Using Distraction and Humor for Stress Reduction

Sometimes, when a situation gets too overwhelming, all you can do is laugh. Many people use humor to cope with both positive and negative experiences. Here is what you need to know about using humor and distraction for stress reduction.

Understanding Humor as a Coping Mechanism

As the old saying goes, laughter is the best medicine. And laughter and humor do indeed have positive physiological and psychological benefits.

Laughter strengthens the immune system. It increases immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies and decreases stress hormones. Laughter also improves blood vessel function and increases blood flow, which can help protect your heart^[1].

Along with the physiological benefits, there are a lot of mental benefits of laughter too. Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, which are the body’s natural feel-good chemical. These chemicals will give you a general sense of well-being and can even temporarily relieve pain. Laughter also helps stop distressing emotions, helps you relax and recharge, and draws you closer to others^[1].

In addition to making you feel good, laughing can also burn some calories. One study found that 10 to 15 minutes of heavy laughter can burn between 10 and 40 calories, depending on body type and how deep the belly laugh is^[2].

As laughter is so powerful, some mental health professionals have started implementing laughter therapy into their practice. Laughter therapy uses humor to improve health and relieve stress. One study found that it can reduce the physiological markers of stress, and it works as an effective complement to pharmacological treatment^[3].

Overall, humor is an effective way to deal with stress. It can enhance your quality of life, strengthen relationships, improve mood, and help you approach overwhelming situations with a positive mindset.

Types of Humor for Stress Relief

At first glance, it may seem that being humorous is always a healthy behavior. However, studies have found that some types of humor can be harmful to yourself and others^[4].

The four types of humor can be broken down into two categories, positive humor and negative humor. Affiliative and self-enhancing humor fall into the positive category. Self-deprecating and aggressive humor fall into the negative category.

Affiliative Humor

Affiliative humor involves telling funny stories or witty, inoffensive, and lighthearted jokes that riff on things you see in everyday life. It is a type of humor used to enhance your relationships with those around you. A 2003 study described affiliative humor as benign, cheerful, and accepting of yourself and others^[5].

Affiliative humor is all about taking small observations about everyday life and turning them into fun anecdotes. The sitcom Seinfeld shows many great examples of affiliative humor. For instance, one episode revolves around the characters searching for their car in a large parking garage. The show mines humor from this situation and turns it into a funny, relatable episode that engenders empathy and relatability^[6].

Aggressive Humor

Aggressive humor is the opposite of affiliative humor. While affiliative humor is about building connections through shared experiences, aggressive humor involves singling out the differences between people.

Aggressive humor comes at the expense of others and involves putting down or insulting someone else. The sitcom The Office often used aggressive humor, and many characters would make sarcastic comments about each other or put each other down.

Examples of aggressive humor include excessively teasing someone or pointing out things about them you perceive as flaws. This type of humor can be detrimental to relationships, and it can increase anxiety and depression^[7].

Self-Enhancing Humor

Self-enhancing humor is a type of humor that arises from a situation that you find yourself in. When using self-enhancing humor, you’ll make yourself the target of the joke in a good-natured, jovial way. People who use this type of humor tend to remain positive even during difficult times^[5].

Some studies have found that self-enhancing humor can be beneficial to your physical health. One study found that self-enhancing humor was associated with improved general well-being, while self-defeating humor was associated with poorer well-being^[8].

Self-Defeating Humor

The inverse of self-enhancing humor is self-defeating humor. It involves putting yourself down in an aggressive or ‘poor me’ type of way. This type of humor is sometimes used by the targets of bullies. By putting themselves down first, some people believe they can avoid attacks. Studies have found that self-defeating humor is associated with lower self-esteem^[9].

How to Incorporate Humor into Daily Life

Humor and stress reduction go hand-in-hand. One of the best ways to alleviate the stress of everyday life is to incorporate more humor into your day. You don’t have to make any big changes to achieve this. It’s more about finding joy in everyday situations. For instance, while walking around your neighborhood, try to find a few little things that make you smile. This could be as simple as a clever sign on a neighbor’s lawn or a cute dog sitting on a porch.

Smiling more is also helpful as it can cause your body to release endorphins. One study found that even fake smiling can release endorphins. A fake smile will also often turn into a genuine one and will make you laugh, which can relieve even more stress^[10].

Another good way to bring more levity into everyday life is to create a humor journal. In the evening, write down things that made you smile or laugh that day. These could be a one-liner a co-worker told that made you both belly laugh, or it could be as simple as a funny text from a friend.

When you’re feeling down, go back to your journal and read through a few entries. This is sure to lift your mood whenever you need a boost.

It’s also important to surround yourself with positive friends who help you see the brighter side of life. Surrounding yourself with positive, supportive friends is a huge part of stress management.^[11]

Another good way to bring more joy into your life is laughter yoga. This type of yoga combines laughter and yogic breathing, also known as pranayama. This practice promotes a greater sense of well-being and can lower blood pressure and stress levels^[12].

Try joining a laughter yoga class in your local area. If there aren’t any, there are numerous videos available online.

The Role of Distraction in Stress Management

Along with humor, another good way to alleviate stress is to use distraction techniques. Distraction can temporarily take your attention away from a strong emotion, giving you a chance to catch your breath.

There are many things you can do to distract yourself, such as calling a friend, doing chores, or watching a comforting movie. Or, try doing something creative, like writing or drawing a picture. You can also focus your mind on a simple and relaxing process such as mindful breathing, naming all the objects in the room, or counting backward from one hundred.

Studies have shown that distraction can be very helpful in regulating emotions for people with trauma-related disorders such as PTSD. It can also be beneficial for those with depression and even chronic or acute pain^[13].

When you’re facing a situation that initially feels stressful, it’s also helpful to reframe it. Cognitive reframing is a way of changing the way you look at something, which in turn changes the way you experience it^[14]. For instance, if a numbers-filled spreadsheet at work is making you stressed, try reframing it as a game, with numbers you need to vanquish to win a reward.

Remember, though, that a distraction should be temporary. Once the intensity of the feeling of stress has reduced, you’ll need to return to it and address it.

The Importance of Humor for Mental Health

There is a correlation between a well-developed sense of humor and mental health benefits. A strong sense of humor can lead to increased resilience to stress and other difficulties life throws at you. One study found that humor-based training was very effective in managing stress for healthcare workers and worked well as a complement to more traditional workplace stress management interventions^[15].

Humor and laughter can also foster social connections and support networks, which play a crucial role in maintaining mental health and managing stress. While we sometimes laugh on our own while watching a funny sitcom, observational studies have found that people most commonly laugh in conversations. These laughs are typically in response to ad hoc statements and observations rather than structured jokes^[16].

How to Balance Humor and Seriousness

There are many benefits to cultivating a strong sense of humor and using humor as a tool for resilience. However, it’s important to know when a more serious approach is needed. For instance, let’s say you’re in a stressful situation, and you tell a joke to try to relieve the tension. If nobody laughs or people get more tense, that may be a sign that a more serious approach is needed.

Humor is an important tool for stress reduction, though social norms and professional settings may require a tempered approach to using it. Additionally, it is important to ensure you don’t use humor as an avoidance mechanism to circumvent your true feelings about a situation.