“Life is better when you’re laughing,” is how the saying goes. We hear this inspirational quote all of the time and, yet, the anger, violence, and grief that infects our world continuously outweighs our ability to take this advice to heart. All of this darkness clouds our ability to enjoy one of the most precious features of humanity—laughter. However, the more that we laugh, the less room that there is for negativity. This gives us a better chance to make the world a better place. We have to start somewhere, so why not practice what’s preached and laugh a little? Let’s start by acknowledging all the amazing benefits that laughing entails.

1. It offers you an escape from stress.

Everyone needs an outlet to forget about their responsibilities every once in awhile. We can all admit that life is hard, so that’s where laughter comes into play. Laughing is the perfect way to channel pressures and anxieties into a healthy response instead of bottling it in and letting it eat you up.

2. A smile brightens up the room.

Smiling and laughing are undeniably two of the most beautiful human expressions in existence. For those who are lucky enough to witness someone expressing joy and pleasure through laughing, it’s an experience that's unlike any other. It’s like a peek into that person’s hidden soul. Take advantage of rare occurrences like this because they don’t come around all that often.

3. Laughing burns calories.

Let’s be real, if a friend asks me to go to the gym, I’ll do almost anything to get out of it. However, now that laughing can be classified as a form of exercise, I’ll feel a lot less guilty about skipping the three-mile run. Who knew that cardio could actually be fun?

4. Laughing lets you live in the moment.

Forget about that five-page paper that you haven’t started that’s due tomorrow. Forget about all the messy relationship problems that you're dealing with. Forget about next week’s schedule with a checklist of a million things to get done. Forget everything for a second and simply focus on the hearty chuckles that are coming from the deepest depths of your soul.

5. It’s a pure expression of joy.

There is nothing that compares to the pure, absolutely raw expression of emotion that erupts from your soul as you laugh. It’s such a perfect moment that you don’t even need a picture to remember it by, you’ll always have the feeling of joy glued in your mind. You’ll forever want to revisit that wonderful, blissful feeling.

6. Laughter is the best contagious disease.

Who said that all diseases were bad? If laughter can be considered one, then there would be a line of people waiting to be exposed to it stretching for miles. The bottom line is that if one person is happy, others will want to share in that sensation.

7. It spreads positivity.

It’s hard to stay mad at someone who is trying to squeeze a laugh out of you or make you crack a smile. You’re lucky to have that person around because their loving, laughing face will always be there to lift your spirits, no matter the situation.

8. Laughing makes you a hundred times more attractive.

Maybe movies romanticize this idea a little with the dramatic shot of a girl with her head tilted back laughing and the boy who sits silently observing, wondering if he’ll ever get to meet the person behind that beautiful smile. However, it’s true. Laughing does make you more attractive—physically and emotionally. I mean, look what it does to Zac Efron. We didn't think that it was humanly possible for him to look any hotter, but the mid-laugh look enhances every gorgeous feature and multiplies it by ten.

9. It’s better than crying.

You waste so much more energy being upset and crying over things. Even if you’re down to your last rope, you should find something to laugh at, as desperate and stupid as it may seem. It’s healthier and you won’t mess up your make-up!

10. Laughter makes you live longer.

As research shows, laughing has a ton of proven health benefits that are hard to ignore. Feel good and know that you did something to prolong your life by laughing. Live, laugh, and be comforted by the fact that you did something positive for yourself today!