October 15, 2025 • 22 mins
A good laugh can feel like a reset button for the mind, but why does it work so well—and why do some spaces still treat joy like a liability? We dive into the science of endorphins, the psychology of pattern interrupts, and the social rules that tell us when it’s “acceptable” to smile. From nervous giggles in tough moments to the quiet relief of sharing a joke, we explore how humor helps us regulate emotions, widen perspective, and reconnect with ourselves when anxiety tightens its grip.
As therapists, we talk about how we use humor with care—laughing with clients, not at them—to gently loosen rigid stories and make room for choice. We unpack cultural and gendered stigma around visible joy, especially in professional settings, and why that bias costs us well-being. We also compare flavors of comedy, from dark humor to slapstick, and discuss how to curate content that actually nourishes your nervous system. Along the way, we touch on laughter yoga, the contagious lift of live comedy, the mindful power of softening your face, and how improv-style “yes, and” thinking builds resilience without denying reality.
If you’ve ever been told you “laugh too much,” or you’ve felt you had to hide your smile to be taken seriously, this conversation offers language, tools, and permission to reclaim joy. Leave with simple practices—micro-moments of comedy, a “sure-thing” clip list, social rituals that invite levity—so you can dose humor like daily care. Subscribe, share this episode with a friend who could use a lift, and tell us: what reliably makes you laugh?
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_00 (00:00):
A good laugh, how liberating it can be when you
see your friends and you havethat that good giggle giggle and
chat.
Yes.
Well that's what we're gonna betalking about in this week's
episode of Get It Real with theEnglish sisters mind health and
anxiety.
We are therapists and we arehere to help you.
(00:21):
And like they say many a time,laughter is the best medicine
often.
Yes, that's correct.
Yeah, absolutely.
They do say that, and there is agood reason for it.
Why?
Well, because when you laugh,you release lots of those good
(00:43):
feeling hormones, you know.
The good one, the endorphins,that's it.
I couldn't remember the word forit, and so they they they flood
through your system and theycreate this feeling of
well-being, and it's like, yeah,it's like no matter what
happened before or what washappening around you has
(01:04):
suddenly sort of beeninterrupted, so it also
interrupts your thoughtpatterns, doesn't it?
Well, yeah, like if you're ifyou're at work and that you like
if you're in a very serious workenvironment.
Yes.
Do you remember that time whenwe had to go and talk to the
doctors and we said we'reusually too friendly, we're
gonna be serious with ourdoctors.
Oh that was terrible, thatwasn't.
But it didn't turn out too good.
(01:26):
Well, no, because I think therewe realised that we were too
serious.
We were too serious, yeah,because normally we do we yeah,
that was I mean it was fine, itjust it felt weird.
It felt unusual, yeah.
It felt unusual, yeah, becauseit wasn't like in our normal
spirit.
But sometimes you do have tosort of uh tone down the the
smiles.
Obviously, it depends whatcircumstance you're in, you
(01:49):
know.
Well, yes.
If you want to get sick leave.
If you want to get sick leave,you're not gonna start laughing.
Exactly.
That that's a different you wantto be taken seriously, don't
you?
Yes, so what the reason whyyou're discussing sick leave is
because you might be havingmental health mental health
(02:10):
problems, but still be but stillbe laughing, exactly, and you
know, like the way I'm saying itnow, you might be feeling that
because sometimes laughter isn'tjust it's not just because
you're feeling happy, no, no,you could just be feeling that's
why they say you can crylaughing, don't they?
(02:32):
Well when you laugh, you cry alot sometimes.
Do they say tears come, yes, butI I didn't realise, I thought
that's because they're liketears of joy from laughter.
They are joy, but you still havethe you're still releasing
emotions.
I mean, there's no way.
Yes, exactly.
You're releasing emotion, that'swhat I wanted to say.
(02:53):
Yeah, now I'm like it's theafternoon, and I'm like you've
got giggly mode now.
I've gone into giggling modebecause I'm thinking about the
laughing.
However, yes, you're right.
Yeah, it's all about releasingemotions.
So sometimes laughter can comeup in the most you know,
inappropriate ways when youwould think no, that's
inappropriate.
Would you remember when likelittle children at school when
(03:14):
you're all giggly and you'relike the teachers really tell
you off because you're laughingat something that's serious?
That's right, but really it's away of you coping with uh uh
maybe a difficult subject, orlike what you say, a mental
health concern that you have,and you're just trying to to do
some best.
You're trying to do like you'reyou don't know what to do with
your emotions, so they they comeout as giggles.
(03:37):
Sometimes they cry.
I remember when I was little,sometimes I would just cry, but
other times I do remember oncewith uh with the maths teacher
in particular, I startedlaughing and giggling.
And after he was bullying you,yeah, and uh it was a lady and
she went nuts, you know, andthen I I had to run under the
desk, and then she was sheobviously she I mean that was
(03:59):
naughty of me, but then you knowit was it was terrible really
because then afterwards she justwasn't really naughty, it was
just that you were a child andyou just had you didn't know
what to do in a very serioussituation.
When you saw someone was angry,you just didn't know what to do.
So she was so angry.
Was to laugh.
Yeah, I mean, what I say uhdefine as naughty is because I
was actually hiding, but if Ithink about it, poor me.
