On laughter
Christine Fieldhouse asked positive psychology coach Bev Cripps for her top tips to channel our inner hyena
We’ve all been there. We get a fit of the giggles and before we know it, we’re out of control with laughter. Our face contorts. Tears stream down our cheeks. We think we might crack a rib. We may even sob. And anyone not in on the joke thinks we’ve lost the plot.
Well, we need to do more of it. According to experts, laughter comes with a multitude of health benefits, ranging from lowering stress and increasing energy to burning calories (up to 40 calories in 15 minutes) and using muscle. It’s also thought to lower our blood pressure, boost the immune system and relieve pain.
I asked Bev Cripps, a clinical hypnotherapist, positive psychology coach and resilience trainer, for her top tips to help us channel our inner hyena.
Smile more
Start by smiling more, suggests UK-based Bev. Smiling isn’t laughing, but it’s the beginning, so smile at people in the street, smile when you’re driving or sitting at your desk working.
Bev says: ‘Smiling tricks your brain into feeling happy, it’s a great warm-up, creating the conditions for laughter to expand to those deep belly laughs that release those marvellous endorphins.’
Use your cues
If you surround yourself with cues, you’re bound to have a laugh in your day.
‘Have a collection of mugs with humorous things on them or collect postcards or fridge magnets with witty sayings on,’ recommends Bev. ‘Display photos of things that make you laugh, or pictures of you when you were laughing uncontrollably with a group of friends – anything to remind you of funny, light-hearted times.’
Try laughter meditation
To do this, sit quietly and focus on your breath, and when you are settled and quiet, summon up something funny that has happened or a funny image, post or video that made you laugh.
‘You’ll start by smiling and then you can dial up the feeling,’ says Bev. ‘Then layer something else that’s funny on top of it. You’ll soon be laughing. You can do this anywhere, even when stuck in traffic. Ideally, start the day with a session.’
Practise laughter yoga
‘Laughter is contagious and if we’re in a group of people where someone is laughing, we’ll probably end up laughing too, once we’ve got over our self-consciousness,’ says Bev.
‘You can do laughter yoga online or join a class where it’s usually guided. When you laugh with someone else, you boost communication and you bond with them.’
Get playful
Rekindle your sense of play with the games you played as a child, suggests Bev.
‘Have a game of charades, snap or Twister or play a board game,’ she says. ‘We lose our sense of play as we get older and we all become so serious. When we go back to the games we loved as children, whether it’s rounders or frisbee, we lose our self-consciousness and we reconnect with our playful state.’
Have your favourites
We all have a favourite TV comedy, YouTube clip or Tik Tok video that creases us up – Bev suggests we compile a library of them and have them to hand as a toolkit to top up our laughter quota.
‘It’s easy to overdo the serious stuff, and watch the news or documentaries all the time, but we all need something light, especially when worrying things are happening in the world,’ advises Bev. ‘If you like slapstick, tune into Laurel and Hardy, or escape to New York and enjoy the timelessness of Friends. Whatever makes you laugh, watch or listen to more of it!’
