Laughter is the best medicine. I mean that. I know the saying has been around forever but sometimes I feel like people brush off old adages for a number of reasons. I mean let’s face it ‘laughter is the best medicine’ is something your grandfather would say. It just sounds over simplified. However, the saying still sticks around to this day because when it comes down to it, it’s true. When you’re feeling down about a situation, the natural reaction these days seems to be to replay the event over and over in one’s head and scrutinize everything that went wrong and what should have been done. The thing about it is that dwelling does not cure anything. It inflicts more anxious feelings and sends your mind into a frenzy. That is until someone comes along to lift your spirits with some humor.

The moment you experience something genuinely funny is a truly euphoric experience. It’s like an involuntary reaction of joy that cannot be controlled no matter how hard you try. In fact, trying to stop it only makes it worse. This is usually exemplified when you want to stay mad at someone but you simply cannot. A good sense of humor can keep relationships together and fix fights both big and small. All it takes is a classic joke from your best friend to remind you that all your anger is misplaced and not worth it.

Laughter can be a cure for internal issues as well, not just squabbles between two people. There’s nothing like laughing at yourself in an embarrassing moment to remind yourself that you’re human when your ego starts getting too big. Conversely, when life has you down and lacking motivation, that feeling you get when laughter takes over can remind you what makes life great. Seeing something funny can allow you to forget all the solemn worries of the world. Laughter really breaks life down to its core and just reminds you that when all the layers are stripped away, living life really means getting the most enjoyment out of each day and I don’t know any better way to do that than to laugh as much as possible.

It takes a certain mindset to have a good sense of humor. Some people can’t help but immediately go to the negatives of a situation. If one takes life too seriously too often they will never achieve the most they can out of life. Dwelling on any negative thought can't change how anything can turn out. Fate is already set for us, and it is time to let it ride out. Take life as it comes. If things turn out bad, don’t sit there and say ‘why me?’ just laugh it off and say ‘of course this would happen to me.’