How to Make Humor a Habit from Experts on Healthy Humor IDEAS!
The Invisible Disabilities® Association recently hosted its debut Healthy Humor IDEAS show, and it’s a must-read for anyone who feels overwhelmed by life. IDEAS stands for Invisible Disabilities® Education Awareness and Support, and the panel brought together four incredible experts from the Association for Applied and Therapeutic Humor (AATH). Their collective wisdom is powerful: You don’t need to be naturally funny; you just need a strategy to use laughter as a powerful, intentional tool for resilience and well-being.
Forget waiting for a chance to laugh; here is the life-changing wisdom shared by these pioneers, starting with the core concepts and an actionable, 4-step plan for your own life.
Choosing Your Laugh
Humor is often seen as accidental, but the experts agree it should be a conscious strategy. They define the mission clearly: we want Healthy Humor, which is any witty moment or joke that results in a positive benefit for your mind, body, or spirit. This humor connects and includes, unlike Unhealthy Humor, which is used as a weapon to put people down.
The true goal is Humor by Choice. When you intentionally and consistently choose humor, you amplify the benefits in your life, turning a chance laugh into a reliable coping skill. This means being proactive about seeking joy, not passive about waiting for it to happen.
Create Humor Habits
You don’t have to be the funniest person in the room—you just have to be the smartest about using the humor that’s already there. The panelists offered four practical steps to seamlessly integrate healthy humor into your daily routine:
First, you need to Look for Humor (Be a Humor Appreciator). Stop stressing about being clever. Your primary job is to simply look for the funny that’s already happening around you. Your brain will actually start to rewire itself (thanks to Hebb’s law) to spot the humorous details more often if you consistently seek them out. The goal is to see funny, not be funny.
Second, create a record by choosing to Keep a Humor Journal. Write down those silly moments, funny comments, or perfect jokes that land well. This “humor log” ensures those great bits of levity aren’t lost. This collected humor not only gives you material to cheer yourself up later but also provides a powerful, positive record of your life.
Third, use the physiological benefits and Use Humor for Tension Release. Here’s the key science: You cannot be anxious and laugh at the same time. Use humor before going into a stressful situation to lower your blood pressure. A quick joke or a moment of shared absurdity can literally alter a serious moment, allowing you to deal with the challenge with a calmer mind.
Finally, the experts advise you to Train People to Get Rid of “Energy Suckers”. You must strongly advise surrounding yourself with positive people and actively distancing yourself from those who drain your mood. Finding the humorous underside to any frustrating situation is essential self-care, because choosing lightness over constant negativity is choosing health.
The Purveyors of Healthy Humor
The credibility and power behind this advice comes from the four incredible women who pioneered these concepts in their fields:
Karyn Buxman, the original neurohumorist, built her career on the science of laughter, proving through her Master’s thesis that humor is a vital neurological tool. Sue Stevenson, an executive coach and founder of Lifted Fog, applies these principles to help individuals “push through” chronic stress and illness, sharing how she connected with her mother in the later stages of Alzheimer’s through shared laughter when words failed.
Roberta Gold, the current AATH President and founder of “Laughter For The Health Of It,” learned firsthand that humor is the great equalizer when coping with her father’s hereditary disease, using shared laughter to ease the burden of illness. Finally, Joyce Saltman, a seasoned special education teacher, innovated by using humor to break down classroom barriers, making learning accessible and comfortable for decades of students.
Their combined message is clear: humor is not frivolous; it is a profound strategy for building resilience, strengthening relationships, and living a healthier, more joyful life. By following their Healthy Humor IDEAS, you gain an active, daily tool for a better quality of life.