I laugh out loud! That’s right, way before LOL became a term. When I was a little girl, I used to imitate the laughter of Woody Wood Pecker.
I remember in my teens when my Papang always reminded me to tone down my hearty laugh because it might be misconstrued by boys. He was concerned that they might think his daughter was not a mahinhing dalagang Pilipina.
I’d like to believe that I was rather conservative as a teenager, but I kept the hearty laughter, well into my golden years.
Malakas akong tumawa, pero hindi ako marunong magpatawa!
When it comes to delivering jokes, my sons say I suck. I’m the typical “tawa muna bago kwento” that usually ruins the punch line. But I still try. Most of the time, I just laugh at myself.
Laughter is indeed the best medicine. When I’m sick, I watch comedies and eat comfort food, and almost instantly, I feel a few notches better. Laughter also brings people together. Hearty laughs during social gatherings are among the things I really miss these days. But we don’t need to wait for us to party again to enjoy the benefits of laughter. It’s okay to laugh by yourself, especially if you remember the great benefits of laughter.
According to HelpGuide.org, here are some of the benefits of laughter.
1. Laughter relaxes our whole body. If we allow ourselves a good hearty laugh, stress and tension can be relieved, and our muscles can be relaxed for almost an hour.
2. Laughter boosts our immune system. It decreases the stress hormones and increases our immune cells and infection-fighting antibodies, improving our resistance to disease.
3. Laughter triggers the release of endorphins. Our body’s natural feel-good chemicals are released. These endorphins promote an overall sense of well-being, sometimes relieving pain temporarily.
4. Laughter protects our heart. It improves the function of our blood vessels and increases blood flow, which help protect us from heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.
5. Laughter burns calories. I’m not saying that we should not exercise anymore, but a studies show that laughing for 10 to 15 minutes a day can burn approximately 40 calories, which could be enough to lose three to four pounds over the course of one year.
6. Laughter lightens anger’s heavy load. It is the best diffuser of anger and conflict when shared by the opposing sides. When we look at the funny side of an issue, it helps us put things in perspective and avoid confrontation.
7. Laughter helps us live longer (and of course happier). People with strong sense of humor outlive those who don’t laugh as much.
Can we make money by being funny?
With all the above benefits of laughter, it is just right that the people who make us laugh should earn a decent living. If you are a humorous person, if you have that knack for making people laugh, here are some ways to make money by being funny.
1. Create funny videos. Do you notice how the most widely watched and shared videos are the funny ones? Check out You tube, Tik tok, etc. Funny videos can catapult not so famous and even unknown content creators to superstardom because of their million views. These millions of views will later bring in revenue share from the platform, product collaborations, shows and many more!
2. Write funny blogs. Whatever content you’re sharing with the world, try to add humor so that the lessons will be easier to digest and your readers will also enjoy a laugh or two while learning a lesson.
3. Join contests. If you’re not yet ready to commit to a regular blog, just write down your jokes, then try joining contests.
4. Be a comedian. If you’re okay to perform on stage making people laugh, maybe you should try. Since comedy bars are not yet back, try Kumu. I heard that among the top earners on this platform are comedians. Who knows, you may be the next Jerry Seinfeld, Kevin Hart, Michael V. or Vice Ganda?
5. Write comedies, books. If you’d rather be behind the scene, you may write for comedy shows. Once you have enough materials, you can grow this to turn into a book or a course! Years ago, I was told by ABS-CBN Publishing that their top selling book was the comedy book of the late Meriam Defensor-Santiago entitled Stupid is Forever!
6. Sell merchandise with humor. You can sell your design or put your humor on actual merchandise like t-shirts, mugs, etc. Christmas is just around the corner, and you can make these for your personal gifts or take advantage of the selling frenzy of the season.
So what do you think? Do you have what it takes to make money by being funny? Even if you don’t end up making a living out of being funny, here are other benefits you can get by enhancing your sense of humor.
1. Do you notice how not-so-handsome but super funny guys end up with the most sought-after beauties? Yes, sense of humor works its magic in making you attractive and sexy!
2. A good sense of humor is always an added value in speeches and other literary materials.
3. Having a good sense of humor attracts people in general. This enhances not only your own well-being but also enhances your ability to do business, even if you’re not in the business of making people laugh. It’s always more fun to engage happy and funny people.
4. We’re in for another seven months of emotionally charged campaigns, a sense of humor will go a long way in keeping all of us sane.
Let’s talk more about laughter, how to enhance your sense of humor, how to earn from it on Thursday on our live show Money Lessons with FQ Mom and Sons. Our special guest will be a popular Filipino comedian. He’s also a television host, actor, film producer, commercial model, and educator, Ramon Bautista. Our episode title is Paano Kumita sa Pagpapaptawa? Send in your questions so we can discuss them or better yet, ask your questions during the live show.
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This article is also published in FQMom.com