SKIP TO: Header | | | Navigation | Main Content | Footer

Greater Good Science Center • Magazine • In Action • In Education

Mind & Body Articles & More

Tuesday Tip: Make Yourself Guffaw

One thing you can do today to be happier.

By Christine Carter | July 5, 2011

Laughter lowers stress hormones (even the expectation of laughter can do this) and elevates feel-good beta-endorphins. For this reason, find something that reliably makes you laugh, and keep it handy.

For me, it’s watching my kids laugh (especially my daughter Molly, who is tiny but has a belly laugh as big as the Buddah’s). All I do when I need a laugh is let them watch a few funny animal videos on YouTube or Animal Planet. They immediately dissolve in laughter, which then lifts my spirits when I laugh at them laughing!

What will you do to laugh today?

Advertisement X

© 2011 Christine Carter, Ph.D.

Become a fan of Raising Happiness on Facebook.
Follow Christine Carter on Twitter
Sign up for the Raising Happiness monthly newsletter.

About the Author

Christine Carter

Christine Carter, Ph.D. is a Senior Fellow at the Greater Good Science Center. She is the author of The New Adolescence: Raising Happy and Successful Teens in an Age of Anxiety and Distraction (BenBella, 2020), The Sweet Spot: How to Accomplish More by Doing Less (Ballantine Books, 2015), and Raising Happiness: 10 Simple Steps for More Joyful Kids and Happier Parents (Random House, 2010). A former director of the GGSC, she served for many years as author of its parenting blog, Raising Happiness. Find out more about Christine here.

Comments

blog comments powered by Disqus

MEET THE GREATER GOOD TOOLKIT FOR KIDS

28 practices, scientifically proven to nurture kindness, compassion, and generosity in young minds

Order Now
Related Articles
- Why Seeing Beauty Matters, Even in the Midst of War
  November 30, 2023
  When people find themselves displaced from their homes, finding or creating beauty is a human impulse that brings hope and resilience.
- After Depression, Our Brain’s Negativity Bias Lingers
  November 20, 2023
  After recovering from depression, we still hold on to negative information too strongly—and may benefit from cultivating more positive feelings.
- Why Reading Is Important for Children’s Brain Development
  November 17, 2023
  Children living in poverty show poorer brain development. But reading for pleasure may help counteract this.
Take the Awe Quiz

Could your life be more awe-some?
Take the Quiz
Are You the A*Hole?

Worried that you might be wrong in that argument you're having? Intellectual humility can help.
Happiness Break: A Visualization to Connect With Your Heritage

Chef and author Bryant Terry leads us through a visualization to connect with our ancestors by appreciating our families' traditional foods.