(04:22):
If I I was hiding because I knewthat she wanted to catch me and
to hit me, because we would wewould get you know hit in those
days, which was awful, you know.
So that was a differentsituation.
But I do remember giggling, andI remember her shouting at me,
telling me to stop it, and themore she shouted, the worse it
got.
So obviously that was some kindof a nervous giggle.
(04:43):
But yeah, but I mean, laughterdoes help us in so many ways.
So, like if you're feeling downand you watch a you know a funny
film or something, it'sdefinitely a sketch, it's gonna
make you feel better, isn't it?
I would definitely recommendthat.
Yeah, watching something funny,you know, that's gonna put you
in a good mood.
I think that's why it's sotherapeutic as well, why people
(05:04):
like going to the comedy showsbecause everyone's laughing all
together and there's so manyendorphins being released.
Yeah, that's great.
You always feel great aftergoing like to a live comedy,
yeah, yeah, definitely.
No, no, that no, it's true.
Or when you like uh there's thisuh this programme that my hubby
watches about sports, and oh mygosh, they're commenting on
(05:27):
sports, on football, on foot,it's actually on football, and
they laugh.
I come in in the morning and Ihear them laughing, like so
happy, giggling and laughing atall the jokes that they're
little gibs or jokes they'rehaving with each other, and it
really is coming to an enjoyingmood.
It's such an easy way, isn't it,to really sort of transform your
(05:50):
day.
And and it's something I thinkthat it's it, you know, if
you've got a choice, andnowadays most of us do, of what
we're gonna watch or what we'regonna listen to, we might as
well listen to something that'sgonna uh make us have a laugh
and and not forget how importantit is to have a laugh and to
cultivate that, cultivate peoplearound us that are jolly, have
(06:12):
more of that.
That's why we like doing thesepodcasts as well, isn't it?
Because we do have a laugh whenwe do them.
We do have a laugh, yeah.
We get through many littlelaughs when we're doing them
indeed.
It's fun, it is fun, but I mean,even when we have therapy
sessions, we laugh a lot withour clients.
We do use humour.
(06:32):
We do laugh with them, not atthem.
No, no.
Now that just sounds awful.
Of course it's not at them.
No, no, absolutely not.
We laugh with them and we makethem see how some things can be
humorous, can be seen in adifferent way as uh and they can
be found almost funny, so thatyou can reframe certain things
(06:54):
that might always annoy you andsee the funny side of them.
Or things that have been verydifficult for you sometimes in
the future when you look back onthem, you can actually see the
funny side, can't you?
Not always, but not always, butsometimes you can.
Um I think that that's where allthat dark humour stems from,
isn't it?
(07:14):
Never understood that that much,but well, yes, that's a kind of
um that's supposed to be verycommon in British people, isn't
it?
So we should really understandit.
I didn't like it much.
No, I know what you mean, butit's kind of It's cathartic,
isn't it?
(07:34):
It's kind of like, yeah, bringsout you sort of see the worst
things, but you see the funnyside in the worst things, like a
man, uh I don't know, somethinghappens to him tragic, a brig
falls on his head, and youthink, oh my gosh.
No, I think that's moreslapstick.
No, no, but that slapstick wouldbe like it just bounces off.
Like Lauren Harden.
(07:56):
No, something happens, like helikes, you know, you you might
see something dramatic happen tohis head, you know.
That's more like dark comedy.
Well, that sounds like a horror,right?
Have I not got to it right?
I don't know so, but that'sfunny in itself.
But I'm sure you listening outthere will be able to tell us.
(08:16):
Yeah, I mean, uh there there islike there's there are some
things going now, like onNetflix that are classified as
dark humour.
These funny things like there'san there's a series of The Boys,
it's all about superheroes, andit's quite some of it's very
explicit, you know.
You see all these people andthings happen to them, body
(08:39):
parts flying around, and that'ssupposed to be dark, comedy and
funny at times.
Yeah, have you ever heard of it?
I think I watched it a bit, butit wasn't my cup of tea.
No, no, it's about superheroesthat are like and they go bad,
or they're not bad, but Ithought it was a bit gruesome
for my life.
It's gruesome.
There are lots of gruesome andthat's no, it's just you know
(09:00):
it's about it's about they'rejust props, aren't they?
Yes, of course they're props.
They're always props in films,goodness me.
That wouldn't that be horribleif they weren't?
Of course they're props, but itlooks kind of realistic, you
know.
So they make it they make itgruesome, they make it look
pretty gruesome.
Over the top.
(09:21):
Yes, it's very over the top.
But anyway, that's so you getlike um You get accustomed to
it.
Well you can't you can get usedto it.
I mean you can anyone thatwatches horror movies and they
love them.
There's so many people that dolove them, so they're all
accustomed to it.
I remember they used to saythey're funny, people you tell
me.
People used to tell me that.
Do you remember like oh we'regoing to see so outrageous that
(09:44):
people just think it can't betrue?
Exactly.
But people as a therapist, Ialways think they're just like
truth in them.
Do you?
Well and I find it creepy.
Yeah.
Yeah, I know what you mean.
This is like the Halloween one,isn't it?
(10:07):
Yeah, I know, I know.
