The nonprofit Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor (AATH), whose board Hanna is on, claims that laughing changes brain function. Studies that looked at individuals’ brain activity while they were laughing found that this emotion can cause healing gamma waves similar to those felt by long-term meditators. She brought this ridiculousness into her life by wearing a tiara regularly throughout the month. She wore it while getting ready to tape her ABC News segments, kept it on the countertop of her apartment as a reminder to unwind and laugh, and wore it whenever she wanted a five-minute chuckle. After it, she always felt better and happy. According to Dr. Hanna, you don’t even need to laugh out loud to add humor to your life: Just discovering something amusing or fascinating can have the same results. She goes on to say that humor enables you to interpret circumstances in a unique and unexpected way. It’s not about making difficult things funny or ignoring pain and suffering, but allowing ourselves to also see the lighter side of life more frequently as a way to release the tension and recharge our own batteries. Given the year we’ve had, we could all use more laughter right now, especially as we move into the ambiguity of winter. Here’s how to add fun and humor to your daily routines.
