It's No Joke: Faking a Laugh Can Actually Spark Real Joy
Pretending to smile is associated with unhappiness. What if I told you that the opposite was true? At least if you fake it consciously…
Last week I went to visit my parents. I grew up in the far west of Germany, near the border with the Netherlands. It usually takes me about five hours to get there, but this time it took about eight hours due to technical problems. You might think that the German railways are efficient and always on time. It's a myth.
Anyway, after the long journey, I was happy to finally sit down with my parents at the dining room table, sipping freshly brewed coffee. My mum got herself a new haircut and I thought it looked lovely.
And while I was complimenting her on her chic bob, my dad turned to me silently and just pointed at my mum with his index finger and then at the back of his head, over and over again. Like in a comic in a loop. My mom immediately burst into tears of laughter.
And then I saw why: There was a neat triangular cut at the back of my father's head. I'm sure in Berlin that cut would have been the start of a new hipster trend. In the small town, everyone knows it was the result of someone trying to save money and thinking: 'Oh, my wife can do that too. Turned out: No, she couldn’t.
My mum's infectious laughter made me laugh immediately. Within seconds, tears were running down my face - and even my dad couldn't keep up his angry face and started to smile. The stressful train journey was forgotten. I felt fantastic. They say laughter is the best medicine, and well, it's true.
Fake a Smile to Put Yourself in a Happy Mood
I was thinking about this lovely incident when I was chatting with my friend Grace the other day. We got onto the topic of tricking ourselves into feeling better by just faking a smile. Because the body doesn't seem to understand the difference. So if you grin, your body just goes, "Oh, a smile? Must be happy time!" and dutifully releases those happy hormones. Isn't that fascinating? If you want to read more about the scientific background, check out this article on INC by Jeff Haden:
Grace also mentioned laughter yoga, which I'd heard of but never tried. So, of course, I googled it, and it was probably the most hilarious google search of my life. For example, I found this wonderful interview with a laughter yoga expert by one of my favourite British morning show hosts, Holly Willoughby. My goodness, I'd had no idea what the benefits of a good laugh could be.
Did you know that…
… 15 minutes of belly laughing is the equivalent of 300 sit-ups? I don't know about you, but that sounds like a lot more fun than doing cross-fit or any other kind of fitness class.
… it only takes 20 to 30 seconds of fake laughter for your body to release the same hormones as real laughter. Smiling or laughing, it doesn't matter, just keep grinning.
… children laugh up to 300 times a day, whereas as adults we only laugh 5 to 10 times a day. Any more questions about the society we live in? Yes, I thought so.
Watch the interview and I promise you will laugh. They introduce some good (and completely weird) exercises. My favourite was the zip-up laugh.
It looks like you're flashing in the park, but instead of showing your .. well, you know..., you're showing the world a belly full of laughing. Still creepy if you do it in a park, but guaranteed giggles at home.
So I wish you all a big, long, hearty laugh (for the abs, of course.. summer is coming) and don't forget - ho ho ho, ha ha ha.
Cheers,
Katie