What’s been making us laugh lately?

We recently asked the Mobilise community a simple question: what’s been most likely to make us laugh recently?

Sometimes it feels like we only ask about the difficult times, so this time we focused on the lighter side of life and wanted to know about the recent laughs we’ve experienced, which so often show up when we least expect it.

Almost fifty of you responded - thank you - and the replies felt instantly familiar: funny, tender, sometimes absurd, and full of the small elements that make up caring life. But the numbers only tell part of the story. The real picture comes from the unique moments which were shared.

What the numbers told us…

The most common answer was something we watched, listened to, or read, be it TV, radio, books, films, or online videos. 

• Just over a third of us said this was most likely to make us laugh. When caring takes up so much headspace, it makes sense that laughter often comes from somewhere we don’t have to work too hard. TV came up again and again. Comedy shows, old favourites, things we’ve watched before but still enjoy. The Masked Singer. Young Sheldon. Birds of a Feather. A funny romcom. Even Breaking Bad.

“Watching TV helps me  escape, with little funny moments. Not huge laughs, just enough to soften the day.”

• There were comedians too, short online clips, funny commentary during the tennis. Laughter that fits into small gaps, rather than demanding our full attention.

Looking for some recommendations for what to watch next? 10 comfort shows carers are loving right now is full of series that the Mobilise Community has recommended.

11 books every carer should read, shares some uplifting reads that we might enjoy. 

The next most popular answer was something the person we care for said or did.

• A mum announcing her disappointment at still being alive, and wondering where the “beautiful men” were who were meant to take her away. A husband with aphasia getting words wrong and producing accidental comedy that makes everyone laugh, including him.

• There was pride, too: a SEND son reporting he’d been “engaged at school 98% of the time”. And everyday care moments reframed with humour, like incontinence shorts that apparently look perfect for playing tennis.

• These aren’t jokes. They’re reminders that humour doesn’t disappear with illness or disability. It might change shape, but it’s still there.

  
  

Moments with other people, such as friends, family members, or fellow carers was a close third.

• A break with a partner. A chat. Reminiscing about funny conversations. Time with grandchildren. An unexpected birthday party.

• A fiancé paying £14 towards a microwave, then declaring that if they ever split up, the plug and cable were his. Everyone laughed; the couple, the shop assistants, and us reading it!

“The greeting given to me and my mother whom I care for, first thing in the morning when we both feel low. She’s gentle and loving and hugely cuddly.”

Unsurprisingly our pets featured heavily when it came to funny moments, which feels about right, given how many dogs, puppies, and snoring companions appeared in the stories themselves.

• Dogs made a number of appearances. Dogs snoring. Dogs waking up with squashed faces. Dogs barking at toys that bark back. Puppies racing around with more enthusiasm than coordination. Three maltipoos playing in the snow.

• And then there was Karloff the demon doggie, afraid of dustbins, shopping bags, and anything with wheels, but brave enough to endure grooming, even if it tickled so much he had to roll over waving his legs.

  
  

Pets don’t fix anything. But they do interrupt. And sometimes that’s just what we need. Read more about how pets can support us in our caring role in The power of pets and how they can support us.

The moments we don’t plan for…

A few of us talked about laughter arriving unexpectedly, such as being asked, with a knowing smile, whether we were planning to eat the dog treat we were holding. Or answering a question mid-rush with a very firm “WOOF”, only to realise someone else was listening.

These moments don’t last long. But they land because someone else notices the absurdity and joins in.

And when laughter feels far away…

Not every response was light.

One person said simply: “Nothing makes me laugh anymore.”

It sat quietly among the dogs and TV shows. And it matters because laughter isn’t guaranteed. There are times when caring takes everything, and humour slips out of reach. That doesn’t mean anything is wrong, it just means we are human, tired, and carrying a lot. It could also be a small warning sign that we might be starting to feel burnt out and a quiet cue to check in with ourselves. Learn more about warning signs of carer burnout and top tips to better manage our stress levels.

What this all adds up to…

The answers remind us that laughter in caring life is rarely big or planned. It doesn’t usually arrive as a full belly laugh or a perfect punchline. More often, it’s a familiar programme we’ve seen before. A comment that catches us off guard. A pet doing something daft at exactly the right moment. A shared look with someone who “get’s it”.

We laugh where we can, when we can. Sometimes quietly, sometimes unexpectedly, sometimes only for a second or two. And when we can’t laugh, when nothing feels funny at all, we notice that too. That, as much as the laughter itself, is part of the reality of caring life. It all has a place.

If you enjoyed reading about what’s made us laugh recently, you might also like  The power of laughter - fake it ‘till you make it which explores the scientific impact of laughter on our physical health.

Found something funny recently? Or have a go-to show or film that always makes you laugh? Share your recommendations with fellow carers in the Mobilise Hub.