Cracking Up? Try Laughing Until You Cry
Sick of stress? Laughter might just be the medicine you need
I used to be pretty highly strung. A bit of a stress head. Nothing serious - and all self-inflicted: professionally plagued by imposter syndrome, and never happy with my work; personally stuck as a people-pleaser, who loathed asking for help almost as much as I hated letting anyone down. Not just friends and family, even complete strangers too.
There was no real drama, but each minor issue was like an app running in the background of my brain, quietly draining energy, focus and motivation until I was running on empty.
Practice what I preach
Over the years I’ve tried pretty much every stress-management and resilience-building technique going - some for work assignments, others out of desperation. Cold showers, sweltering saunas, flotation tanks, breathwork, meditation, hypnotherapy, journalling, gratitude practices, yoga, supplements, visualisation, progressive muscle relaxation - the list goes on.
Some really helped but required a ton of effort (yoga and meditation). Others were easy but useless (flotation tanks, which - ironically - left me with a sinking feeling).
But the best stress-buster? It wasn’t expert-recommended. And all I had to do was press play.
Crying out loud
You’ve guessed it - laughter. Five minutes on YouTube with classic bloopers or timeless sitcom clips can reset my mood in an instant.
Yes, there’s a minute of unskippable ads, but it’s a small price to pay for Del Boy falling through that bar or Martin Freeman cracking up countless times before Tim can get through his appraisal scene in The Office. (I’ve listed my top 5 favourite clips at the bottom of this post.)
Think it sounds too easy to be effective? Try it yourself: rate your stress now from one to ten. Then watch the video below and check again. Notice the drop?
Side-splitting science
So, what just happened? When you laugh, your brain short-circuits the stress response. Cortisol levels drop, feel-good endorphins rise, and your parasympathetic nervous system takes over - slowing your heart rate, relaxing your muscles, and signalling to your body that it’s safe again. It’s your nervous system's way of hitting the reset button.
Mood medicine
Sometimes I breathe to relax, sometimes I journal, and sometimes I just need to laugh until I cry.
At that’s my point: most stress-reduction strategies demand time, energy and focus before you feel any real benefit. That’s fine, because they’re worth it. But that doesn’t mean easy options - like laughter - shouldn’t have a place in your toolkit too.
So, next time the world feels like it’s getting on top of you, don’t overthink it. Go watch something that makes you laugh out loud. It might be all you need to get through the rest of the day with a smile on your face and a spring in your step.
My Top 5 Laugh-Out-Loud Clips
Zach Galifianakis’s Between Two Ferns celebrity interview bloopers
The Test Match Special team losing the plot after Ian Botham’s dismissal
National treasure Bob Mortimer’s madcap moments in Last One Laughing
Tim Key’s pitch-perfect performance as Sidekick Simon on Alan Partridge’s This Time
The genius Reece Shearsmith ruining every take in Peter Kaye’s Car Share
Thanks for reading. Got thoughts, comments or questions? I’d love to hear them - drop me a message!
Joe