Laughter may do more than lift spirits — it could also help young minds grow stronger.

According to Jacqueline Harding, Ph.D., an early childhood expert at Middlesex University in London, laughter and play form the foundation of healthy brain development, emotional well-being, and social bonding.

Harding explores this connection in her book, “The Brain That Loves to Laugh,” arguing that joy is a deeply biological phenomenon that equips children to handle stress and cultivate resilient, open minds.

“When we see children laugh, we witness the brilliance of the brain in action: learning, connecting and growing,” Harding told SWNS.

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She added that “hope and humor, it seems, are not just the seasoning of life, but foundational to a recipe for healthy development.”

Experts note that laughter activates broad networks in the brain — including motor areas and the prefrontal cortex — even before children begin to speak.

By helping the brain process conflicting ideas, laughter can enhance creativity and engage working memory, functioning as a kind of “mental workout.”

At the chemical level, laughter reduces stress hormones such as cortisol and epinephrine while increasing “feel-good” neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins.

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It also boosts oxytocin, a hormone that strengthens emotional connections between parents and children.

Prolonged stress, by contrast, has the opposite effect. According to SWNS, it disrupts learning, weakens immune function, and alters development in the brain’s limbic system, which regulates emotion and memory.

“Stated simply, the emotional state of young children directly influences how they navigate their way through the world,” Harding said.

She advised parents to create opportunities for spontaneous play and shared joy, describing such moments as a powerful antidote to stress.

“Spontaneous, joyful play is an antidote to stress, as it increases levels of endorphins released by the brain,” Harding explained. “Creative, happy play does its most brilliant work at a molecular level, especially at a time when the human brain is at its most receptive.”

These experiences also help children regulate their emotions, strengthen feelings of safety and connection, and support social and cognitive growth, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Through this shared joy, children practice what experts call “co-regulation,” learning to manage stress by drawing from positive early experiences.

Harding encourages educators to integrate humor directly into classrooms to ease cognitive load and improve retention of key concepts.

By elevating mood and lowering tension, laughter can create ideal conditions for learning, she noted.

“Safe relationships and non-stressful play environments promote learning,” Harding said. “The curriculum must never be prioritized over those two fundamental factors.”

The findings underscore a simple message: joy is not only emotional nourishment but also a biological ingredient in children’s growing brains.