62 Random Memes That Have Absolutely No Agenda But To Make You Laugh Today

If you’ve read enough articles on this site, you know that memes don’t need context to be funny or relatable. The absurdity alone can draw laughs, which, according to experts, comes from breaking patterns in our brains. 

“Your brain looks for meaning, and the realisation that there isn't any catches us off guard and makes us laugh,” clinical psychologist Christine Schneider tells Bored Panda.

Schneider also pointed out the sense of community in memes. That’s likely why many go viral quickly: most people can immediately find something relatable. 

“There’s also a social element: understanding a very odd meme can feel like being in on a joke with everyone else who gets the same tone, even when the joke is basically that it makes no sense.”

Many people also use memes as a coping mechanism for difficult times. They were helpful for those who struggled through the COVID-19 pandemic and, according to research, for people dealing with mental health challenges as well. 

But as trauma coach and Mind to Thrive founder Mary Eldridge says, it’s important to recognize that the mental lift that memes bring is only temporary, especially when the root of the problem remains unaddressed. 

Eldridge compared memes, used as a coping tool, to a beach ball you want to keep out of sight. As she explains: 

“You have a beach ball, and you don't want to see it, so you push it with your hands underwater. We might think that because we can't see it, it isn't there. But that's inaccurate; it still exists. However, we have to invest time, energy, and some focus on keeping it outside of our vision.” 

“When something else requires our attention, or we experience a trigger, inevitably, that beach ball will pop back up to the surface and the process restarts.”

Many people turn to memes for a short respite during an overwhelming or dull moment. However, it can easily turn into an avoidance habit or mindless scrolling, which isn’t helpful. Schneider says one way to tell whether a “meme break” helps is to see how it affects you afterward. 

“If you scroll for ten minutes, feel lighter, and then return to what you were doing, it probably worked as a reset. If ten minutes becomes an hour and you’re using humour to avoid a task or uncomfortable feeling, then it’s doing something different,” she said.