Science says: this is why you should laugh at inappropriate moments

So I am quite guilty of this: at a moment when it absolutely cannot happen, having a strong urge to laugh. Or just as bad: to giggle. I never giggle, except at moments when someone tells something really unpleasant or when I am addressed quite sternly. It's really so annoying, for the people around you AND for yourself. I used to think I would grow out of it and associated it a bit with childishness, but by now I know that unfortunately is not the case. Because in the meantime, I have passed 30 (I still find it intense to have to write that down) and I still struggle with this.

Steven Ellen, director of the Psychological Oncology Program in Melbourne, says about it: ‘Inappropriate laughter is very interesting.’ Call it interesting, I call it embarrassing. ‘We all do it, I do it myself quite often. It can really be very difficult. You can be talking about a very tense subject and your body suddenly reacts by laughing,’ he continues. Well, if this director has trouble with it — and says that everyone has trouble with it — then it can't be a very bad deviation... right?

But why do we do it then? According to Ellen, it is a reaction of our own body, trying to relieve the tension. Your body notices that you are not completely relaxed in this situation, perhaps stressed, anxious, or scared, and your body then automatically goes into a kind of defense mechanism. Away with those tense feelings, and what works better than laughing? And you have absolutely no will in that, according to Ellen: ‘Even if we really don’t want to laugh and would rather stay serious.’

Also according to Jordan Raine, a researcher at the University of Essex, this is the case: ‘It is a kind of defensive mechanism when you encounter something intense, possibly traumatizing.’

He continues: ‘Sometimes there can be fits of nervous laughter as a reaction to an event, perhaps to protect us from what we are experiencing.’ Ah, look. It’s actually just very sweet that our body protects us like this. Even though that same body makes us look ridiculous.

According to Raine, it could also have to do with ‘emotional inconsistency’. That is a bit heavier than the above, which is still quite innocent. In this case, it would actually be a brain disorder, causing you to have attacks of uncontrollable and unpredictable behavior (like laughing). This could occur in people with sclerosis and dementia.

In short, it is not strange at all if you suddenly have a spontaneous laughing fit at your grandmother's funeral or start giggling uncontrollably when you get a stern talking-to from your partner. It’s all very human. But let’s be honest: it remains embarrassing.

Source: Vice