You're always coming afterHalloween.
It is, yeah.
It's it is it is like that, butanyway, any kind of humour, I
think it's you know, it's itit's always good for us.
It can also be a mindfulpractice because they've had
that laughter yoga for years incourse.
They have, yes, they reallyhave.
And they just start fake, fakelaughing, and then they all
(10:30):
laugh together in a group.
That's supposed to be veryhealing, or hearing all the
other people laugh.
So, what you were saying,there's a lot about other people
laughing that sort of it'scontagious, isn't it?
It's contagious.
Like the other day, I waswatching a film and I was
laughing, and then my husband,who was in the other room, he
came over, what's so funny?
And I said, Oh, it's just thisfilm I'm watching.
(10:52):
I'm just it's just really funny.
And he couldn't see it was funnyat first, but then he sat down
and he tried to see it.
Because it was in it in Englishand he's Italian.
Yeah, it was in English, but Iput the um subtitles on for him.
It's not the same, is it?
No, no, it's not the same, but Iwatch a lot of films with
subtitles.
(11:14):
Yeah, okay, okay.
Well, to be fair, yeah, I guesshe couldn't really fully
understand it, but I did hearhim sort of like chuckling away
at a few of things, yes.
Not that much though, to tell.
Not really.
No, but I mean I continue.
But obviously, everybody hasdifferent sense of humour.
I mean, I see the lot of I likelike humour.
(11:37):
I I find humour in every day.
So as if I'm going round, I justfind something funny or
something someone said as isfunny when other people think,
what are you laughing about?
That's not that's not.
Or they always say violetter,why you're always laughing.
You always say I am laughing,but I'm not laughing.
I just find it comical, thesituations, and uh it's not as
(12:02):
if I'm laughing at the people.
One person actually said, Areyou laughing at me?
Yes, yes, I'm I said, No, I justfind I find it fun.
I I suppose because I observeand I can see the facial
expressions, and then all of ittogether is just it's just it's
cute, it's humorous.
It's humorous, yeah, because youcan sort of see the thought
process happening once youbecome aware of it, and
(12:24):
obviously we're trainedtherapists, so we we can see
where the thought might becoming from, and how that person
might be coming overwhelmed bythat thought, and how bewildered
they might become.
And that sounds horrible.
That sounds horrible, but no, Imean it's like they start
scratching their heads whenthey're thinking the thought
process that we can have, we canidentify with because we've had
(12:48):
similar thoughts.
Of course, because we're thesame, we're all the same.
We have the same problems andthe same issues, everyone does.
Oh, yes, you're correct.
I guess so.
We've been through it, and so wethink, look, we know how to you
know.
You have to be funny, don't you?
You have to have a huge thing.
(13:08):
I think I mean that to go backto that day at the doctor,
because we said if you at onepoint we thought, if you're a
woman and you're like giggly orlaughing, especially here in
Italy, but probably everywhere.
I think everywhere is you'retaken as as you're not taken or
considered to be very seriousperson.
(13:29):
You're not like people do notvalue your opinion, and you're
not considered to be of valuebecause you're considered to be
like frivolous or light heartlight-hearted, like not not
serious.
So we didn't do an experimentwhere we thought, okay, we're
not gonna be because here inItaly there's an actual
(13:50):
expression, isn't it?
No, it's care like ridere comeat so that's really horrible,
but it actually does say you'relaughing like a madman, like a
mad person, as if only peoplethat were mentally ill would
laugh.
(14:10):
Gosh, that's terrible.
Yeah, terrible.
Yeah, but that that's what itwas that that's what the saying
is ridere comeato, like a mentalmentally ill person.
Gosh.
Well, I wouldn't I wouldn't haveknown that.
No, I'm telling you.
I mean, I I thought the questionwas like, what you what have you
got to laugh about?
(14:31):
What's your life?
No, that's also anotherexpression, but that's really no
more.
The other has probably been theother one is like no one says it
anymore now.
I don't think.
Obviously, the newer generationprobably don't politically
correct.
But it's kind of in the culture,though, whether it's politically
(14:51):
correct or not, it's in theculture.
These expressions may not besaid, but they're thought about.
Yes, and that's what I'm sayingis that the culture is there,
and that's what you were sayingabout the woman and the woman
laughing and the woman nottaking that seriously.
So that's why the it's in theculture, and I've heard it so
many times, even my sons areyoung and they're brought up
(15:14):
here, but I hear them stillsaying certain phrases that
belong to the old culture,really, yes, and also because
like on their profiles and thatthey don't really smile much
people, do they?
They're always pouting.
Pouting.
Well, yeah, people like I seethe profiles of younger people,
they never you don't see thatmany smiles around.
(15:36):
Yeah, that's quite sad.
You're right, actually, yeah.
They've always got like thispouting face or very serious
face on.
Yeah, especially, I mean, in thedating world, you don't you have
to do that.
Oh, in the dating world, oh Iknow what you mean about
pouting, yeah.
Like, oh, that pouting, yeah.
No, no, but or just serious.
Serious, really.
Well, I wouldn't We wouldn't,because smiles and laughter, but
(16:00):
I see that's awful.
I do see it.
You do see it, yes.
You're right.
As if there's something wrongwith smiling.
