Let's face it: the holidays often force us to spend more time with the family members we otherwise wouldn't spend that much time with. Add to that the stress of shopping and cooking, and it's almost a surprise how we managed to get through these few weeks at all.

Psychologists say that taking care of our mental health is very important during the holidays. Almost nine in 10 adults in 2023 said there's at least one thing that causes them stress during the holiday season. Financial concerns, finding the right gifts, and food and alcohol-related issues make people worry the most.

One way we can alleviate the holiday stress is through laughter. What's more, we might even find a connection with our family members through humor. When we're stressed, we may say some things we don't mean. In the heat of the moment, we might insult, disrespect, or hurt others.

But what if we trained ourselves to have a little bit of humor in these types of stressful situations? Researchers have found that humor helps strengthen bonds, improves communication, and results in more satisfactory relationships. Humor can lighten up a tense conversation and the atmosphere around the holiday dinner table.

Laughing together also brings us closer together. Psychologist Rod A. Martin claimed that shared laughter strengthens social connections and makes people feel closer to each other. When we laugh with others, it strengthens our sense of togetherness, creating new relationships and fostering those that we already have.

Clinical psychologist Mitch Abblett, Ph.D., proposes injecting more mirthfulness into our conversations. By mirthfulness, he means actively redirecting the conversation during disagreements and fights to make it more witty. Instead of using passive aggression, we should veer towards something more funny and comical.

Abblett describes mirthfulness as "Intentionally speaking toward what is lighter, what is just funny about the factfulness of the moment in a way that joins people, unites them in a cause, or points to the universality of the struggle people have in such moments."

He gives an example as well; if you and your partner are frustrated about doing laundry and throwing accusations at each other, try out some humor. Say something like "We're losers for letting the laundry pile up like this," propose you'll need a clone to have all this done. Your partner then can respond that that clone better be Martha Stewart who'll make you a soup-to-nuts dinner while she does it.

So, it's all about being able to come up with quips even when you're stressed and having an argument. "Mirthfulness is not about mocking yourself or others, nor is it about denying, minimizing, or suppressing pain," Abblett notes. The most important thing, according to him, is to be aware that "being a human being means we get to laugh at the folly of thinking for a nanosecond that we were immune to the unfolding of chaos."

Aside from the social aspect, humor can also help us deal with difficulties. Research shows that humor helps us build resilience. When we look at things from a humorous perspective, we don't take things as seriously and, therefore, we stress about them less. Even when we get scared, humor relaxes us and can be calming.

However, humor isn't always the answer to life's problems. We shouldn't use humor to deflect dealing with painful feelings or as a coping or defense mechanism. Naturally, using it as a weapon against others is also a no-no; things can be funny without putting others down.

We know that you, Pandas, love to laugh, so, let us know which memes from this list you liked the best by upvoting your favorites. And if you want more content like this, let us know in the comments! In the meantime, check out another list of others full of relatable, top-tier memes.