Laughter

Laughing does something for you, and for the people around you, provided they're laughing along rather than being the target. Even poking fun at a person can be harmless when they're in on it, or when they set the whole thing up on purpose to get a reaction.

Cancer patients have turned to it as a way to take the edge off treatment. Pull up a few clips of comedians, let the laughs come on their own, and some of the weight of what you're going through lifts for a while.

A chuckle shifts your mood almost against your will. Try staying sour and convinced things will go badly while you're grinning and shaking with laughter. It doesn't really hold together.

Kids laugh far more than grown-ups do. Spend an afternoon near children at play and pay attention to how much joy and how many giggles circle around them.

Humor shows up when you manage to spot what's funny in a moment that started out awkward or mortifying. People have defused plenty of uncomfortable situations that exact way. Comedians build careers on it, turning themselves into the punchline and cracking jokes about subjects like divorce and death that most of us never file under comedy.