The phrase is as cliché as they come, but it might be onto something. This past year, I’ve been conducting an undergraduate research thesis with the UCF Burnett Honors College titled Life in Laughter: Comedy’s Impact on Student Health and Success. It is 50 pages, and I used a lot of my own research to cope. But, I can confidently claim that, spoiler alert: laughter has a very real, measurable benefit for overall well-being, especially for college students.
We’re stressed. Between exams, internships, jobs, relationships, financial pressure, and the ongoing existential crisis of “What am I doing with my life?” stress has become a natural part of the student experience. But it is more serious than just being overwhelmed during finals week.
According to the Healthy Minds Network, based at the University of Michigan, 37% of college students report experiencing depression, 32% report anxiety, and 11% report seriously considering suicide in 2025. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention identifies suicide as the second leading cause of death among college students.
This is not a small problem.
Universities continue to expand counseling services and wellness programs, but many students still seek support in more accessible, everyday ways. Sometimes support looks like therapy, while other times, it looks like laughing at an Instagram Reel at 2 a.m.
Studying comedy on campus
Luckily, I didn’t have to go far to study this, even though I still wound up in places like Las Vegas and the ever-so-exotic Jacksonville, Florida, to present and gather further research.
But predominantly, I stayed right here on campus at UCF.
Wanting to study where students experience their everyday life, my research took a mixed-methods approach, combining creative projects with traditional data collection through a mini-documentary I produced exploring comedy on campus.
I also created an app called JoyScroll as a TikTok substitute, but one that actually benefits your mental health.
Lastly, I wrote and produced a short comedy play, Stupid Genius, through UCF Project Spotlight, and worked with campus groups such as UCF Improv, Knick Knacks Sketch Comedy, and the Campus Activities Board Comedy Committee to study how both watching and performing comedy affects students.
So…what did I find?
Comedy helps students feel better
The results speak for themselves.
91% of students surveyed said comedy has a positive or strongly positive impact on their well-being.
That doesn’t just mean “I like watching SNL.” It means students actively recognizing humor as something that improves their mood, helps them reset, and makes stressful situations feel more manageable.
91% also said they use laughter as a coping mechanism for stress.
I found that stat to feel incredibly accurate. Most students are not opening a mindfulness journal during finals week; they’re calling their friends to joke about what will happen if they fail their exam.
A 2023 meta-analysis published in PLOS ONE found that spontaneous laughter significantly reduced cortisol levels (stress hormone) by an average of 36.7%.
Putting that to the test, I found one of the strongest results came from live comedy events.
After attending a Knick Knacks sketch comedy show, 100% of survey respondents said they felt more connected to other students or campus life afterward.
That stood out to me because comedy is often talked about as personal stress relief, but it is also deeply social.
There is something powerful about a room full of strangers laughing at the same thing together. It creates community and reminds people they are not alone.
94% of students also said comedy should be supported as a campus wellness tool, and 94% said they would be interested in more comedy programming on campus.
Translation: students want more reasons to laugh, and more spaces to do it together.
performing comedy helps too
I also wanted to look at the people creating the comedy, not just the people watching it.
Through surveying UCF Improv performers, I found that:
- 100% said participating in comedy improved their overall mood
- 100% said it helped build confidence or self-esteem
- 100% said it gave them a sense of belonging
- 90% said performing comedy helped reduce stress
But beyond the data, I saw this reaction in real time.
At an improv meeting, students weren’t only performing, they were supporting each other, laughing at each other’s ideas, building off one another, and fully present in a way that feels rare in a world of constant distraction. Even when it wasn’t their turn to go up, they were engaged, watching, reacting, and contributing to the energy of the room.
It wasn’t just about being funny. It was about connection, creativity, and feeling like you had a place to belong.
JoyScroll vs. Doomscrolling
The JoyScroll app also gave some of the most interesting results.
89% of participants said it felt better than regular doomscrolling, and 78% said they would use it again as a form of therapy or stress relief. One student said JoyScroll gave them a noticeable mood boost during finals season.
The idea was simple: what if the same technology that we’re all addicted to and often increases anxiety could be redesigned to create small moments of relief instead?
Turns out, people really like feeling better. Who knew?
Is Laughter Really the Best Medicine?
Laughter is probably not better than Advil when you have a fever. But as a tool for coping, emotional regulation, and connection? Absolutely.
Comedy does not replace therapy, counseling, or professional mental health support, nor should it. But it can be part of the conversation. It lowers barriers, creates comfort, and reminds people that joy still belongs, especially in difficult seasons.
Sometimes laughter is not about avoiding stress; it’s about using it to survive it.
Laughter is the only universal language we have. No matter where you go in the world or who you speak to, laughter is something we can all understand, spanning beyond cultures, backgrounds, and language barriers.
In a time when so many students feel isolated or overwhelmed, that kind of connection matters.
I started this project wanting to convince higher education to invest in more opportunities for comedy on campuses.
Based on my findings, this approach shouldn’t stop at UCF. It has the potential to extend to other campuses, high schools, and even younger students, while also being adapted into digital wellness platforms or used alongside traditional therapeutic methods as an accessible, culturally relevant form of support.
My comprehensive research, Life in Laughter, will be published through UCF STARS in the next few weeks, making it available for download internationally.
You can also find the documentary, JoyScroll, performances, and the full project at the Life in Laughter website.
Babies laugh before they learn how to speak. It’s instinctive, and maybe that’s the point. Laughter isn’t something we have to teach people to use; it’s something we have to give ourselves more permission to do.