Oh, or laughing.
Or laughing.
Yes, well, there's that's whatI'm telling you.
It stems from it stems from youknow, this kind of culture.
I'm sure it's not just anItalian saying, I'm sure that
comes, you know, it's as if onlythe the the fools were allowed
(16:24):
to were happy.
Only the fools, you know, onlythe the the people that weren't
quite sane of mind because theywere nothing to think ignorant
about the world's troubles, yes,because they were like like like
some children, yes.
So they were they they could goaround laughing.
(16:46):
Of course, you're not you knowlaughing for a for a reason or
laughing for no reason at all,who cares?
Well, who cares if you're jollyand happy, exactly, or if you
just want to relieve stress.
I think the reason why you spokeabout it is because there's this
kind of taboo around stigma.
There's a stigma as a culture,and it's time to be get rid of.
(17:08):
It's time to get rid of that,and it would be lovely to see
more people laughing and smilingon their profiles.
You're absolutely right, and tojust have more laughter in the
world, generally more laughter,generally amazing.
That would be amazing.
Imagine just clicking through aTV.
Even just having a couple ofgiggles a day, and our facial
expressions say so much aboutus, and a lot of us do go around
(17:31):
with a frown all day withoutrealising it, don't we?
Yeah, that's sad.
Yeah, and that can the frown.
Do you remember when we firstlearnt about the facial
expressions and body languagesto go back to it again?
We realised how serious we wereas we were going around our
business.
Goodness me.
(17:51):
And at one point I even thought,what have I got to laugh about?
There's not that much to laughabout.
Yeah, I do remember that.
You remember you telling me,well, life is pretty tough at
the moment, there isn't thatmuch to laugh about, but yes.
But it was because we hadn'treally learned to be mindful and
to look at the present momentand just look about the joy in
every day.
(18:14):
It's a kind of a skill, isn'tit?
I think so.
It's a skill to be fine-tunedand it can start with.
I mean, that's why a lot ofpeople that do improv comedy all
of a sudden they feel a lotbetter as well.
Their mental health gets better.
Because they're doing thisimprov comedy, but they're just
coming up with little uhsketches and you know, follows
following.
(18:35):
That must be tough.
Well, it's hard.
I've always thought that must beso hard just to go after it.
That's also good fun, isn't it?
No, I mean that's the one.
Well, I mean those classes whereyou go together and then an
actor, so you start off with ascene with a like with a frame.
Today I was reading the TimesEnd.
And uh oh, and I would have tosay something, and I saw a
(18:55):
really funny cartoon on it.
With a frog.
Um with a hat on.
A hat on, yes.
Yeah, and then it goes on andon, and then you have a laugh in
the end.
Okay, right, I see.
That's a gay room.
Do you know that I've got threetoads in the garden?
Toads.
A mother toad or father toad andtwo baby toads I mean the baby
(19:17):
toads are adorable.
But yeah, well, you know howmany toads we've got here in our
butt we haven't got a pond, soit's quite unusual.
There's always a resident toadthat's enormous.
I think they came from the timethat we had the pond, and the
kids bought all the little tinytadpoles for me.
Oh, my house.
And they spawned, and they theyI think the garden was like they
(19:39):
populated our garden.
And then we had massive toads,but we've always had like two or
three, two, I think.
I don't know.
Uh you know, my son says it'sthis it's not the same toad, but
some people my daughter or theother one thinks it is my
husband.
The one no, that's funny.
Yeah, the other one is like justwho is he?
(20:04):
But I don't know, but it's funnyto see them because they line
up.
Really?
I didn't know they go in a line,and the the father and the two
little ones.
I mean, the little ones youthink it's a father, but you
don't know.
It could be the mother, yeah.
Or it could be non-related.
I don't know.
It probably is related, probablythe mother.
They should be related becausethey're all together, but we
(20:25):
don't know.
No, no, but like often you havethose wild boars that come along
and they're all like littlegroups, aren't they?
They are, they come in the fieldnext to you.
They definitely look like a bigone, which is like daddy and
mummy and the little ones thatyou can see them.
But they come up and they followthe little trotting.
That's a different story.
Anyway, what do you findamusing?
(20:47):
What do you find funny?
Do you find that uh laughterlike dissipates anything?
I mean, I do.
I always have believed a firmbeliever in laughter.
Me too.
Laughter is the best medicine.
It just there's just no no wayabout it.
If you can manage to have alaugh a day or more, yeah,
you're in a good place.
You're dead.
Oh, if you have one a day, it'salready a good, good place to be
(21:12):
in, one a day.
I think you if you aim for that,if you think I'm like.
I remember when my daughter toldme to watch Shits Creek, and I
and I thought, oh, we can't bebothered with that.
It's just another comedy series.
She goes, Mummy, it's reallygood.
It's funny anyway.
I watched, I started watching itand I was laughing out loud,
honestly.
And I thought this is amazing,it's actually making me really
(21:35):
laugh.
I watched it, but I never didlaugh out loud.
But I did find that funny makesme laugh my head off.
The mother is funny, she isfunny.
Anyway, yeah.
Let us know what your favouriteshow is, or what makes you
laugh.
Do you find everyday situationsare comical, or do you find I
(21:55):
don't know, watching films ofany genre funny?
