National Humor Month is a fun celebration of the power of laughter – learn about the health benefits of laughing and how you can celebrate inside. We’ve even included some hilarious jokes!
April 2023. This article is independently written by Shelby Golding. All opinions given are hers. Shelby has been certified as a personal trainer and nutritional specialist since 2007. In 2008, she found her passion for writing about these topics and hasn't looked back.
April is National Humor Month, a time to share your sense of humor and reap the benefits of laughter. Everyone on the planet knows what a laugh is, and that makes laughter a universal language.
Laughter brings people together and offers many physical and mental health benefits. From reducing stress and anxiety to improving cognitive function and boosting our immune system, laughter truly is the best medicine. It’s no wonder that the famous comedian Charlie Chaplin once said, “A day without laughter is a day wasted.”
Benefits of Laughter
Laughter is often considered the best medicine and with good reason. Here are some of the many benefits of laughter:
- Reduces stress: Laughter can improve your mood, reduce stress hormones, relieve anxiety, and relax your muscles.
- Improves health: Laughter boosts your immune system, lowers blood pressure, and improves heart health.
- Relieves pain: People who laugh regularly experience a reduction in chronic pain symptoms, which is why laughter is often used in pain therapy.
- Improves social relationships: Laughter can help to create a sense of connection and community between family, friends, and acquaintances.
- Releases endorphins: Laughter triggers the release of natural feel-good chemicals known as endorphins, which promote a sense of well-being and may temporarily relieve pain.
- Improves heart health: Laughter can increase blood flow, which may help lower your risk of heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.
- Burns calories: Laughter is no replacement for going to the gym, but it does burn calories. For example, one study found that laughing for just 15 minutes burns up to 40 calories — if you do it daily, that’s enough to lose three or four pounds a year!
- Reduces anger: Nothing diffuses anger and conflict faster than a shared laugh or a good joke. Looking at the funny side of things can put problems into perspective and help you let go of confrontations without bitterness and resentment.
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Lengthens life expectancy: Research has shown that regular laughter helps you live longer and reduces your risk of early mortality, particularly for those battling cancer.
Laughter is a natural and enjoyable way to improve our well-being, connection with others, and daily life experience. And you can reap these benefits by having a good laugh, laughing out loud, or enjoying a funny moment with loved ones. So go ahead and laugh your way to a happier and healthier life!
Celebrate National Humor Month
National Humor Month was first celebrated in 1976 – author and humorist Larry Wilde founded this celebration to help bring public awareness of the many benefits of laughter.
Since 1976, we’ve celebrated National Humor Month every year to live, love, laugh, and find humor in our lives. It’s a time to consider the power of laughter and humor.
Ways to Laugh for National Humor Month
You can celebrate National Humor Month with anything that makes you laugh. Here are some ways to get started:
- Watch comedy movies and funny videos
- Read funny books or comics
- Tell jokes
- Try to stop taking yourself and life too seriously
- Spend time with people who make you laugh
- Participate in laughter yoga
- Express your humor through writing or drawing
- Perform a stand-up comedy routine at a school, retirement home, or hospital
- Listen to comedy podcasts or audiobooks
- Attend a comedy show or open mic night
- Do things that make you happy
- Play with your pets and children
- Find ways to be playful and silly
- Try to release your inhibitions.
- Just enjoy each moment
- Play games that encourage laughter, such as charades or Pictionary
Celebrating National Humor Month is a reminder to take a break from the stresses of everyday life and enjoy the positive impact that laughter can have on our lives.
Take a Moment to Have a Good Laugh Right Now!
Here are some hilarious jokes from Reader’s Digest to help you start celebrating right now:
Holy cow!
A pair of cows were talking in the field. One says, “Have you heard about the mad cow disease that’s going around?”
“Yeah,” the other cow says. “Makes me glad I’m a penguin.”
“Yeah,” the other cow says. “Makes me glad I’m a penguin.”
Where there’s smoke
“Once, my father came home and found me in front of a roaring fire. That made my father very mad, as we didn’t have a fireplace.” —Victor Borge
Just desserts
A young wife admonished her husband at a party, “That’s the fourth time you’ve gone back for ice cream and cake. Doesn’t it embarrass you?”
“Why should it?” answered her spouse. “I keep telling them it’s for you.”
—Selma Glasser, Good Housekeeping
“Why should it?” answered her spouse. “I keep telling them it’s for you.”
—Selma Glasser, Good Housekeeping
Matching wedding bandwidths
Before you marry a person, you should first make them use a computer with slow internet to see who they really are. —Will Ferrell
Snail’s pace
A turtle is crossing the road when he’s mugged by two snails. When the police show up, they ask him what happened. The shaken turtle replies, “I don’t know. It all happened so fast.” —Debby Carter
Identity crisis
“Your mother has been with us for 20 years,” said John. “Isn’t it time she got a place of her own?”
“My mother?” replied Helen. “I thought she was your mother.”
—Joseph Lozanoff
“My mother?” replied Helen. “I thought she was your mother.”
—Joseph Lozanoff
Beat it
Two eggs, a bagel, and a sausage walk into a bar. “Bartender, my friends and I would like a cold one,” says one of the eggs.
“Sorry,” the barman replies. “We don’t serve breakfast.”
—Susan Maguire
“Sorry,” the barman replies. “We don’t serve breakfast.”
—Susan Maguire
Take Time to Enjoy Yourself!
No matter how your choose to celebrate National Humor Month this April, take advantage of the reminder to bring laughter into your life! It’s good for your physical and mental health and even helps relieve pain. In addition, by making humor a regular part of our lives, we can reduce stress, strengthen our relationships, and enhance our overall quality of life.
And if you’re dealing with chronic pain, laughter isn’t the only wait you can find relief. The Kailo Pain Patch can help lighten the load and make it easier to enjoy this fun celebration!
The Kailo Pain Patch is designed to relieve pain in seconds without oral painkillers. And a recent clinical study showed that 96% of patients were satisfied with Kailo for pain relief. The study also showed that a majority of patients stop using medication when using Kailo for pain relief.
