3 Practical Reasons To LOL More Loudly

I’m of the belief that any laugh quieter than a donkey’s or a drunken medieval tavern-keeper’s is not worth the breath. I like laughing loudly, not at “polite” volumes.

While uproarious mirth may not help me with sophistication, it has many powers for good. Here are three reasons you should embrace the belly laugh:

1) It feels good – The first reason is a simple one: belly-laughing just feels good. You put your whole body into the task, and you find that you can relieve stress and tension in the process. When I’m anxious, there’s nothing like a good hard laugh to set me at ease.

3) It sets others at ease – Laughing helps when you need to set yourself at ease, but it can also help others loosen up. Have you ever been in a crowd of people who are taking (perceived) authority, convention, and social pressure too seriously (say, in church or school or a business meeting)? Laughing just a little louder than authority, convention, and social pressure will permit can go a long way toward helping people out of their emotional handcuffs. It’s hard not to feel at home when a good laugh is going around.

4) It signals your sense of life and humor  – If you want to spend your time around people who go full-bore into life, laugh loudly. The more uproarious your laugh, the easier it is to know that you’re turned up to 10.

Originally published at JamesWalpole.com.