How Laughter Propels Us Forward

Ten years into my mission of taking laughter out of the clubs to help us in real relationships offstage, and I am still a little surprised and a lot excited when my instinct to do this is confirmed out in the wild.

Laughter On Call has an upcoming workshop for Denver Public Schools. Unsolicited by me, the organizer paused the meeting to add, “You know, if you can make someone laugh, you’re ahead.”

We weren’t backstage at the Improv. We weren’t a group of caregivers, who know better than most that being able to laugh is a survival tool.

And yes, I told Cynthia I’d be quoting her.

She is a leader in the Denver public school system who understands that giving people tools to connect through laughter can make a real difference in a culture.

Which regular people are beginning to appreciate more and more! Maybe because of the AI tsunami. Personally, I have yet to get Claude to laugh. Not for lack of trying. 

Laughter, and especially laughing with other people, is a decidedly human experience. In fact, a 2025 German study found that frequent laughter was associated with less loneliness, less social isolation, and less social withdrawal. Notably, laughing during conversations and cultural events was linked to these outcomes, while laughing while consuming digital media was not.

So laughing at high fashion mash ups on your phone doesn’t address loneliness?

That’s disappointing. I thought we were closer. 

Despite all the tech advances we’re living through, we’re still just humans with keyboards. And luckily engaging with each other IRL is one way we can begin to chip away at what has been declared a loneliness epidemic for at least the last four years.

As far as Ms. Chico’s wisdom, the idea that laughter between two, or more, people is a shortcut in communication has science behind it. 

A study by Robin Dunbar at Oxford found that the endorphin response associated with laughter can act as a kind of biological “social glue,” creating connection faster than standard conversation.

I’m not exactly sure what “standard conversation” is, but apparently in the UK it doesn’t include laughing.

Laughter gets us “ahead” because of what happens when we laugh with a person. When we laugh at the same thing at the same time a lot of information is communicated quickly. Even if it happens unconsciously, a part of our brain tells us:

I like you.
You get it.
We could probably work together.

And, occasionally:

We could get married.

Sounds like a joke, I know. But for many women, it’s not. Psychology Today reports that for women on dating apps, a sense of humor ranks as one of the top non-negotiable traits. It doesn’t even come up in the top three for men, which is concerning. And makes the fact that I’m coming up on twenty five years of marriage something for which I should be even more grateful

So yes, Cynthia, making people laugh can put us out ahead in connecting with people. And not just in business men, if you know what I mean. 

Always here to help!