And let us know if you find thatmaybe it's a taboo in where you
live as well, to sort of likelaugh and uh what kind of you
know, in the professionalenvironment, in any kind of have
you had any issues with thingslike that?
People say you're you know,you're you're not too funny,
(22:18):
huh?
You laugh too much.
I mean, yes, the podcast you getit, you know what I'm talking
about.
In over 110 cities in the world,yeah.
So maybe owners with a differentculture that appreciates
laughing, or maybe they don'tappreciate laughter.
Let's see what happens.
(22:39):
Let's see, let us know.
Thank you for listening.
Lots of love and smiles andlaughs from the English
citizens.
Bye.
A good laugh, how liberating it can be when you
see your friends and you havethat that good giggle giggle and
chat.
Yes.
Well that's what we're gonna betalking about in this week's
episode of Get It Real with theEnglish sisters mind health and
anxiety.
We are therapists and we arehere to help you.
(00:21):
And like they say many a time,laughter is the best medicine
often.
Yes, that's correct.
Yeah, absolutely.
They do say that, and there is agood reason for it.
Why?
Well, because when you laugh,you release lots of those good
(00:43):
feeling hormones, you know.
The good one, the endorphins,that's it.
I couldn't remember the word forit, and so they they they flood
through your system and theycreate this feeling of
well-being, and it's like, yeah,it's like no matter what
happened before or what washappening around you has
(01:04):
suddenly sort of beeninterrupted, so it also
interrupts your thoughtpatterns, doesn't it?
Well, yeah, like if you're ifyou're at work and that you like
if you're in a very serious workenvironment.
Yes.
Do you remember that time whenwe had to go and talk to the
doctors and we said we'reusually too friendly, we're
gonna be serious with ourdoctors.
Oh that was terrible, thatwasn't.
But it didn't turn out too good.
(01:26):
Well, no, because I think therewe realised that we were too
serious.
We were too serious, yeah,because normally we do we yeah,
that was I mean it was fine, itjust it felt weird.
It felt unusual, yeah.
It felt unusual, yeah, becauseit wasn't like in our normal
spirit.
But sometimes you do have tosort of uh tone down the the
smiles.
Obviously, it depends whatcircumstance you're in, you
(01:49):
know.
Well, yes.
If you want to get sick leave.
If you want to get sick leave,you're not gonna start laughing.
Exactly.
That that's a different you wantto be taken seriously, don't
you?
Yes, so what the reason whyyou're discussing sick leave is
because you might be havingmental health mental health
(02:10):
problems, but still be but stillbe laughing, exactly, and you
know, like the way I'm saying itnow, you might be feeling that
because sometimes laughter isn'tjust it's not just because
you're feeling happy, no, no,you could just be feeling that's
why they say you can crylaughing, don't they?
(02:32):
Well when you laugh, you cry alot sometimes.
Do they say tears come, yes, butI I didn't realise, I thought
that's because they're liketears of joy from laughter.
They are joy, but you still havethe you're still releasing
emotions.
I mean, there's no way.
Yes, exactly.
You're releasing emotion, that'swhat I wanted to say.
(02:53):
Yeah, now I'm like it's theafternoon, and I'm like you've
got giggly mode now.
I've gone into giggling modebecause I'm thinking about the
laughing.
However, yes, you're right.
Yeah, it's all about releasingemotions.
So sometimes laughter can comeup in the most you know,
inappropriate ways when youwould think no, that's
inappropriate.
Would you remember when likelittle children at school when
(03:14):
you're all giggly and you'relike the teachers really tell
you off because you're laughingat something that's serious?
That's right, but really it's away of you coping with uh uh
maybe a difficult subject, orlike what you say, a mental
health concern that you have,and you're just trying to to do
some best.
You're trying to do like you'reyou don't know what to do with
your emotions, so they they comeout as giggles.
(03:37):
Sometimes they cry.
I remember when I was little,sometimes I would just cry, but
other times I do remember oncewith uh with the maths teacher
in particular, I startedlaughing and giggling.
And after he was bullying you,yeah, and uh it was a lady and
she went nuts, you know, andthen I I had to run under the
desk, and then she was sheobviously she I mean that was
(03:59):
naughty of me, but then you knowit was it was terrible really
because then afterwards she justwasn't really naughty, it was
just that you were a child andyou just had you didn't know
what to do in a very serioussituation.
When you saw someone was angry,you just didn't know what to do.
So she was so angry.
Was to laugh.
Yeah, I mean, what I say uhdefine as naughty is because I
was actually hiding, but if Ithink about it, poor me.
(04:22):
If I I was hiding because I knewthat she wanted to catch me and
to hit me, because we would wewould get you know hit in those
days, which was awful, you know.
So that was a differentsituation.
But I do remember giggling, andI remember her shouting at me,
telling me to stop it, and themore she shouted, the worse it
got.
So obviously that was some kindof a nervous giggle.
(04:43):
But yeah, but I mean, laughterdoes help us in so many ways.
So, like if you're feeling downand you watch a you know a funny
film or something, it'sdefinitely a sketch, it's gonna
make you feel better, isn't it?
I would definitely recommendthat.
Yeah, watching something funny,you know, that's gonna put you
in a good mood.
