Exams. Due dates. Deadlines. Performance review. Now that I have your attention, let's talk about seasons of life. Every "season" of life is going to have it's stressors (except maybe infancy). As soon as you could form coherent thoughts, sadly, your little toddler brain worried about things. Worries stick with us throughout life; they might evolve, but they are inevitable. The same thing that started out as tears at the first day of preschool and ends up manifesting throughout the rest of our lives in the form of hopelessly cramming before an exam or financial hardship. Stress is an ever-present and expected figure in our lives. So often we let it rule our lives, and forget to make time to tear it down.

Healthy Dose of Joy

Story: Just last night I walked in my room after long, stress filled day and my roommate made a comment that absolutely slayed me. I threw my bag down and doubled over with laughter. Joy broke threw and tore apart my wall of things to accomplish, deadlines to meet, and my robotic-mindset.

Science: Listen up, kids, because this one is really cool. Laughter actually fights off stress hormones. Whenever we laugh, the effects of stress hormones are suppressed. This is great news because stress hormones, for instance cortisol, can lead to hypertension, an unbalanced immune system, and even memory loss. So just keep chuckling through midterms/finals, and we won't get a dreaded stress-induced cold (disclaimer: that last "fact" is most definitely not bonafide science).

Positively Hysterical

Story: About a week ago, a good friend came in town to visit for the weekend, and her presence was not only so sweet but so healing. You forget how much hysterical, teary-eyed laughter can heal until you are rolling on the floor in a fit of giggles surrounded by people you love. Fill your life with great people who make you want to laugh like an idiot.

Science: The exact facts behind this one are still not fully explained, but to begin let's define some terms. The limbic system is central to human expression of emotion and the place we derive motivation from. In the same general region lie the hippocampus (tied to memory) and the amygdala (responsible for strong emotions). Due to their proximity, these parts of the brain often work together. Psychology has narrowed down the origin of hysterical, uncontrollable laughter to somewhere in this area. Because laughter comes from the limbic region of the brain, it is closely associated with strong memory and emotion. It is no wonder that this correlates to the calm you feel after a good laugh.

Bridge of Giggles

Story: Recently, I was watching a movie with a new friend, and I realized her laughter was contagious. A simple comment about a casting choice or wardrobe piece made us crack up when it wasn't particularly that funny.

Science: For many evolutionary biologists and anthropologists, laughter is categorized as social interaction. In many cases, laughter shared within a group or merely between two individuals can bridge divides and create a strong bond. Laughter often serves as a social lubricant, smoothing over some situations that would otherwise be awkward or threatening. For this reason, a multitude of our social interactions involve laughter because it quite literally makes everything better.

Past all of the silly anecdotes and pop science, I encourage you to throw stress out of the window for a moment. Embrace the giggles. Let your mind go even if for just a minute. Pick up the phone and call an old friend or someone special. Revel in your humanity. Be happy, be joyous.

Source: How Stuff Works Science