Laughter is often said to be the best medicine, and there’s no denying its ability to bring people together, reduce stress, and improve mood. But is laughter always the solution to our mental health challenges? The reality is that humour can be both a tool for healing and a way to avoid things we don’t want to face. Understanding the light and dark sides of humour can help us use it more intentionally to feel better instead of masking underlying issues.
The Light Side of Laughter
There’s a reason why we’re drawn to laughter, especially during tough times. When we laugh, our brain releases endorphins—the body’s natural feel-good chemicals. These endorphins can lower stress levels, reduce physical tension, and create a more positive emotional state. In fact, research shows that laughter reduces the stress hormone cortisol and increases dopamine, the neurotransmitter responsible for feelings of pleasure and reward.
Humour also serves as a social connector. Laughing with others helps us build bonds and strengthens relationships, which can help us feel less isolated or lonely — two major contributors to poor mental health. It provides us with a mental “reset,” offering a fresh perspective and a temporary escape from overwhelming situations. In many ways, laughter is a powerful coping mechanism that brings people together and lightens heavy emotional loads.
The Dark Side of Laughter
However, laughter has its limits. While it provides temporary relief, it can also become a tool for avoidance. In some cases, humour is used to deflect or distract from deeper emotional issues that need attention. I’ve personally experienced this. After years as a stand-up comedian, using humour to get through challenging moments in life, I had the shocking realisation that laughter was masking something much bigger — my own struggles with undiagnosed postnatal depression.
On stage, I would laugh and make others laugh, feeling momentarily uplifted. But once the laughter faded, the feelings of sadness, anxiety, and isolation would return. In my case, humour became a band-aid over a wound that was being made worse with laughter. Laughter alone wasn’t enough to address the real issues I was facing; it only delayed the moment when I had to confront them.
Finding Balance: Using Humour Intentionally
So, how do we find the balance between using humour as a tool for relief and recognising when it might be deflecting from the real problem? The key is to become more mindful of when humour helps and when it might be hiding something deeper.
In The Feel-Good Effect, I explore the notion that humour should be used to help us do hard things, but it’s not the cure. If we use laughter in combination with self-awareness and conscious action, it can lead to meaningful, long-term improvements in mental health. But if we rely solely on humour without addressing the underlying issues, we risk prolonging unnecessary unhappiness.
The double-sided nature of humour reminds us that while laughter can help us cope, it isn’t an all-inclusive solution to our problems. By becoming aware of how we use humour, we can create space for both laughter and deeper healing.
If you want to discover how humour can improve your mental health, in The Feel-Good Effect training workshop, you’ll learn how to harness the power of humour to build resilience, reduce stress, and enhance wellbeing.
Because when we feel good and do good, everyone wins!