I think that's why it's sotherapeutic as well, why people
(05:04):
like going to the comedy showsbecause everyone's laughing all
together and there's so manyendorphins being released.
Yeah, that's great.
You always feel great aftergoing like to a live comedy,
yeah, yeah, definitely.
No, no, that no, it's true.
Or when you like uh there's thisuh this programme that my hubby
watches about sports, and oh mygosh, they're commenting on
(05:27):
sports, on football, on foot,it's actually on football, and
they laugh.
I come in in the morning and Ihear them laughing, like so
happy, giggling and laughing atall the jokes that they're
little gibs or jokes they'rehaving with each other, and it
really is coming to an enjoyingmood.
It's such an easy way, isn't it,to really sort of transform your
(05:50):
day.
And and it's something I thinkthat it's it, you know, if
you've got a choice, andnowadays most of us do, of what
we're gonna watch or what we'regonna listen to, we might as
well listen to something that'sgonna uh make us have a laugh
and and not forget how importantit is to have a laugh and to
cultivate that, cultivate peoplearound us that are jolly, have
(06:12):
more of that.
That's why we like doing thesepodcasts as well, isn't it?
Because we do have a laugh whenwe do them.
We do have a laugh, yeah.
We get through many littlelaughs when we're doing them
indeed.
It's fun, it is fun, but I mean,even when we have therapy
sessions, we laugh a lot withour clients.
We do use humour.
(06:32):
We do laugh with them, not atthem.
No, no.
Now that just sounds awful.
Of course it's not at them.
No, no, absolutely not.
We laugh with them and we makethem see how some things can be
humorous, can be seen in adifferent way as uh and they can
be found almost funny, so thatyou can reframe certain things
(06:54):
that might always annoy you andsee the funny side of them.
Or things that have been verydifficult for you sometimes in
the future when you look back onthem, you can actually see the
funny side, can't you?
Not always, but not always, butsometimes you can.
Um I think that that's where allthat dark humour stems from,
isn't it?
(07:14):
Never understood that that much,but well, yes, that's a kind of
um that's supposed to be verycommon in British people, isn't
it?
So we should really understandit.
I didn't like it much.
No, I know what you mean, butit's kind of It's cathartic,
isn't it?
(07:34):
It's kind of like, yeah, bringsout you sort of see the worst
things, but you see the funnyside in the worst things, like a
man, uh I don't know, somethinghappens to him tragic, a brig
falls on his head, and youthink, oh my gosh.
No, I think that's moreslapstick.
No, no, but that slapstick wouldbe like it just bounces off.
Like Lauren Harden.
(07:56):
No, something happens, like helikes, you know, you you might
see something dramatic happen tohis head, you know.
That's more like dark comedy.
Well, that sounds like a horror,right?
Have I not got to it right?
I don't know so, but that'sfunny in itself.
But I'm sure you listening outthere will be able to tell us.
(08:16):
Yeah, I mean, uh there there islike there's there are some
things going now, like onNetflix that are classified as
dark humour.
These funny things like there'san there's a series of The Boys,
it's all about superheroes, andit's quite some of it's very
explicit, you know.
You see all these people andthings happen to them, body
(08:39):
parts flying around, and that'ssupposed to be dark, comedy and
funny at times.
Yeah, have you ever heard of it?
I think I watched it a bit, butit wasn't my cup of tea.
No, no, it's about superheroesthat are like and they go bad,
or they're not bad, but Ithought it was a bit gruesome
for my life.
It's gruesome.
There are lots of gruesome andthat's no, it's just you know
(09:00):
it's about it's about they'rejust props, aren't they?
Yes, of course they're props.
They're always props in films,goodness me.
That wouldn't that be horribleif they weren't?
Of course they're props, but itlooks kind of realistic, you
know.
So they make it they make itgruesome, they make it look
pretty gruesome.
Over the top.
(09:21):
Yes, it's very over the top.
But anyway, that's so you getlike um You get accustomed to
it.
Well you can't you can get usedto it.
I mean you can anyone thatwatches horror movies and they
love them.
There's so many people that dolove them, so they're all
accustomed to it.
I remember they used to saythey're funny, people you tell
me.
People used to tell me that.
Do you remember like oh we'regoing to see so outrageous that
(09:44):
people just think it can't betrue?
Exactly.
But people as a therapist, Ialways think they're just like
truth in them.
Do you?
Well and I find it creepy.
Yeah.
Yeah, I know what you mean.
This is like the Halloween one,isn't it?
(10:07):
Yeah, I know, I know.
You're always coming afterHalloween.
It is, yeah.
It's it is it is like that, butanyway, any kind of humour, I
think it's you know, it's itit's always good for us.
It can also be a mindfulpractice because they've had
that laughter yoga for years incourse.
They have, yes, they reallyhave.
And they just start fake, fakelaughing, and then they all
(10:30):
laugh together in a group.
That's supposed to be veryhealing, or hearing all the
other people laugh.
So, what you were saying,there's a lot about other people
laughing that sort of it'scontagious, isn't it?
It's contagious.
Like the other day, I waswatching a film and I was
laughing, and then my husband,who was in the other room, he
came over, what's so funny?
And I said, Oh, it's just thisfilm I'm watching.
