Get Premium
Dark mode theme is available exclusively for premium users. Learn more about the benefits of subscribing.
No fees, cancel anytime.
Dark Mode 
No fees, cancel anytime 
Of all the coping mechanisms out there, humor has to be the best one. Without it, we’d probably still be stuck dwelling on every bad decision from our past. Instead, we get to turn our worst experiences into the stories we laugh about later.
These folks prove that perfectly. They’ve posted about situations that were genuinely brutal in the moment, but time has done its thing and made them funny in retrospect. Check them out below and upvote your favorites.
This post may include affiliate links.
RELATED:
It really is kind of funny how something that feels terrifying in the moment can eventually become a story you tell at parties. A job interview where you accidentally called the CEO by the wrong name, or the time you tripped in front of your entire class.
These moments that once made you want to disappear somehow transform over time into your best material. Well, thank humor for that.
Humor works as an amazing coping mechanism, helping us deal with stress and adversity in ways that other strategies often can’t match. When we face a difficult situation, finding something to laugh about can genuinely change how we feel, even on a physical level.
Research shows that laughter reduces stress and enhances mood by triggering the release of endorphins. These feel-good chemicals help calm us down when we’re anxious or scared, essentially giving our nervous system a chance to reset after something stressful happens.
#8
But the benefits go beyond just feeling better in the moment. One study looked at how people handle upsetting situations using different approaches. Some participants used humor, active coping, and positive reframing. Others relied on avoidant strategies like denial and distraction.
The results? Those who avoided their problems reported more stress and worse mental health overall. Turns out laughter really does keep the doctor away.
Now, you might think it’s easier said than done to just laugh at whatever ordeal life has thrown at you. We’ve all been there at 3 AM when our brain decides to replay every embarrassing moment from the past decade.
But here’s something interesting: research shows that memory is actually biased towards happiness. As much as bad memories can bother you from time to time, your brain still leans towards remembering the good stuff more often.
Dr. W. Richard Walker of Winston-Salem State University and his colleagues found two reasons for this positive bias. The first is pretty straightforward. Pleasant events genuinely outnumber unpleasant ones because people naturally seek out positive experiences and avoid negative ones.
Across 12 studies involving people of different backgrounds and ages, participants consistently reported experiencing more positive events in their lives than negative ones.
#16
#17
Upstaged75 2 weeks ago
A friend of mine was goofing around at the playground and got stuck in the baby swing. The rescue squad had to cut him out of it. He was 42 at the time. 😂
#18
Paul C. 2 weeks ago (edited)
My cousin was sitting on a wall and decided that he would hunch his legs up, wrap his arms around them, inside his jumper and pull the jumper down to his feet, so that he looked (so he thought) like an owl on the wall. Yep he fell forwards, broke his nose and gave himself two black eyes, because he had no way of stopping himself. I know I'm bad but I laughed so hard I nearly wet myself. Edit the idiot was twelve at the time.
The second reason has to do with how our memory system handles emotions. Seven studies found that pleasant emotions fade more slowly from memory than unpleasant ones. One way this happens is through something called minimization. To get back to our normal level of happiness, we try to minimize the impact of negative events.
This process happens biologically, cognitively, and socially. Dr. Walker explains that people are motivated to view their life events in a relatively positive light, which softens the emotional punch of bad memories over time.
#21
Even when you do suddenly remember an upsetting moment from your life, research suggests it might actually make you happier. Sounds strange, right? Well, remembering something bad from your past can sometimes make you feel better in the present because it reminds you that your life has improved since then.
So even if something keeps you up at night, try remembering that it’s definitely in the past. Ask yourself if your life has gotten better since then. High chances you’re doing better than 15-year-old you who said something embarrassing to your crush.
#22
Khavrinen 2 weeks ago
Went on a camping trip with several of my cousins, and a couple of the girls were all freaked out because they heard "bears" snuffling and growling around our tents one night. We discovered the next night that what they were hearing was actually the sound of one of the guys in another tent who was a restless sleeper moving around on his air mattress.
#23
Pandemonium 2 weeks ago
We don't stop laughing at farts when we get old, we get old when we stop laughing at farts. By the way, pull my finger...
There’s probably no such thing as a bad experience if you learned something from it. Sure, back then it may have seemed like the end of the world, but life goes on and so do we.
Giving ourselves a little grace and kindness makes the journey easier. Our mistakes and embarrassments help us grow. Plus, they make for amazing stories to tell others later.
#25
Stephanie A Mutti 2 weeks ago
My exMiL made potatoes au-gratin with powdered sugar instead of flour and it was like a new dessert. I LOVED it!
#27
Robert T 2 weeks ago
I did that with a tram power pole. In my defence, it was dark and raining and I had my head down. It must've been cartoonish to watch as it practically laid me out. I got up, dusted myself off, and proceeded to carry on towards the tram stop before I realised I was bleeding quite badly from above my eye. Had to go back to the office to get patched up with the first aid kit!
