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The Snort-Laugh of Surrender
How humour can help us see clearly when nothing else works
The Cosmic Joke We Call Clarity
You’ve been there. The spreadsheets are open, the to-do list is colour-coded, the vision board is glowing, and still, the answer just won’t come.
You meditate on it. You consult the Tarot. You text three trusted friends and eat half a tub of haagen daaz.
Yet still nothing.
And then you drop your phone in the toilet. Or laugh-cry while cleaning up cat puke. Or give up entirely and go for a walk…
and clarity arrives.
Not because you chased it, but because you finally stopped trying to be impressive.
Turns out, surrender often wears a clown nose.
The Science of the Snort-Laugh
It’s easy to think of laughter as a distraction from seriousness. But neuroscience and psychology tell a different story: laughter can create clarity – not block it.
Here’s how:
- Laughter lowers cortisol. When we’re stressed, our prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for insight, problem-solving, and clarity, goes totally offline. Humour resets our nervous system, reducing cortisol and increasing access to higher-order thinking (Berk et al., 1989).
- It activates the default mode network. This network is associated with daydreaming and insight. It turns on when we stop forcing linear problem-solving – and yes, that includes when we’re laughing.
- Laughter breaks rigidity. Psychological flexibility is key to clarity. When we’re caught in loops of perfectionism or control, humour disrupts the loop. It helps us see the absurdity of our patterns, and choose something new.
- It restores relational attunement. Social laughter boosts oxytocin, the bonding hormone, helping us reconnect to ourselves and others. And clarity often comes in the form of connection.
Snort First, Insight Later
In a world that glorifies control, humour offers holy disruption. It reminds us we’re human, fallible, ridiculous, and in that softening, we become more receptive.
So next time you’re spiralling in search of answers, try something radical:
Watch a terrible rom-com.
Laugh at the meme that hits too close to home.
Imagine the universe as a sitcom writer with excellent comedic timing.
And then, when you least expect it, notice what emerges.
It may not be polished. But it might be clear.