(10:52):
I'm just it's just really funny.
And he couldn't see it was funnyat first, but then he sat down
and he tried to see it.
Because it was in it in Englishand he's Italian.
Yeah, it was in English, but Iput the um subtitles on for him.
It's not the same, is it?
No, no, it's not the same, but Iwatch a lot of films with
subtitles.
(11:14):
Yeah, okay, okay.
Well, to be fair, yeah, I guesshe couldn't really fully
understand it, but I did hearhim sort of like chuckling away
at a few of things, yes.
Not that much though, to tell.
Not really.
No, but I mean I continue.
But obviously, everybody hasdifferent sense of humour.
I mean, I see the lot of I likelike humour.
(11:37):
I I find humour in every day.
So as if I'm going round, I justfind something funny or
something someone said as isfunny when other people think,
what are you laughing about?
That's not that's not.
Or they always say violetter,why you're always laughing.
You always say I am laughing,but I'm not laughing.
I just find it comical, thesituations, and uh it's not as
(12:02):
if I'm laughing at the people.
One person actually said, Areyou laughing at me?
Yes, yes, I'm I said, No, I justfind I find it fun.
I I suppose because I observeand I can see the facial
expressions, and then all of ittogether is just it's just it's
cute, it's humorous.
It's humorous, yeah, because youcan sort of see the thought
process happening once youbecome aware of it, and
(12:24):
obviously we're trainedtherapists, so we we can see
where the thought might becoming from, and how that person
might be coming overwhelmed bythat thought, and how bewildered
they might become.
And that sounds horrible.
That sounds horrible, but no, Imean it's like they start
scratching their heads whenthey're thinking the thought
process that we can have, we canidentify with because we've had
(12:48):
similar thoughts.
Of course, because we're thesame, we're all the same.
We have the same problems andthe same issues, everyone does.
Oh, yes, you're correct.
I guess so.
We've been through it, and so wethink, look, we know how to you
know.
You have to be funny, don't you?
You have to have a huge thing.
(13:08):
I think I mean that to go backto that day at the doctor,
because we said if you at onepoint we thought, if you're a
woman and you're like giggly orlaughing, especially here in
Italy, but probably everywhere.
I think everywhere is you'retaken as as you're not taken or
considered to be very seriousperson.
(13:29):
You're not like people do notvalue your opinion, and you're
not considered to be of valuebecause you're considered to be
like frivolous or light heartlight-hearted, like not not
serious.
So we didn't do an experimentwhere we thought, okay, we're
not gonna be because here inItaly there's an actual
(13:50):
expression, isn't it?
No, it's care like ridere comeat so that's really horrible,
but it actually does say you'relaughing like a madman, like a
mad person, as if only peoplethat were mentally ill would
laugh.
(14:10):
Gosh, that's terrible.
Yeah, terrible.
Yeah, but that that's what itwas that that's what the saying
is ridere comeato, like a mentalmentally ill person.
Gosh.
Well, I wouldn't I wouldn't haveknown that.
No, I'm telling you.
I mean, I I thought the questionwas like, what you what have you
got to laugh about?
(14:31):
What's your life?
No, that's also anotherexpression, but that's really no
more.
The other has probably been theother one is like no one says it
anymore now.
I don't think.
Obviously, the newer generationprobably don't politically
correct.
But it's kind of in the culture,though, whether it's politically
(14:51):
correct or not, it's in theculture.
These expressions may not besaid, but they're thought about.
Yes, and that's what I'm sayingis that the culture is there,
and that's what you were sayingabout the woman and the woman
laughing and the woman nottaking that seriously.
So that's why the it's in theculture, and I've heard it so
many times, even my sons areyoung and they're brought up
(15:14):
here, but I hear them stillsaying certain phrases that
belong to the old culture,really, yes, and also because
like on their profiles and thatthey don't really smile much
people, do they?
They're always pouting.
Pouting.
Well, yeah, people like I seethe profiles of younger people,
they never you don't see thatmany smiles around.
(15:36):
Yeah, that's quite sad.
You're right, actually, yeah.
They've always got like thispouting face or very serious
face on.
Yeah, especially, I mean, in thedating world, you don't you have
to do that.
Oh, in the dating world, oh Iknow what you mean about
pouting, yeah.
Like, oh, that pouting, yeah.
No, no, but or just serious.
Serious, really.
Well, I wouldn't We wouldn't,because smiles and laughter, but
(16:00):
I see that's awful.
I do see it.
You do see it, yes.
You're right.
As if there's something wrongwith smiling.
Oh, or laughing.
Or laughing.
Yes, well, there's that's whatI'm telling you.
It stems from it stems from youknow, this kind of culture.
I'm sure it's not just anItalian saying, I'm sure that
comes, you know, it's as if onlythe the the fools were allowed
(16:24):
to were happy.
Only the fools, you know, onlythe the the people that weren't
quite sane of mind because theywere nothing to think ignorant
about the world's troubles, yes,because they were like like like
some children, yes.
So they were they they could goaround laughing.
(16:46):
Of course, you're not you knowlaughing for a for a reason or
laughing for no reason at all,who cares?
Well, who cares if you're jollyand happy, exactly, or if you
just want to relieve stress.
