Laughter may seem like a small thing, but it’s not. Studies have suggested that laughter can be healing, it can have a huge effect on attraction, and it’s important for relationships. Being able to laugh together is a wonderful thing in relationships, and honestly, if you can’t laugh with someone, isn’t that a bit sad?
Sparks Fly
We’ve all heard that we shouldn’t lose the spark in our relationships. That’s true. You don’t want a relationship where you don’t feel that attraction, and laughter is a way to maintain it. Studies have suggested that women are almost three times more likely to hand their number to a guy if they think he’s funny. Think about that and your relationship.
Mental Health
Laughing has also been known to help your mental health because it puts you in a more positive mindset. Studies have hinted that those who laughed, even if they were faking, were shown to have a better outlook and found themselves feeling at least moderately happier. The next time you’re feeling down, try laughing.
Physical Health
Now, this one may surprise you, but there have been studies that show that people’s pain tolerance (or threshold) is higher after laughing. Now, no one is actively trying to get hurt, but it could be a relief to know that laughter can literally act as a protectant against pain.
Emotional Connection
While you may think that you have to be strong all the time, you don’t. A relationship is about two people trusting each other enough to let go and be themselves. Laugh together, and you’ll find that you feel a deeper emotional connection to your partner. This is true even when times are hard.
Stress
No one wants to be stressed. It takes a toll on you mentally, physically, and emotionally, while putting you in a bad headspace. Laughter, however, reduces stress and tension by lightening the mood. When you laugh together, it releases endorphins, which offer stress-reducing effects as well as the ability to boost your mood.
Problem Solving
When you use humor and laugh, it can help you brainstorm and think outside the box. That allows you to come up with unconventional ideas. The ability to collaborate as a team strengthens the connection you have and helps to remind you that you can be friends as well as romantic partners.
Engagement
When you use humor and laughter in relationships, it can also make your partner engage with you more and be more present. It creates an environment that can help foster active listening instead of being passive. When you laugh together, it can help the other person remember key information and want to pay more attention.
Intimacy
Sharing laughter together allows a couple to feel closer and creates a deeper sense of intimacy than you might imagine. Inside jokes and humor that only the two of you get can give you a better emotional bond, and the more you adapt humor into your routine, the closer you’ll feel to each other.
Resilience
We all go through bad times, and you’ll find that’s true in relationships too. Couples who have been able to laugh with each other have a better ability to bounce back from the hard times quicker and with a more positive outlook. That’s another way that the two of you can have a better bonding experience.
Communication
When you are in a relationship that utilizes laughter and humor, you’ll see that you have an easier time discussing uncomfortable topics and are less likely to have arguments. You can talk freely, and you’re not worried about tripping up. Instead, you feel the freedom to express yourself in healthy ways, which in turn, helps lower the stress.
Fun
Laughter and a positive outlook will make the fun times even better. Imagine you’re out to dinner with your partner, and he says something that makes you double over in laughter. That memory will stay with you when you’re thinking of how fun that night was. If you look back at other memories, you’ll probably remember laughter first there, too.
You’re Not Alone
When we laugh and it’s genuine, we feel less alone. In relationships, this solidifies the feeling of having a friend and a partner you can trust. It also lets you feel that with this person, you don’t feel so lonely, which is another step to having a long, healthy relationship.
Safety
When we laugh with our partner, it shows that we feel safe in the environment that we’re in, and we can let our guard down. This is something that every relationship needs to have in order to be successful. When you feel safe and protected, you show all of yourself.
You’ll Live Longer
When you laugh together, you live longer because you’re not as stressed and you’re not having that physical and mental strain that wears you out quicker. Knowing you’re healthy also takes stress away because you’re not worrying about doctors, bills, and other expenses. Couples find security in knowing they have a long future together.
Similar World View
Laughing signals that you and the person you’re laughing with view the world in the same way, or at least in a similar way if there are differences. This helps you feel like the person is a true part of your life and not just someone who might not be there later. Studies have suggested that the perceived similarity helps people think the relationship is working.
Laughter Makes The World Go Round
Laughing genuinely works as a medicine for individuals and relationships. Not only can it strengthen your bonds, but it can keep you together. When you want to have the best relationship possible and feel like you can truly open up, hold on to your partner and laugh. You’ll see that your relationship is a thousand times better.
