Many actions build a healthy, happy marriage: good communication, time spent together, conflict resolution, forgiveness, giving voice to our admiration and gratitude, continually learning about our spouse…all these and more play a crucial role in building and maintaining a healthy marriage. However, we often overlook one fun action that promotes a healthy marriage. This action represents a powerful tool for building and maintaining a healthy, happy marriage. What is it? Laughing together.

Laughter promotes emotional health and intimacy in our relationships. Sharing laughter with our spouses will strengthen our emotional bonds. Just as fun, playful humor can reignite passion and even build attraction. After all, our spouses are most beautiful when smiling and laughing.

Laughter also relieves physical tension and stress, contributing to an environment with fewer barriers hindering healthy connection and intimacy. Laughter contributes to spontaneity and playful interactions that help to create a dynamic, intimate relationship.

How can you have more laughter in your marriage?

• Be intentional about finding the joy and laughter in life. It’s easy to get stuck in the rut of our hurried pace of life and lose sight of the experiences and activities we once enjoyed. We begin to focus on “managing our life and schedule” rather than enjoying life and family. Recall the activities and interactions you once enjoyed as a couple and make time to engage in them again.
• Intentionally look for humor in life. Yes, there is a lot of pain and sorrow in our world today. However, there is also humor when we intentionally seek it out. I have a friend who tells a “Dad joke” to everyone he meets. Everyone groans…and then laughs…and then their relationship grows. Look up some jokes and have them ready. Enjoy some playful banter with your spouse about the struggles of life. Laugh at yourself when you accidentally say the wrong thing or forget why you went to the kitchen. Laugh when you can’t find the phone only to realize it’s in your pocket. You get the idea. Laugh at life a little. Intentionally look for humor in life.
• Play together. We learn more about one another in play than in many a conversation. “Laughter is the shortest distance between two people” (Victor Borge). Enjoy some fun, laugh-filled playtime with your spouse

As laughter becomes an intentional and bountiful aspect in your marriage, you find yourself happier, growing in intimacy, and more secure in relationship.