I think the reason why you spokeabout it is because there's this
kind of taboo around stigma.
There's a stigma as a culture,and it's time to be get rid of.
(17:08):
It's time to get rid of that,and it would be lovely to see
more people laughing and smilingon their profiles.
You're absolutely right, and tojust have more laughter in the
world, generally more laughter,generally amazing.
That would be amazing.
Imagine just clicking through aTV.
Even just having a couple ofgiggles a day, and our facial
expressions say so much aboutus, and a lot of us do go around
(17:31):
with a frown all day withoutrealising it, don't we?
Yeah, that's sad.
Yeah, and that can the frown.
Do you remember when we firstlearnt about the facial
expressions and body languagesto go back to it again?
We realised how serious we wereas we were going around our
business.
Goodness me.
(17:51):
And at one point I even thought,what have I got to laugh about?
There's not that much to laughabout.
Yeah, I do remember that.
You remember you telling me,well, life is pretty tough at
the moment, there isn't thatmuch to laugh about, but yes.
But it was because we hadn'treally learned to be mindful and
to look at the present momentand just look about the joy in
every day.
(18:14):
It's a kind of a skill, isn'tit?
I think so.
It's a skill to be fine-tunedand it can start with.
I mean, that's why a lot ofpeople that do improv comedy all
of a sudden they feel a lotbetter as well.
Their mental health gets better.
Because they're doing thisimprov comedy, but they're just
coming up with little uhsketches and you know, follows
following.
(18:35):
That must be tough.
Well, it's hard.
I've always thought that must beso hard just to go after it.
That's also good fun, isn't it?
No, I mean that's the one.
Well, I mean those classes whereyou go together and then an
actor, so you start off with ascene with a like with a frame.
Today I was reading the TimesEnd.
And uh oh, and I would have tosay something, and I saw a
(18:55):
really funny cartoon on it.
With a frog.
Um with a hat on.
A hat on, yes.
Yeah, and then it goes on andon, and then you have a laugh in
the end.
Okay, right, I see.
That's a gay room.
Do you know that I've got threetoads in the garden?
Toads.
A mother toad or father toad andtwo baby toads I mean the baby
(19:17):
toads are adorable.
But yeah, well, you know howmany toads we've got here in our
butt we haven't got a pond, soit's quite unusual.
There's always a resident toadthat's enormous.
I think they came from the timethat we had the pond, and the
kids bought all the little tinytadpoles for me.
Oh, my house.
And they spawned, and they theyI think the garden was like they
(19:39):
populated our garden.
And then we had massive toads,but we've always had like two or
three, two, I think.
I don't know.
Uh you know, my son says it'sthis it's not the same toad, but
some people my daughter or theother one thinks it is my
husband.
The one no, that's funny.
Yeah, the other one is like justwho is he?
(20:04):
But I don't know, but it's funnyto see them because they line
up.
Really?
I didn't know they go in a line,and the the father and the two
little ones.
I mean, the little ones youthink it's a father, but you
don't know.
It could be the mother, yeah.
Or it could be non-related.
I don't know.
It probably is related, probablythe mother.
They should be related becausethey're all together, but we
(20:25):
don't know.
No, no, but like often you havethose wild boars that come along
and they're all like littlegroups, aren't they?
They are, they come in the fieldnext to you.
They definitely look like a bigone, which is like daddy and
mummy and the little ones thatyou can see them.
But they come up and they followthe little trotting.
That's a different story.
Anyway, what do you findamusing?
(20:47):
What do you find funny?
Do you find that uh laughterlike dissipates anything?
I mean, I do.
I always have believed a firmbeliever in laughter.
Me too.
Laughter is the best medicine.
It just there's just no no wayabout it.
If you can manage to have alaugh a day or more, yeah,
you're in a good place.
You're dead.
Oh, if you have one a day, it'salready a good, good place to be
(21:12):
in, one a day.
I think you if you aim for that,if you think I'm like.
I remember when my daughter toldme to watch Shits Creek, and I
and I thought, oh, we can't bebothered with that.
It's just another comedy series.
She goes, Mummy, it's reallygood.
It's funny anyway.
I watched, I started watching itand I was laughing out loud,
honestly.
And I thought this is amazing,it's actually making me really
(21:35):
laugh.
I watched it, but I never didlaugh out loud.
But I did find that funny makesme laugh my head off.
The mother is funny, she isfunny.
Anyway, yeah.
Let us know what your favouriteshow is, or what makes you
laugh.
Do you find everyday situationsare comical, or do you find I
(21:55):
don't know, watching films ofany genre funny?
And let us know if you find thatmaybe it's a taboo in where you
live as well, to sort of likelaugh and uh what kind of you
know, in the professionalenvironment, in any kind of have
you had any issues with thingslike that?
People say you're you know,you're you're not too funny,
(22:18):
huh?
You laugh too much.
I mean, yes, the podcast you getit, you know what I'm talking
about.
In over 110 cities in the world,yeah.
So maybe owners with a differentculture that appreciates
laughing, or maybe they don'tappreciate laughter.
Let's see what happens.
(22:39):
Let's see, let us know.
Thank you for listening.
Lots of love and smiles andlaughs from the English
citizens.
Bye.
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