16 Hilarious Ways to Laugh More Every Single Day
Updated: Nov. 22, 2022
There is an epidemic of Seriousness. Innoculate yourself against doom and gloom by... listening to drunk people explain history and watching cats knock things off shelves? Sure!
Ask a preschooler to explain something
Preschoolers are the best people on the planet if you want a deadly serious yet totally hilarious answer to any of life’s big questions. They’re old enough to speak (relatively) clearly, they have zero filter, and most of them love a captive audience. Find a talkative tot—preferably one you know well as otherwise you’ll just seem creepy—and ask them how cars run, why we have day and night, what dogs think, or why their mom’s hair changes color. Bring treats and crayons for better answers. (If you’re lucky, you’ll get one of these 28 hilarious mistakes kids have made.) Don’t have access to a creative kiddo handy? Watch Kid History, a hilarious YouTube show featuring little ones explaining big stories.
Let a funny autocorrect fail ride
Most of the time, the auto-correct feature on our phones work great, changing “adn” to “and” before you even realize you made a mistake. But sometimes it goes horribly (and hilariously) awry. Who hasn’t asked their spouse to pick up the children at school only to have it inexplicably corrected to the chickens in the pool? The next time it happens in a text with a loved one (not your boss!), resist the urge to fix it to the right words and send it off so you can both enjoy a good giggle. Then laugh at how other people’s phones have betrayed them in the funniest ways with these autocorrect fails that will make you LOL, or check out D@mn You Autocorrect.
Eat a bag of Laffy Taffys
Buy a bag of Laffy Taffys, and while you’re enjoying the fruity, chewy goodness, read the jokes on the wrapper. Delicious candy and a so-bad-it’s-good joke—what’s not to love? It’s not top-shelf humor, but you’ll be surprised at how many will give you a hearty chuckle. For even more fun, share a few candies with friends or strangers and see who has the best-worst joke. Here’s one to get you started: How do you get a baby alien to sleep? You rocket! Or choose one of our 25 corny jokes guaranteed to get a laugh.
Get an alternate view of history
History has a lot of underrated hilarity. Not only were there moments that will make you laugh out loud—hello, Great Emu War of 1932!—but even the most banal events can become stand-up routines in the hands of a good storyteller. Take, for instance, Drunk History. This web series, now a show on Comedy Central, liquors up famous people and historians and then has them retell famous historical events. Trust us, you’ve never understood the antebellum south until you’ve seen Will Ferrell as Abraham Lincoln and Don Cheadle as Frederick Douglass “discussing” “things.” In the meantime, check out these selfie captions that will crack you up.
Take a laughter yoga class
Yoga normally feels like a Very Serious Enterprise, but you can forget about talking in whispers and pricey Lululemon outfits in this new type of class. Laughter yoga is an exercise routine totally focused on inspiring real and contagious laughter. Have you ever been in a room where someone else is laughing hysterically and you join in too, even though you have no idea what’s so funny? That’s the basic principle of this brand of yoga, and it’s got science to back it up. The brain doesn’t differentiate between real and fake laughter, and it’s easy enough to turn fake into real, releasing powerful “happiness” brain chemicals. It has health benefits too, reducing blood pressure and stress hormone levels, according to research done in India.
Tell your favorite funny story
One of the best ways to laugh is to remember when something genuinely funny happened to you. Have an inside joke with your sister? Was there an epic spring break with your college roommates? Give them a call and take the opportunity to rehash funny memories. Make the story as hilarious as you can—we even give you permission to embellish a little, for humor’s sake. Share the story with your parents, kids, or someone else who’d get a kick out of it, and then ask them to share one of their funniest memories.
Ask Siri if you’re awesome
Siri, Google, and Alexa are great for making grocery lists and telling you the weather forecast, but they also have plenty of entertaining features. You can ask them to tell you a joke or branch out and ask other random questions. For instance, saying “Hey Google, am I awesome?” gets you “You’re cooler than a cucumber… in the freezer.” Pretty good, eh? Try one of these questions that guarantee a wacko answer or experiment with your own (and share your best finds with your friends so they can get a laugh too!). If you’re in the market for an assistant, see our comparison of which tech product tells the best jokes.
