How to Make Yourself Laugh

Co-authored by Amy Wong

Last Updated: December 20, 2021 References

Laughter is physically, emotionally, and socially beneficial. Regular laughter can help improve mood, manage stress, improve cardiovascular health, decrease pain, and strengthen relationships and bonds.^{[1]
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Trustworthy Source
HelpGuide
Nonprofit organization dedicated to providing free, evidence-based mental health and wellness resources.
Go to source} People who respond to adversity with humor, tend to be more resilient and are more likely to successfully cope with future stressors.^{[2]
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Research source} You can choose to see the humor in difficult situations and unfortunate circumstances. Try multiple strategies to make yourself laugh to find those that work best for you.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Making Others Laugh

1
Use other people's laughter to trigger your own. Laughter is contagious, thanks to mirroring.^{[3]
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Research source} As you watch and listen to others laughing, your mirror neurons start to exit in a way that helps you understand the emotional experience of those laughing. This then primes you to begin laughing yourself. Laughing becomes even easier as others catch on and the joke becomes even more amusing.
- In fact, mirroring can be so powerful, there doesn't even need to be a joke to stimulate it. You might try watching videos or listening to recordings of babies laughing for no apparent reason. You might notice you begin to smile.
2
Share funny videos. Watching funny shows, movies and clips are a great way to induce laughing, but they lose efficacy with repeated exposure. After a few viewings, you may notice, while you still acknowledge the humor, you no longer laugh out loud. You can rejuvenate the video by showing it to someone else. Your anticipation of others' laughter will make you laugh.
- You will find that rather than watching the clip, you probably actually watching the person you are showing it to. The anticipated reaction of the viewer now becomes the source of laughter, rather than the video itself.
- Free video sharing sites, like YouTube, are a convenient resource for funny clips.^{[4]
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3
Tell jokes to illicit laughter from others. Memorize several jokes, so you are prepared to make others laugh at any time. Different types of humor will appeal to different individuals, so memorize a variety to ensure you are prepared to make others laugh in any situation.
- Comic strips and joke books are good resources for finding jokes in a variety of styles. You can also find plenty of jokes online.^{[5]
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4
Take funny photos of yourself and your friends. Considering dressing up in costume or doing something outrageous in your photos. You'll likely find posing for the photos as funny as the photos themselves.
- If you aren't in the mood for a photo shoot, use an app or photo editing software to alter old photos to be funny.
5
Write and sing parodies of popular songs. People tend to find humor in the unexpected.^{[6]
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Research source} You can capitalize on this by taking something others are familiar with, like a popular song, and changing it slightly to create surprise. Find the lyrics to song and try replacing a few key words. They next time you hear the song with your friends, you can sing along with your version.
- You can find examples of music video parodies on YouTube and other video sharing sites.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Laughing at Yourself

1
Share embarrassing stories. Self-depricating humor puts others at ease and will help you to become more comfortable.^{[7]
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Research source} This is especially useful in tense situations. In addition to the mood elevating effects of laughter, you are making yourself relatable, as embarrassment is something we all understand.
- Think of a time that you fell or misspoke. These mishaps are pretty universal, so everyone can relate.
- There's no need to bring up these embarrassing stores if they genuinely make you feel bad and impact your self-worth.^{[8]
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  Expert Source
  
  Amy Wong
  Leadership & Transformational Coach
  Expert Interview. 30 April 2020.}
- Don't take yourself too seriously—that's key to being able to see situations with humor and positivity.^{[9]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Amy Wong
  Leadership & Transformational Coach
  Expert Interview. 30 April 2020.}
2
Reminisce about embarrassing events with others who were present. Reliving these funny shared moments demonstrates you don't take yourself to seriously, and you are open to others comedic interpretations. This reduces tension and provides perspective.
- When choosing funny moments to reminisce about, consider events that had an unexpected ending. Incongruity between expectations and actually events are widely accepted as funny.^{[10]
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3
Give yourself a reality check. Perspective is key to laughing at yourself. Realize you are just as ridiculous as everyone else. You have your own irrational beliefs and biases and strange traditions and habits.^{[11]
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- The ability to laugh at yourself can be a good sign that you see yourself as a whole, complete person even despite the weird mistakes you make once in a while!^{[12]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Amy Wong
  Leadership & Transformational Coach
  Expert Interview. 30 April 2020.}
- If you are struggling to identify your own funny tendencies, try making a list of your fears, even small ones. You will likely find several things you are afraid of, without justifiable reason. Are you afraid of going into a dark attic alone? Have you ever left a scary movie hyper vigilant about where dangers may lurk?

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Laughing About the Situation

1
Revel in absurdity. Acknowledge the absurd in life. These are the things that are ultimately meaningless but often are associated with emotional energy.^{[13]
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Research source} Think about a time you may have been in a heated debate over something really inconsequential, perhaps what to have for dinner or who is the best superhero of all time.
- Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is a great example of absurdism. If you aren't much of a reader, you can watch Disney's Alice in Wonderland.
- If you struggle to find absurdity in your life, try creating some. You can easily goad a friend into an absurd discussion about pretty much anything.
2
Seek out funny people, who share your sense of humor. Surrounding yourself with funny people will increase the frequency with which humor is interjected into your daily experiences. People of similar humor tend to feed off one another increasing the frequency of your own interjections.
- If you don't happen to share a similar sense of humor with those you regularly come in contact with, find a comedian who you find funny. You can experience his or her material online or at comedy shows. This will also give you something funny to share with others in your life that may strike a common humor chord.
3
Reframe a bad situation. Tense situations can be lightened by changing your perspective. In order to do this, try removing yourself from the situation. Pretend you are an outsider observing the goings-on. Tragic circumstances can seem funny when we remove the perception of a real threat. By taking the perspective of an outsider, you will make the threat benign.^{[14]
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- If you are having a hard time removing yourself from the situation, try thinking of all the ways the situation could be worse. Then try thinking of really absurd ways the situation could be made worse. This will provide perspective and lighten your mood.
4
Confront tension and discomfort. You may just want to get through uncomfortable situations quickly, but taking a minute to acknowledge awkward social situations is a great comedic opportunity. Making a simple comment, like "awkward," will disrupt tense moments and offer unexpected lightheartedness.^{[15]
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- It's best to refer to your own discomfort, unless you are really familiar with the others present. People who suffer social anxiety may not appreciate you drawing attention to their discomfort.

Expert Q&A

Question

How do you get your real laugh?

Amy Wong
Leadership & Transformational Coach
Amy Eliza Wong is a Leadership and Transformational Coach and the Founder of Always on Purpose, a private practice for individuals and executives looking for help in increasing personal well-being and success and in transforming work cultures, developing leaders, and improving retention. With over 20 years of experience, Amy coaches one-on-one and conducts workshops and keynotes for businesses, medical practices, non-profits, and universities. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Amy is a regular instructor at Stanford Continuing Studies, holds an MA in Transpersonal Psychology from Sofia University, a certification in Transformational Life Coaching from Sofia University, and a certification in Conversational Intelligence from CreatingWE Institute.

Amy Wong

Leadership & Transformational Coach

Expert Answer

A real laugh isn't a survival mechanism or an act you deploy in order to cover negative feelings up. Real laughs happen when you laugh at the mistakes or quirks that occur over the course of normal life without letting those events impact how you see yourself.

Warnings

Some jokes may not be appropriate in some settings, so exercise discretion.

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Your attempts to make others laugh may not always be successful. Don't let it hurt your feelings.

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