The Power of Laughter

by Jo Morgan

To finish the term and see pupils through the holidays, Mrs Morgan has been trying to make everyone laugh. We can always benefit from laughing, perhaps now more than ever! 

Did you know that laughter actively reduces stress hormones AND helps our bodies to fight off disease by building our immune system? It helps us deal with emotional pain, forges human connection and laughter even burns calories! 

You can read more about the medical benefits of laughter here Laughter is the Best Medicine 

Challenge 1:

Have a good laugh!

You may not feel like laughing right now but I want to challenge you to watch these videos and allow yourself to laugh. I promise, if you’re feeling down it will make you feel better.

A good place to start is watching other people laugh because laughter is absolutely contagious. Check out these videos and see if they make you laugh:

Hysterical and contagious laughing boy in music class and Contagious Laughter Compilation 2 

It’s not just humans who laugh either. This man’s actual job is to tickle rats and make them laugh! Find out why here See What Happens When You Tickle a Rat | National Geographic

So laughter is a universal need. If I haven’t managed to make you laugh yet how about a joke?

I told my wife she was drawing her eyebrows too high. 

She looked surprised.

I broke my finger last week.

On the other hand, I'm OK.

Still not laughing?

Okay, back to some silly videos and my personal favourite, people falling over!

If all else fails a good binge of You've Been Framed always does the trick.

You are probably familiar with funny videos of animals but have you seen this clip of a vicious goat with voice over from comedian Tony Baker? Hilarious! 

Speaking of goats, did you know that goats faint when they’re scared? Check this out: fainting goats compilation

Or perhaps funny kids are more likely to make you LOL. Have you ever seen the now infamous Charlie bit my finger - again

I hope that your spirits have been lifted by now and that I have successfully managed to make you laugh. Now on to…

Challenge 2:

Make someone else laugh…

Even though you can’t see your friends and some of your family in person you can still help them to feel happier and to cope at this difficult time. Perhaps share some of the videos above with them or choose your own. You could send them a funny joke or meme.

Even in isolation, people have not lost their sense of humour. Check out some of the things people have been getting up to:

Celebrity reactions

Perhaps create your own funny response to isolation and share it with others. 

I hope you have a fantastic Easter holiday. It’s going to be different but it can still be fun. I’ll be back in touch after the break. 

Take care, 

Mrs Morgan