Give your dog peanut butter
Watching dogs get really excited to eat anything is pretty funny but giving them peanut butter is really the best. Seeing them try to lick the sticky treat off the roofs of their mouths will bring a smile to your face on even the worst days. There’s just so much tongue flailing and adorable confusion! And no worries: Peanut butter is on the safe-snack list for dogs.
Listen to all the funny podcasts
Have a weird sense of humor? Guaranteed there is someone out there who shares your interests, and chances are good they’ve made a podcast about it. True crime obsessives will die laughing (ha!) at My Favorite Murder, a comedy show about serial killers. Foodies will love Spilled Milk, a podcast that finds the funny side of eating. Love to hate pop culture? 2 Dope Queens gives you the info you secretly crave without taking any of it too seriously. And there are thousands more where those came from.
Put an (unbreakable) glass of water on the counter by your cat
Dog lovers aren’t the only ones who can get a good giggle from their pets! Cats are such hilarious little weirdos, especially when it comes to physical comedy. Line up the glasses on the counter, pull out the laser pointer, or just wiggle your toes under the bed sheet and watch them go bananas. Or look up one of the plethora of funny cat videos online—like this one that tries to answer that perennial question of why cats love knocking stuff off of counters.
Ask your dad to tell you a dad joke
“Dad jokes” are jokes based around an obvious pun—the kind that fathers have been telling (or torturing) their kids with for years. Prime example: “Did you hear about the guy who invented Lifesavers? He made a mint!” Admit it, you just cracked a smile. There are plenty of these on the Internet, but to get the full Dad Joke Experience, we recommend calling your own father and asking him to tell you a joke. There’s nothing better than shared laughter, even if the joke is awful. Or enjoy these 31 groan-worthy dad jokes.
Do some bad lip-reading
If you’re like most of us, you’re probably pretty terrible at reading other people’s lips—which is exactly why it’s so funny to try! Check out Bad Lip Reading on YouTube. It will make you see scenes from your favorite movie, clips from your favorite sport, or political speeches in a whole new light. Once you’ve got the idea down, try a little bad lip reading yourself. At the very least, it will make weekends with the in-laws go by faster!
Check out your “memories” on social media
Social media can increase feelings of loneliness and depression, it’s true. But it also has many features that can lift your spirits, including allowing you to share your day-to-day funny moments and then getting to relive them when they pop up again in your feed as “memories” years later. Start the cycle of smiles by posting a funny thought or experience and enjoy all the entertaining responses from your friends to boot. If you don’t want to post them yourself, follow a joke-a-day page to make sure you always have something light-hearted in your feed.
Get a comic-strip subscription
Half the reason people used to get the Sunday paper was to read the comics section. But now that hardly anyone buys a physical paper anymore, the comic section is going the way of coupons you have to physically clip and using newspaper as wrapping paper. You don’t have to miss out on your favorite comics though; all your favorites are online at GoComics. You can subscribe to a particular comic to make sure you never miss an update, or check out our collection of cartoons to help you get through your day. You’ll never have to worry about getting ink on your fingers again!
Think about laughing
Even if you can’t think of anything funny in particular, simply anticipating something funny can cause your stress hormones to drop and prime your brain for happiness, according to a study done by the American Physiological Society. Simply having an attitude of being open to hilarity can brighten your day. Start with these mini-meditations on happiness or just daydream about the funny TV show you plan on watching later or the improv show you’d like to see.
Keep a laughter journal
There is an epidemic of seriousness right now and it’s making people feel gloomy and hopeless. But no matter what the news says, there’s always a reason to laugh. One way to find more of those little moments is to keep a laughter journal. (You’ll be amazed at how this woman’s life changed just from keeping a journal recording her laughter.) It’s simple: Keep a notebook, or a notebook app, handy and record every time you laugh and what tickled your funny bone. Being aware of when and how you find joy in your life can help you see more of it.
Originally Published: February 20, 2018
