This one question, asked daily, can almost guarantee one big happy family over dinner (or any meal).
In the past we’ve shared how popular the high low dinner conversation is. I recommend you still start each dinner with this conversation. As we shared, when everyone in the family shares a high and low point of their day it really helps our children connect with us more. It shows our children that even we aren’t invincible and that we also experience life’s ups and downs. It’s through the power of conversation about the roller coaster of life that our children learn life’s best lessons.
The purpose of this question is different though.
Asking the question we’re about to go over will:
- Improve relationships
- Make everyone happy at the dinner table
- Increase the love we have for everyone at the table
- Improve performance in school and work
- Makes you more resilient and gritty, and
- Even make us healthier
The One Big Question Guaranteeing One Big Happy Family
“What’s one thing that made you laugh today?”
Seems like such a simple question, but there’s a ton of science behind why discussing this is so good for the entire family.
Laughing makes you happier (no brainer there), but there are so many other benefits to remembering moments when you laughed throughout the day.
Dr. Julie Kinn recently shared with Dr. Robyn Silverman that it’s even more impactful if you talk about a time that everyone laughed together as a family.
When you laugh the brain releases dopamine which is a reward for everyone’s brain.
In an excerpt from Ha!: The Science of When We Laugh and Why, the author writes,
Mobbs saw that subjects’ brains became highly activated for all the cartoons, but one subset of structures responded solely for the funny ones — namely, the ventral tegmental area, the nucleus accumbens, and the amygdala. What do those brain regions have in common? They’re key components of what scientists call the dopamine reward circuit, which is responsible for distributing dopamine throughout the brain. In response to unfunny jokes, we not only fail to laugh, we miss out on the joy.
In fact, studies show that those who enjoy silly humor are 1/3 more likely to feel happy. Moreover, watching a comedy is three times more likely to reduce anxiety than sitting and resting.
Humor doesn’t just make you more happy, though, it also makes you grittier.
Navy SEAL Platoon Commander James Waters shares “You’ve got to have fun and be able to laugh; laugh at yourself and laugh at what you’re doing. My best friend and I laughed our way through BUD/S.”
To put the magnitude of this in perspective, you should know that 1,000 recruits make it to SEAL training every year and only about 250 complete BUD/S.
Yet study after study shows that laughter can increase resilience and get you through life’s toughest moments.
It also improves relationships.
Simply put, if you’re laughing, you’re enjoying your time together and you’re not fighting. Laughter is one of the secrets to a long happy marriage and a happier, healthier home for your entire family.
Conclusion: How One Question Can Lead to a Happier Family
“What’s one thing that made you laugh today?”
It’s such a simple question and, yet, being intentional about bringing humor to your family will have such a major impact on quite literally every area of your lives. Studies have proven that humor and laughter can:
- Improve relationships
- Make everyone happy at the dinner table
- Increase the love we have for everyone at the table
- Improve performance in school and work
- Makes you more resilient and gritty, and
- Even make us healthier
Take this even a step further by trying to think of times that you’e laughed together as a family.
Try this at home with your own family and see the impact it has on everyone’s moods. Let us know in the comments below or jump over into our Our Facebook Group and join the conversation.
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