Cultures around the world definitely have their differences, and sometimes they can be stark. When I lived in China, I learned that people often laugh when nervous—they weren’t laughing at me or being rude—they were physically defusing their nervousness. In Tanzania, the pace of life is much slower than I’m accustomed to—life is to be enjoyed, and everything—appointments, buses, meet ups—can wait. Americans can be very open compared to many cultures—talking about anything and everything under the sun—and this loose conversation style can be strange for some.

Rarely are these differences between cultures divisive. Most of the time they’re simply unexpected. Sure, occasionally the disparity in openness or the degree of religious influence on a culture can broach a disagreement, but it seems that for the most part, it’s our assumptions that are the most divisive.

And in my experience, there is a great universal connecter that brings us together: Laughter. All people laugh. Every human on the planet, no matter their culture or birth, knows laughter. We all derive joy and pleasure from life, and we often show it through our laughter. We might laugh at different things sometimes, but more often than not it’s for the same reasons across cultures: something unexpected happens, or a child behaves unconventionally in their innocence. We’re actually still learning much about why we laugh. But it’s one thing we all do.

The world becomes a much friendlier place when we realize there are millions of people laughing, all around the world, at this very moment. Indeed, we have huge problems to solve. But can we also enjoy life together?