I love to laugh. It makes me feel good and happy and if you ask my friends, I am pretty easily entertained and will laugh at almost anything and everything. Before, I thought stand-up comedy was so boring and dry, but now I can't get enough of it. With knowing how much I like stand-up now, there are some things that I became aware of.
1. There is a comedy station on Spotify
Ok, this isn’t something that is totally specific about comedy itself, but still, you can listen to stand-up on Spotify!
In all honesty, I was completely against Spotify before. I had always used Soundcloud. I knew how to navigate Soundcloud and make all different kinds of playlists depending on my mood. Also, Soundcloud had a lot more remixes and songs that Spotify did not have. One thing that I didn’t like, though, was that I had sifted through so many random tracks that would come up in my feed of the artists I followed. There were no smart playlists that would compile a bunch of my favorite artists and songs together into one playlist for me to listen to, or give me suggestions of songs that I might like based on what songs and artists that I saved to my library.
So, after some reconsideration, I finally signed myself up to get Spotify Premium. I had no idea of the various options that it provided. As I was browsing through the genres and moods section, I came across a comedy playlist. I thought to myself, “hmm, comedy? What kind of music is that?” I clicked and then all of a sudden a picture of Aziz Ansari popped up along with other great comedians. I was so surprised that Spotify had this option for people to listen to stand-up! I loved this and became so ecstatic. I had always just watched stand-up on Netflix, so now having the option to listen to it wherever I went was such a game changer for me.
I work a pretty boring job in the summer, which consists of me sitting at a desk for hours going through documents. I am thankful that I am able to listen to music while at my desk, but sometimes it can get pretty boring listening for a few hours straight. Now, with the discovery of stand-up comedy as an option on Spotify, I now sit at my desk either smiling from ear to ear or hysterically laughing out loud in a totally silent room with about 25 other people.
I don't even care if I look silly to the others around me because the stand-up that Amy Schumer had about guys being gross or the one Aziz Ansari had about his Chick-Fil-A dilemma are the only things that get me through the work-day.
2. Listening to comedy can affect your health in a positive way.
You’ve heard the saying “laughter is the best medicine,” right? Well, it's totally accurate and backed up by science! According to Health Central, laughing releases specific endorphins that are natural painkillers in your body, so when you laugh, you feel happier and feel a greater sense of well-being.
Laughing can also help treat and lower the risk of depression and anxiety. Some people even practice something called laughter yoga. That is where you exercise laughing and actually force yourself to fake a laugh. Now that sounds silly, but it is actually supposed to help boost your mood. By fake laughing, you are tricking your body into thinking you are happy, so in the end, those happy endorphins I just mentioned are released, which make you feel better!
Voila! Two things you might not have known about comedy or what comedy can do for you. Now go spread the laughter or maybe this awesome video that will make your heart happy and hopefully someone else's too.
