Content

• To step
• Part 1 of 3: Developing a sense of humor
• Part 2 of 3: Learn to relax
• Part 3 of 3: Practicing your smile
• Tips
• Warnings

It is really true what they say: Laughter is healthy! It strengthens your abs, it is good for your heart and regular laughter strengthens your immune system. If you live a busy, serious life, you may laugh way too little. If you want to live a happy, healthy and joyful life, you have to learn to laugh again. Read on below to learn how to make laughter an important part of your life.

To step

Part 1 of 3: Developing a sense of humor

1. Smile more. Research has shown that people who held a straw between their teeth laughed more than people who held a straw between their lips. That's because your body unconsciously responds to the feeling of a smile, expecting a smile to follow. If you want to laugh more, you can fool your body by smiling.
   • Most people look rather grumpy when their face is at rest. Train yourself to smile while you work, jog, or even while concentrating on reading a book. Make the smile your default facial expression.
   • Smile at any stranger when you walk to the bus or work. That's a good way to practice and it looks friendly too.
2. Surround yourself with funny people. Of course it is not easy to learn to laugh when you are surrounded by a bunch of black viewers. So rather hang out with people who have a sunny view of life and can make you laugh.
   • Make sure you can redirect annoying conversations. If you are with a group of complainers, change the topic. When everyone's talking about things they don't like, start talking about things that you well like. People tend to fall into a downward spiral, resulting in less and less laughter. Bring the atmosphere back up by asking a funny question or telling a lighter story.
   • You don't have to ditch friends who aren't that funny, of course, but also look for friends with whom you can laugh out loud. If you are with them, you will soon not recover yourself.
   • You can even consider sending jokes or clips to your friends. It can make them laugh, and they may start sending funny things to you too.
3. Watch funny movies and TV shows. Even if you are more into drama or horror, it is good to occasionally watch something that Will Ferrell plays in. Find out things that make you laugh the most and let yourself go instead of thinking about a complicated plot or getting depressed by a documentary.
   • If you don't like today's comedies, try some classics. Check out Police Academy, Naked Gun or other parodies. Or go even further back in time with Charlie Chaplin, the Fat and the Thin or Buster Keaton, and you know what made your great-grandparents giggle.
   • It doesn't matter how old you are: Tom & Jerry are always funny. Make a sandwich, make a cup of tea and snuggle up on the couch under a blanket to relive your Saturday morning childhood.
4. Turn off the news. It's harder to start the day with a smile when you see all the misery on the news. Rather grab your laptop and look for videos by Hans Teeuwen or Rembo & Rembo. You can always buy a newspaper later in the day to get your information.
   • If you still want a dose of the news, but lit up with a bit of humor, look for a light-hearted site.
   • If you're addicted to your morning paper, start with the comics and backstories before you get caught up in the depressing news. Scroll back and forth to keep it a little light.

Part 2 of 3: Learn to relax

1. Laugh at yourself. One of the biggest differences between happy people and depressed people is that the former can laugh at themselves. If you see awkward moments, mistakes, and shortcomings as a reason to have a good laugh at yourself, you will be less likely to suffer.
   • If you can laugh at yourself, it helps to see the difference in "who you are" and "what you do". Everyone goes wrong sometimes, but that doesn't say anything about you as a person. When you smile you are telling both yourself and the people around you that it is not so bad.
2. Don't worry about how your smile sounds. Everyone laughs differently, so as long as yours is polite and a genuine expression of pleasure, you don't have to worry about having an "ugly" smile. There is no such thing as an ugly smile.
   • If you are ashamed of your smile and are afraid of what others think of you, it is difficult to let go and you have less fun. When you hang out with people who make fun of someone else, you need to find new friends.
   • People will generally ignore a quirky laugh. More often they respond to the humorous topic.
3. Take your time. You're probably busy, but make sure you make time for yourself so you can be yourself and have plenty of time to laugh. Ambition and work are good things, but make sure you keep the balance in your life and have enough time to enjoy yourself.
   • Do something you enjoy every day. Relax by listening to music, having a drink and laughing.
   • For 15 minutes a day, try to do something like watch a comedy or view humorous photos online. Try to schedule this after the most stressful part of your day.

Part 3 of 3: Practicing your smile

1. Force some chuckles. If you're home alone or driving to work, try to smile as real as you can a few times. Sometimes your body needs a little push to get into the right mood. Try to make yourself laugh by just chuckling, even if there isn't really a funny trigger.
   • Start with three short "ha" sounds and force yourself to laugh. You will be surprised how quickly a forced laugh can turn into a genuine one.
   • Think of something that you found very funny in the past and that made you laugh. Remembering this during your laugh session can help start a genuine smile.
2. Pay close attention to the physical sensation of laughter. Laughing regularly is good for your immune system, brings more oxygen to your blood, gives you stronger abs and ensures that healthy substances are released in your brain, which improves your mood. Put your hand on your diaphragm when you smile and feel. When you practice laughing, make sure you feel it all over your body.
   • You can see laughter as a sport in which you train many muscle groups. Smile with a big grin and smile deep into your stomach. You feel wonderful afterwards.
   EXPERT TIP

   Make yourself laugh. If you've decided you want to laugh more, make sure to smile at least once a day. Practice laughing on the way to work, or on the way back to relax.

   • Take breaks for laughter at work. That is much better than smoking breaks. Take a 15-minute break to watch funny videos on YouTube so that you can have a nice and healthy laugh. After that you will be a lot more productive and relaxed.
     
     
3. Try laughter yoga. If you find it difficult to laugh on your own, you may be able to find a group in your area that does "laughter yoga". Laughter yoga sessions are guided by an experienced trainer. It may seem silly to do this with a group of strangers, but a lot of people benefit from it.

Tips

• Develop your own sense of humor.
• It is of course most fun to laugh with other people, but you can also find funny things such as jokes, pictures, videos and stories on the internet.
• A lot of people don't like their smile because of the way they look when they smile and not because of the sound. If this is the case, don't forget that you can just put your hand over your mouth when you smile.
• Make sure the way you smile is acceptable to others by looking around when you smile (if so, fine, otherwise you can work on it).
• Make funny faces in the mirror that will make you smile and finally laugh out loud.
• Tell a joke.
• Think of nice or funny memories. Doing this will make you laugh more easily.
• Visualize ridiculously crazy images or events. For example, a rat chasing a bull.

Warnings

• Laughter is healthy as long as it is not gloating.