Laughter in marriage is serious business.
Life has many ups and downs. There are plenty of serious conversations to have and conflicts to resolve. Work and family obligations fill your weekly schedule, and it can be challenging to find time for fun when you’re both so busy.
Injecting more humor into your relationship can help you navigate life’s seasons a little easier. We treat laughter very seriously in our marriage, and you should too. Laughing and having fun together is incredibly valuable for the long-term wellbeing of your relationship.
Playful Joking and Teasing Can Be Endearing
A well-timed, gentle joke can actually communicate affection for your spouse. In turn, this multiplies the love you have for one another. Knowing each other inside and out means there will always be plenty to laugh about together, as long as your humor is filtered through love.
Laughing together can create an amazing connection. If you joke or tease in an endearing way, that lets your spouse know that you love them, quirks and all. When your spouse feels safe and loved, they can share this humor and join in on the laugh.
Humor and playfulness are so important at all stages of life. Your marriage will benefit from lighthearted play. Take every opportunity to be humorous and engage one another in positive, fun ways.
Don’t Make Jokes At Each Other’s Expense
Poking fun at one another is a double-edged sword, and jokes made at each other’s expense can be hurtful. It’s especially upsetting when one spouse makes a joke in front of someone else who doesn’t feel safe, or under embarrassing circumstances. Making fun of your spouse in public can be incredibly upsetting.
Avoid making jokes about things that irritate or hurt your spouse. Don’t put their weaknesses or shortcomings on display for others to see. Even if a particular joke wouldn’t hurt your feelings, put yourself in your spouse’s shoes. If there’s a chance of doing harm, avoid it altogether.
If a joke upsets your spouse, that’s a sign to pause. Apologize if you need to, and listen to what they have to say. It may have hurt their feelings; if that’s the case, learn from it and don’t repeat it in the future.
Create Opportunities to Laugh Together
In addition to enjoying more humor in your day-to-day relationship, it’s important to create opportunities to laugh with your spouse. There’s almost never a bad time to lighten the mood. Here are a few ways you can intentionally infuse your marriage with more laughter:
- Recall humorous memories from your life together
- Tell funny stories from childhood or the time before you met
- Reminisce and laugh about shared experiences
- Go see a comedy film together
- Get outside and play like kids again
- Make time to laugh and play as a couple, and as a family
Building a happy marriage together is both an art and a science. Laughter is one of the most important ingredients in the formula. If you want more tips and ideas, we wrote our book, Making Happy, especially for couples like you. Get your copy here.
Do you and your spouse make time for humor? How can you enjoy more time for laughter? Let’s talk about it in the comments.
