You might have heard people saying that laughter is the best medicine. And as hackneyed as it is, this statement has been proven to be correct. The benefits of humor to our well-being are based on scientific research, which reveals what happens in our brains when we laugh.

Expressing glee in such a way decreases the levels of cortisol and epinephrine, among other things, thus minimizing the impact of these stress-making hormones. It also positively affects dopamine and serotonin activity, which are two of the main happiness hormones.

Because of the chemical reactions in our brain, humor can help get us through some rather difficult times. But only when we choose it ourselves. Bryan E. Robinson, a psychotherapist, an author and a professor emeritus at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, revealed that the way we feel partially depends on what we focus our attention on.

“Science shows that dwelling on worry, disappointment, and loss only increases unpleasant feelings. What you focus on expands,” he wrote in Psychology Today. “If you’re like most people, you focus on the hardships instead of turning the channel and focusing on something that tickles your funny bone. You become the recipient of your own frustration and rage or joy and elation.”

It shows that, by choosing what aspects to emphasize, people can have some control over the way their situation affects them. Authors of these quotes about being broke chose not to dwell on the negative side of their situation, and look at it from a more positive point of view instead.

Even though we can choose to view a situation in a certain way, we can’t always choose laughter. Sometimes it’s simply inevitable. Have you ever been in a situation where you see someone laughing so hard, you can’t help but giggle yourself?

It might be related to the fact that when we hear laughter, our brain responds by automatically getting our face muscles ready to join in. In a group, this can create a domino effect of people bursting into laughter.

As a matter of fact, a proper fit of laughter could be considered a part of your exercise regime. Research shows that such a way of expressing amusement results in increasing energy expenditure; in other words, burning calories.

Considering that we tend to laugh at everyday occurrences, we might hit certain fitness goals without even realizing. According to SWNS, we laugh most at things kids say and TV sitcoms. The two are followed by memes/animal videos and reality TV respectively.

Humor could be considered a type of social glue. It connects people who share a similar sense when it comes to it, and accounts for numerous moments of laughing your heads off together. 

Having a similar funny bone can help in platonic as well as romantic relationships. Research reveals that in the latter case, shared laughter is a very important component of bonding and establishing security.

When it comes to the topic of these entertaining images, the data seems to be far less amusing. According to CNBC, nearly 80% of Americans admit to feeling anxious about their financial state. In addition to that, more than half of them (52%) find it difficult to control their concerns when it comes to money.

Anxiety can negatively affect nearly every aspect of our lives, thus it’s unsurprising that it influences our finances as well. Marketing professor Utpal Dholakia pointed out that psychological factors might play a bigger role in saving money, for example, than the size of people’s income. According to him, anxious people are “less likely to do such things such as make plans on how to use money, monitor their spending on various expenditure categories, or set savings goals.”

Inflation is one of the reasons people might feel unsteady about their financial well-being. Based on 2022 data, it affected roughly two thirds of working Americans who were worse off financially compared to a year ago. The annual inflation rate in the US for the last 12 months (ended in January, 2023) reached 6.4%. Itn previous years, it went from 1.4% in 2020, to 7% in 2021, and 6.5% in 2022.

Learning to manage your money is always a good idea; now more than ever. Planning your personal finances can help you establish financial security and reach certain goals easier. The co-founder and CEO of ‘Spring Planning’, Julia Chung, shared with Bored Panda her three main tips for people who want to get better at managing their personal finances.

“Understand what it costs to live your life,” she started. “I don't mean combing through your bank statement, nor doing a bunch of math all the time. A little bit at the beginning is good though. Get an idea of your fixed expenses (bills, utilities, housing) and set up a separate account that you put money in every time you get paid to deal with just those.”

“Then look at the rest of your money; how much do you need to eat, get around, have some fun, and save for your future? Set up separate accounts for these. Look at them once a month. Was that enough? Was it not enough? What should I change for next month? Things change, so remember that your finances will change, too. You can stay on top of the dynamics of your finances with a simple system of accounts (or envelopes if you prefer to work in cash, which almost no one does) that you get to know monthly,” Julia suggested.

“Remember that there are some things that come up once a year (maybe car or property insurance, certain types of bills, special events where you just spend more money) and that those are the ones that mess up your system the most. Planning ahead for these with a little bit of your regular pay to a savings account or two focused on those kinds of expenses helps so much.”

Secondly, the personal finance expert emphasized the importance of creating a safety net. “When you can, start an emergency fund. If you're living pretty tightly, an emergency fund can feel like an incredibly lofty goal. It is one of those things that vastly improves your financial confidence and feelings of security, however.

"If you know that you have 3-6 months of expenses socked away in savings, you'll be okay when you're surprised with a bill you didn't expect, when you really want to walk out on that job where they treated you so badly, when you have a sudden breakup and need a place to stay, and so much more.”

“When you've got the above two sorted out and feeling good, it's time to think about your future,” Julia said. “You're not behind other people if you haven't got a house, a car, or a retirement fund. Whatever they're doing is whatever they're doing and they might be lying about it. It's not your problem. 

“Shame is one of the things that gets us in the most trouble when it comes to money. If you can light that shame on fire and instead focus on spending the way that makes sense for you, creating short-term security in an emergency fund, and then thinking about the kind of future you want, and how you're going to get there, you're way ahead of most people. 

“Whether that future means a retirement fund, or a house fund, or an education fund, or a travel fund, or learning how to invest for the first time, or buying some more security with personal insurance, or getting a will in place, or something else entirely, all of these are a great start. You'll be able to think more clearly about #3 when you've got #1 and #2 in hand,” the personal finance specialist pointed out.