Laughing is like exercising, meditating, and having sex at the same time, according to the behavioral scientist Jennifer Aaker of Stanford University. When we laugh, our brains release a cocktail of healthy hormones, all at once. It releases endorphins, the same sort of hormones that are released with exercise. It reduces your cortisol, making you calmer. And it also increases oxytocin, which is the same hormone released during sex and childbirth.

Sharing laughter therefore shortens the distance between people, making them more open to disclosing personal information. Humour can defuse tension and bring us together like nothing else. It’s how we make friends, bond with co-workers, and get our entertainment. And yet, humour is often missing in many parts of our lives.

Looking at advertising in the past years, the amount of humorous ads has seen a sharp decline. 95% of business leaders now fear humor in consumer interactions. There are several explanations for this. One of the explanations is that purpose marketing has gained traction, and we often find it challenging to incorporate humour into serious causes. However, isn’t bringing people together (with the help of a good laugh) purposeful marketing in itself?