I sat with a friend the other day. We shared stories… and lost ourselves in laughter for hours. At one point, I found myself wondering: Who are the people who laugh easily— and what holds others back?

Here are a few thoughts.

FIVE QUALITIES of people who love to laugh—and create laughter-

• They are present. Laughter lives in the moment, and they are there to catch it.
• They are playful with words and life.
• They notice small, human moments—and turn them into humor.
• They are less guarded. They don’t need to protect their image all the time.
• They are light-hearted. They don’t believe everything has to be serious.
• They are secure. They feel comfortable with themselves and don’t live in fear of judgment.

FIVE QUALITIES of people who struggle to laugh-

• They live wound up and weighed down. Like they are barely holding things together.
• They overthink themselves. How they look. How they sound. What others think.
• They live in their head— analyzing, judging and evaluating.
• They struggle with connection.
• Distance feels safer than closeness.
• They carry more pain than joy.
• And laughter feels far away.

Close:

The ability to laugh—freely and deeply— is often a sign of emotional health.

Prayer:

Father, I believe You delight in good, clean laughter. It is innocent. It is childlike. Teach me to live lighter. Free me to laugh deeply.

Amen.

Scripture:

“A cheerful heart is good medicine…”  Prov. 17:22 (NIV)