Why Music and Humor Can Improve Your Wellbeing

A group of friends dancing and laughing who are silhouetted by the setting sun.

As humans, there are aspects of ourselves that are innate. These parts of our being, I believe, should be nurtured if we want to achieve a fulfilling and beautiful life. Two such aspects of human nature are music and humor. 

On an episode of the podcast Tetragrammaton, hosted by creative visionary extraordinaire Rick Rubin and featuring marketing guru Rory Sutherland as a guest, Sutherland touched on a simple idea I find quite profound. He said he believed music and humor were innate to humans because, as a father, he noted that long before his children could talk, he could get them to laugh and dance. 

There’s something about these pastimes that satiate a craving in our being. Engaging with music and laughing at comical things, while sometimes can be done alone, are best done with others. If you look at blue zones across the world — areas in which residents experience higher lifespans on average when compared with the rest of the world — strong community ties and a significant amount of social interaction is featured throughout virtually all of them. I would guess that all of these communities also feature a significant amount of laughter and music. 

While there are many theories out there about the human propensity to learn language being innate, which I’m not remotely qualified to have an opinion about, I think music and humor are also extremely important modes of innate communication. By laughing with others, we bond in a really meaningful way. The same goes for dancing and basking ourselves in music.

Think of the 2014 film adaptation of The Giver. When The Giver offers Jonas a glimpse of what happiness looked like outside of the tight constraints of their dystopian society, he shows him what seems to be a mediterranean wedding celebration which features, you guessed it, dancing to music and laughing. 

I think it’s something that many of us recognize, but few of us really take the time to examine. The feeling of being at a concert and singing in unison with scores of other people or being in a crowded movie theater laughing with others is something many of us love. 

If you really explore different ways to live a fulfilling and happy life, I’m certain you’ll find many different viable ways to find contentment. I’m not saying that making music and humor a priority is the only way to feel happy, but I think these are incredibly powerful and effective methods to do so. 

The modern world is filled with many conveniences and advancements that are great. However, I’m far from alone in thinking we’ve become subjects of our own creations and systems. 

Think of the stereotypical office professional. You go to work in a place for most of the day that’s largely devoid of music and humor. After a long day of work, you’re probably not coming home to a dance party and a raucous game of charades. 

We don’t prioritize these key parts of ourselves and our well-being because they don’t fit into the average paradigm of what typical adult life should look like. But, when you look just a little deeper, the point of work is to have the resources to be happy. When our work makes us forget that, I think there’s a real problem. 

Now, I’m not saying that everyone doing more dancing and laughing all the time will magically solve all the world’s problems, but, honestly, I think it would help a lot. I think people would be inherently happier en masse. In addition, I think there would be more empathy between a lot of people because it’s a lot easier to have a productive conversation with someone you laugh with than with someone you only argue with. 

So, how do we incorporate these things into our daily lives? I don’t think there’s a silver bullet answer that will work for everyone. Our lives are all unique and our tastes are different. But, I truly believe that championing music and humor can make a radical difference in everyone’s everyday experiences. 

If you’re looking for ways to make your life more fulfilling, try really making it a point to prioritize music and humor. These things feel good, so it’s an easy practice to be consistent with. It can be as simple as trying to make your partner laugh every time you come home from work or going to see live music at a bar once a week. 

At the very least, try to get one good belly laugh in a day and make sure to jam out to music a little more. You might be surprised just how profound of a change this can make in your life.