You know that feeling when you’re scrolling without really paying attention, and then one completely ridiculous meme makes you stop and laugh? It might be a silly picture, or a hilarious but relatable joke. These little bursts of amusement can actually affect how we see and respond to the world around us.
Research on positive emotions has found that feeling good can broaden our attention and help us notice more possibilities. So that random meme that just made you smile may have given your brain a good change of scenery.
Laughter is basically the brain’s way of throwing open the windows and letting some fresh air in. According to the Mayo Clinic, laughing can help trigger the release of endorphins, which can reduce stress and help your body relax.
Even better, the clinic specifically notes that quietly giggling at a meme counts. So the next time you catch yourself laughing at a picture of a dog doing absolutely nothing extraordinary, you can consider it a very small wellness appointment.
A laugh is even better when you have someone to share it with. Research published in Personal Relationships found that couples who laughed together more also tended to feel closer and more supported.
When you share a funny meme with a friend, you are both laughing over the same ridiculous thing, even if you’re miles apart. These tiny shared moments can make people feel a little more connected, which may be part of why we are so quick to tag a friend when we find a meme that is just too good not to pass along.
Experts have looked into what happens when we see adorable images, and one study found that people performed certain tasks more carefully after looking at pictures of puppies and kittens.
This suggests that cuteness narrows our attention, making it easier to focus on tasks and perform them better. So the next time a tiny puppy meme steals a few seconds of your attention, it might leave you a little more focused for whatever you do next.
A big part of what makes a funny meme even better is being able to see yourself in it. You see a joke about putting off a task for three hours, overthinking a text that probably did not need that much analysis, being way too excited to stay home, or getting irrationally attached to a fictional character, and suddenly you’re thinking, “Wait, why is this so accurate?”
It feels good to realize that other people have the same weird little habits and thoughts you do. Relatable memes have a way of making us feel less alone, even when all they’ve done is turn our everyday nonsense into a picture.
A good meme can take something annoying or stressful and make it feel a bit easier to handle. The American Psychological Association notes that people who viewed funny memes reported more positive emotions and less stress.
Think about how different it feels to complain about a terrible day compared with seeing a meme that perfectly captures the chaos and thinking, “Well, at least this is funny.” The problem is still there, but laughing at it can make it feel a little less overwhelming.
