Loosen Up, Lighten Up Day

What the day is

Loosen Up, Lighten Up Day is observed on November 14. It suggests easing off: taking things less heavily, laughing more readily, and dropping some of the seriousness the year has accumulated.

Its position on the calendar is well judged. Mid-November is when the end-of-year pile-up begins, daylight has noticeably shortened in the northern hemisphere, and the gap between what was planned for the year and what has happened becomes difficult to avoid.

Origin and background

The origin of the observance is not documented.

The evidence on humor and wellbeing is more mixed than motivational writing suggests, and worth stating honestly. Laughter does produce measurable short-term physiological changes, and people who use humor to reframe difficulty tend to report better coping. But claims that laughter substantially improves immune function or physical health outcomes outrun the research, which is largely small-scale and inconsistent.

What is better supported is the effect of tension itself. Sustained stress has well-documented physical consequences, and the things that reliably reduce it are unglamorous: sleep, movement, daylight, contact with other people, and having something in the week that is not an obligation.

There is also a documented difference between kinds of humor. Self-deprecating and aggressive humor correlate poorly with wellbeing; affiliative humor, the shared kind that includes rather than targets, correlates well. Lightening up is not the same as being funny at somebody's expense.

How to take part

• Let one thing go today that you would normally correct or redo.
• Do something badly on purpose and refuse to improve it.
• Spend an hour with someone who makes you laugh, which works better than seeking out comedy alone.
• Get outside in daylight. It is the least amusing advice here and the most reliable.
• Notice whether your own humor is the including kind or the targeting kind.
• Cancel one optional commitment rather than adding a relaxation activity to a full week.