#28
KWilly 2 weeks ago
I used to work at a grocery store. Manager and I were stocking the detergent/cleaning/air freshener aisle. Customer was smelling air fresheners, he proceeds to accidentally spray himself directly in the face. I immediately turn around to hide my giggle whilst NOT making eye contact with boss because I knew we would both lose it. Customer gasps, chokes, then bursts out laughing. Manager and I can no longer contain it and the three of us stand there laughing for a good 2-3 minutes. One of my favorite memories from there.
#31
#33
Stephanie A Mutti 2 weeks ago
Anything unexpectedly touching you in the water is worthy of screaming and fleeing.
#34
Michael Largey 2 weeks ago
Words at a funeral can be tricky. "I'm sorry" and "I apologize" mean the same just about everywhere else.
#35
Kim Kermes 2 weeks ago
Opening the umbrella at them works well, and add hissing. I can feel for you, even though I don't have your difficulty.
#37
WalterWhiteSavannah 2 weeks ago
I got hit by a school bus first week of high-school in a small town. Flew a good 15 feet and landed half on a sidewalk. Was actually fine minus a concussion. But after 2 days observation in hospital I returned to school only to hear that i had died. 😅
#40
CloPotato 2 weeks ago
As a tour guide, I wholeheartedly welcome these questions, but please, for my own sanity, do laugh after the few seconds of surprise and awkwardness. I've had too many people asking whacky questions in all seriousness and sometimes I question my faith in humanity. I always respond as if any question was worth a serious answer because best case scenario the questioner thinks I'm playing along, worst he thinks I'm stupid, but in case the question was honest they don't feel stupid themselves.
#41
highwaycrossingfrog 2 weeks ago
When I'm in a bad mood I yell at inanimate things all the time! I think the most recent one was my coat, I was running late and it got stuck under another jacket on my coat rack. It was definitely a primal scream, my poor neighbours!
#42
Bunny Wood 2 weeks ago
Excellent. When i was little the whole church watched a huge Preying Mantis wander back and forth on the priests garments whilst he spoke. My sister just said" appropriate " and kept watching
#44
#45
Woke George Washington 2 weeks ago
That actually happened to me once while I was attending a baby shower at a playground lmaooo. I think I was 14 or 15 at the time.
#50
CloPotato 2 weeks ago
oh no this one is sad. I hope it got better. Thankfully no one actually gives much of a s**t about strangers' bodies unless said strangers are a. celebrities (it s***s and shouldn't be the case, but..), or b. generally unpleasant. A very few percentage of the population is actual a******s, but we won't live to please them.
#53
Robert Cosgrove 2 weeks ago
I thought I had h***es once and rang round my exes telling them. Turned out it was just a cold sore on my top lip
#54
Beak Hookage 2 weeks ago
When I downloaded a pirated game the punishment was a really bad virus. Served me right.
Add New Image
Explore more of these tags
What do you think ?
Paul C. 2 weeks ago
I had a good friend who's dad had one false eye from an accident as a child. One day I was visiting and we got talking about a round of golf he had played where he shot his lowest ever score. I then proceeded to say something I have never said before or since. I said, "I bet you went home glassy eyed after that round". I was MORTIFIED!
BookFanatic 2 weeks ago
A fellow bridesmaid had to take the flower girl to go potty during the photo session. I decided to hop onto the back for a ride back. Bridesmaid gunned it and of course I toppled over and fell off. In full bridesmaid regalia. In front of the entire wedding party, bride's & groom's parents, photographer, and venue staff. The bride (my bestie) came running up in her gown. Of course, like any good bestie, once she realized I was okay she ruined her make-up laughing at me.
Paul C. 2 weeks ago
I had a good friend who's dad had one false eye from an accident as a child. One day I was visiting and we got talking about a round of golf he had played where he shot his lowest ever score. I then proceeded to say something I have never said before or since. I said, "I bet you went home glassy eyed after that round". I was MORTIFIED!
BookFanatic 2 weeks ago
A fellow bridesmaid had to take the flower girl to go potty during the photo session. I decided to hop onto the back for a ride back. Bridesmaid gunned it and of course I toppled over and fell off. In full bridesmaid regalia. In front of the entire wedding party, bride's & groom's parents, photographer, and venue staff. The bride (my bestie) came running up in her gown. Of course, like any good bestie, once she realized I was okay she ruined her make-up laughing at me.
You May Like 50 Of The Funniest Signs Ever Spotted In The Wild (New Pics) People Almost Had A Stroke Trying To Read These 108 Hilariously Confusing Pics 60 Weird But 'Technically True' Takes That No One Can Argue With
Mantas Kačerauskas
Jonas Žvilius
Aurelija Rakauskaitė
Related on Bored Panda
