There is something very special about laughing. Look at pictures with laughing people. It makes you feel good. Science tells us that something very special happens to our brains when we laugh. Laughter lowers our stress level and decreases our blood pressure. Laughter is so enjoyable because we fire fell-good hormones called endorphins. 

Put in another way, laughter strips away the patterns of sabotage and it is a short cut to the comfort zone.

Laughter and high performance go hand in hand.

Humour makes us stand back and look at the situation with different eyes. Change happens. We are suddenly able to disengage in the present state of mind and spark ourselves and others into a much better mental state. This gives us the opportunity to see other perspectives and possibilities. 

I saw this happen when I played a round with a good friend some years ago. This person is always able to laugh, and he is always able to get people back into a good comfortable state of mind. He does that by chatting and laughing all the way around the golf course. Moreover, he will engage directly with the person who is in a bad place and ask the person a few questions with a good sense of humour. More often than not, the person will start laughing and engage in the friendly and humorous chat. Playing with this person is always enjoyable and the scores are normally pretty good. 

Personally, I think this is amazing. We can change our mental state when we want to, and one tool is to laugh. Make a joke and laugh. Bang, you fire feel-good hormones, and in that way, you fire up your good state, which is good for your golf.