Why is humor and laughter important for mental health and resilience?

Humor is one of the most underrated survival tools we have. It's not about forcing cheerfulness when things are dark—that's dishonest. Real humor, the kind Nasreddin Hodja practiced, lets you hold two truths at once: yes, this is difficult, and yes, this is also absurd. That simultaneous holding transforms you. Laughter isn't just neurochemistry, though it matters—reduced cortisol, activated endorphins. It's also a form of truth-telling. When you can laugh at a paradox, you're no longer its victim; you're its witness. Resilience isn't about never falling apart. It's about being able to see the funny side of falling apart, to recognize the cosmic joke in it. This doesn't diminish pain. It expands you beyond the pain. Nasreddin would ride his donkey backward through town, and people would laugh—but the laugh was actually about recognizing something true about perspective and expectation. This week, notice what makes you genuinely smile. Not because it solves anything, but because laughter is how we stay sane in an unsolvable world.