusXM radio.

Ask AI to tell you a joke

Here’s one option your grandmother didn’t have as a kid: ask Alexa or Siri to tell you a joke. Try it. You never know what you’ll get. For an even more surreal experience, prompt ChatGPT or other AIs to relate a funny story based on parameters you provide. The result will be a customized narrative that, if it doesn’t cause you to laugh out loud, it will hopefully get you to crack a smile.

Schedule family humor night

Why keep all the fun to yourself? Gather the family around for some amusement, telling jokes, puns, limericks, or stories. You can even have a competition for the funniest entry. It doesn’t have to be original material either. There are innumerable sources in books or on the internet that each attendee can choose from. Grandkids especially like riddles. For a great bonding experience, tell them some riddles from your childhood. That will get everybody laughing, and yes, groaning a little, too.

The older we get, the more reasons we find to take life seriously—but those are the same reasons we need to laugh. Humor lightens the heavy stuff, connects us with people we care about, and helps us stay grounded when life throws surprises our way. Whether it’s a funny movie, a joke shared with friends, or laughing at yourself once in a while, make room for it. Laughter doesn’t change the years—but it sure changes how they feel.

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