Laughing Uncontrollably IRL Is Good for The Soul

When was the last time you laughed so hard with someone that you forgot what you were worried about? Not a Hehe or a little chuckle. Not a Ha ha - not a “that's funny” laugh.

A FULL ON 🤣LMAO - I'm talking about the kind of laughter where you can't catch your breath, your sides hurt, somebody at the table is crying, and you can't even remember how the conversation got there in the first place.

That feeling can only, really happen, when it's IRL - In Real Life. I mean sharing the moment in person. Let’s face it, laughing on a Zoom call just doesn’t give you the same feeling.

Laughter changes the room

Have you ever walked into a room where nobody is talking? Kinda eerie and awkward. But, walk into a room with people laughing - it's amazing how different that room feels. The room comes alive when you open that door after walking down the quiet hallway. There’s a small group of people and one person is telling a story. You know the event is about meeting people so you insert yourself into the group. Somebody makes a joke about the story. Everyone busts out laughing. And another comment comes out - more hysterical laughing Before long, people who weren't talking to each other are suddenly part of the same conversation.

That's one of the things I love about laughter. It's contagious.

And unlike a lot of things we do these days, it doesn't require an app, a password, or a subscription.

You just need people to get together.

You don't have to be funny

Here's something I've learned:

You don't have to be the funny person in the room to have a good time. Sometimes you're the one telling the story. Sometimes you're the one laughing at the story. Sometimes you're laughing because somebody else can't stop laughing. And sometimes the funniest moments aren't even intentional.

Those are usually my favorites.

Like hanging out at a social event, for instance. A funny answer to a question. A ridiculous guess during a game. Somebody drawing a ridiculous looking picture. A story that starts out normal and somehow gets completely out of control.

Those little moments are what people remember.

Laughing gives strangers a reason to talk

This is one of the reasons I like using games to bring people together.

Imagine sitting at a table with six people you've never met. What do you say?

“Hi. I'm Richard. What made you come to this social?” Maybe. But that's not always the easiest way to start a conversation.

Now imagine you're all trying to come up with the answer to a ridiculous question. Someone gives an answer that makes absolutely no sense. Everyone laughs.

Someone says, “How did you come up with that?” And just like that, you're talking. You didn't have to force it. You didn't have to introduce yourself to everyone in the room.

Something happened that gave you a reason to interact. And sometimes that's all it takes.

You know the best laughs aren't planned

Some of my favorite memories didn't come from something I carefully planned. They came from something that happened while I was around other people. Something somebody did that nobody expected. That's the thing about getting together with people.

You can't always predict what is going to happen. And that's part of the fun.

Laughter makes people feel like they're part of something

I think there's another reason laughing together matters. For a moment, everybody is on the same page. It doesn't matter what you do for a living. It doesn't matter how much money you make. It doesn't matter whether you're outgoing or quiet. It doesn't matter if you walked in knowing ten people or nobody at all.

If everybody is laughing at the same thing, you're sharing the same moment. And that's a pretty simple way to feel connected to other people.

I've always believed that laughing is one of the easiest ways to bring people together. You don't have to agree on everything. You don't have to have the same background. You don't even have to become friends.

You just have to share a moment and it feels really good.

We could all use more of those moments

Life has plenty of serious stuff in it. But I do think we sometimes forget to have fun. We forget how good it feels to sit around a table and laugh with people. We forget how much better a conversation can feel when everyone is relaxed. We forget that sometimes you don't need to accomplish anything.

You just need to have a good time. And maybe that's one reason getting out and being around people is so important. You never know when a normal night out is going to turn into one of those nights you talk about later.

“Remember when…”

Those are the stories we keep and tell over and over.

So go laugh with somebody

The next time you get an invitation to go somewhere, consider saying yes.

Then laugh at something stupid. Maybe make a new friend while doing it. Simply have a really good night. Because laughing with other people isn't just about being entertained. It's about feeling connected. It's about forgetting, even for a little while, everything else going on around you.

And we could probably all use a little more of that.

info@localsocialclub.com

Local Social Club, LLC.

(256) 469 - 0535