Laughter as a Lifeline: Choosing to Laugh for Your Wellbeing

Have you ever considered that ways that Laughter can have a direct link to your Wellbeing?

Think about it, have you ever noticed how quickly and easily laughter can lift your spirits? I love a good laugh, especially since I’ve learnt that laughter can be used as a wellbeing practice one that you intentionally choose to do, and that humour and comedy aren’t actually needed.

I mean don’t get me wrong I love watching comedy shows, they’ re great fun great especially when you go with a group of friends. But me, personally, I’m not a comedian – I can never remember the punchlines, so if I had to rely on creating humour to laugh, I wouldn’t laugh very often.

Growing up, I was often surrounded by hearty laughter—my mum has one of the best laughs I know. So, growing up with that laughter I was learning the comfort and resilience that a good laugh could bring. I just didn’t realise how important it would be at the time.

Laughter was an unexpected lifeline – during my battle with Cancer.

Back in 2010, I faced one of the most challenging periods of my life. I was diagnosed with Small Cell Cervical Cancer, which is a rare and aggressive form, and the odds were stacked against me.

It was during this time that I noticed that I was relying more, and more on laughter to lift my spirits. Because let’s face it, laughter is much more fun than crying. And if you can still laugh, surely it can’t be that bad, right?

Laughter helped me to keep going to put one foot in front of the other at a difficult time. I mean it wasn’t like I have a choice I had to keep moving forward no matter how I felt.

Most of my laughter came from the way my world had been turned upside down and inside out very quickly I was living in a new norm, that was weirder than anything I’ve experienced before or since.

All these years later my family and I still laugh at a silly joke we shared one snowy day in December, one about going through chemotherapy treatment for goodness sake, but at the time we were in stiches which is why we can still chuckle about it today.

I didn’t plan on using laughter to help me through. I wasn’t fully aware of its benefits back then. But in that moment, I knew that laughter made things a little less bleak and that was good enough for me. Had I known about Initiated Laughter for wellbeing or Laughter Yoga back then I can assure you I’d have spent a lot more of my time laughing.

While I may not have used Initiated laughter in my battle with Cancer, I did use it as a practice following the loss of my dad. Which is another reason why I’m so certain that Initiated Laughter (Laughter Yoga) can be helpful when times get tough. And I mean really tough.

I’ve already told you that I feel that laughter was better than crying for me. It was my personal way of coping. As a wellbeing practitioner I know that that is not too healthy but I’m learning.

I know that it is good to feel all of your emotions and not to bottle them up, but with crying at times I can be a bottler. And when I lost my dad, that was what I did. I wanted to be strong for my mum and to make sure that all the right arrangements were made correctly. So, I tended to keep crying to myself, for times when I was on my own. Which was why I was so surprised and grateful to discover the practice of laughter meditation because this allowed me to release my emotions I had bottled up in a safe and healthy way. And enabled me to do this socially with others, that was mind-blowing to me . And had I not experienced the benefits myself I would have felt strange suggesting that people turn to Initiated Laughter (Laughter Yoga) at the most challenging of times in their lives.

But don’t just take my word for it, what I’m saying can and has been backed up with scientific research.

The Science Behind Laughter for your Emotion Wellbeing

Laughter creates neurological responses, and overtime can strengthen or create new neural pathways. Neurological responses linked to laughter include releasing endorphins (often referred to as the body’s natural pain killers.) Endorphins create an overall sense of wellbeing and are responsible for helping lower cortisol (the body’s main stress hormone) so it reduces your overall cortisol levels.

With regular laughter practice neural pathways that are strengthen or created are linked to improved emotional regulation, reduced stress, enhancing social connections, increased cognitive flexibility, and support the formation of positive habits. These changes contribute to our overall mental and emotional wellbeing, and that’s what makes laughter a powerful tool as it has both immediate and long-term benefits.

Laughter even has the power to interrupt the Trauma Response

One of the most remarkable aspects of laughter is that the body uses it as a protective mechanism. Laughter snaps us out of the fight, flight, or freeze response that often accompanies trauma and stress. The body does this instinctively when it knows your life is not being threatened. That is why we sometimes laugh at really awkward moments. Laughter quickly starts off multiple neurological changes that help calm the nervous system, bringing the body back to a state of balance.

Finding Laughter When You Need It Most

Given all the neurochemical changes that take place when we laugh, it really can provide a lifeline for when life gets tough. Unfortunately, when difficult times arise it can feel almost impossible to find many things to laugh about. It’s important to remember the value of/the strength of laughter because it is during these difficult times that laughter can help us most.

For me that is when the true benefits of Initiated Laughter (Laughter Yoga) come to the fore. As this practice allows you choose to laugh even when you do not feel like laughing. As your body cannot distinguish between spontaneous(real) or simulated (pretend) laughter.

Meaning that even simulated laughter creates the same neurological responses as spontaneous laughter.

For Initiated Laughter (Laughter Yoga) to be of benefit you only need to set aside 10 to 15 minutes of your day. Choosing to make time for laughter when times are at their hardest can really improve your resilience and remind you that it is possible to find small moments of joy even when you are experiencing difficult and painful times.

Finding Joy in Every Laugh

Having grown up surrounded by laughter and finding comfort in it even during the toughest times, creating Mrs MacLaughter has felt like coming home.

What I love most about Initiated Laughter(Laughter Yoga) is that it gives both me and others a fun wellbeing tool to use when life gets difficult. And I want to help you appreciate the full power of your laughter. ‘Together, one Brave-Hearty Laugh at a time!”

Remember it’s not about being funny or relying on humour—it’s about intentionally choosing to laugh, knowing that it can spark joy, reduce stress, and strengthen your emotional wellbeing.

If you’ve never tried Initiated Laughter (Laughter Yoga), why not give it a go? It only takes a few minutes, but the benefits can last a lifetime. Whether you’re facing a challenge or just need a quick pick-me-up, Initiated Laughter (Laughter Yoga) is easy, fun, and packs a punch. Like me, you’ve probably already turned to laughter without fully understanding its true value. Now’s the time to give laughter its place in your wellbeing practice.

For more insights into how Initiated Laughter (Laughter Yoga) can support your wellbeing and that of others, explore more on my website, Mrs MacLaughter, or join one of my sessions to experience the joy of laughter firsthand.

Lots of Laughs, Mrs MacLaughter Scotland’s Initiated Laughter Advocate.

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