Try Not To Laugh- It Is Serious

“Can you please stop laughing? It isn’t funny”, the teacher yelled at me while I was in 10th standard and was giving a speaking assessment test which had to be recorded. I told my mind “Please try not to laugh, be serious”, I tried so hard and got so far, but it happened anyway. I don’t even know why I was laughing, perhaps it was the ugly faces of my friends.

Fortunately, the teacher wasn’t that strict with me and I suspect she too had a bad habit of laughing at serious moments. She understood what I was experiencing and I saw a mixed emotion on her face. I think she was also trying not to laugh.

There are so many other incidents like this and I’m pretty sure you do sometimes laugh at inappropriate moments. Come on, I know you do. Sometimes we often laugh at an unsuitable situation that makes us feel uneasy and embarrasses us later.

The strange part is I’ve never searched for the reason for it. I’ve never tried to find the logic behind our inappropriate laugh. Is it natural? Or, does it even make us bad a person?

But now I’ve found the reason. There is a scientific explanation behind it. And this is the weirdest explanation I’ve got to know after many years. But one thing is sure and I’m telling you that laughing at a serious moment is a really bad habit one can do.

Of course, laughter is the best medicine but how often or when to take the medicine? It should be prescribed. There are situations that don’t recommend you to laugh irrespective of how serious or amusing that was.

Take For Example

Just think of a situation, where you’re standing and laughing at somebody’s funeral, and then suddenly a family member comes and hits you in the face, “This isn’t funny you idiot, What’s wrong with you?” It makes you look rude and arrogant.

You are having a date and you are walking with her, Just a moment away you find that she slips on the ground (possibly due to high heels), and now you go like Hee! Haw! Haw!. Just the next day she left a note on your TV saying- “It’s isn’t working”. But later you discover the TV is working perfectly fine. Hmm?

(By the way, she didn’t mean TV actually)

Would you consider this to be a matter of concern? It is in no control yours and unfortunate to die out laughing when the situation won’t recommend. Now, coming to the curiosity I’ve been having regarding the reason for it finally comes to an end.

Laughing during inappropriate situations doesn’t indicate you’re a bad person or you don’t care. It is just your body mechanism that tries to trick you to make you feel better during intense situations. Your emotions come out in a way of laughter which is considered to be a burst of ‘Nervous laughter.’

According to Wikipedia- Nervous laughter is not true laughter. It is provoked by an audience’s expression of alarm, embarrassment, discomfort, or confusion rather than amusement.

The study says It isn’t a good belly laugh. It is the result of the body’s defence mechanism in order to lower the anxiety, stress, awkwardness, and confusion you are experiencing at that particular moment. For instance, in school when a red-headed teacher scolds your friend your laugh comes out, but this may result in more stress if the teacher doesn’t like the way you laugh.

But I believe the study is situational and doesn’t apply to everyone. One may even laugh naturally though.

Homo sapiens being weird can laugh at irrelevant and inappropriate situations for no specified reason. Every so often you may even laugh at a joke that you don’t actually think was funny.

The situation is intense and makes you feel discomfort while giving a speech or attending a 2-minute silence. Your one hee-haw can spoil the moment. Although, it is possible that other people with similar habits may also laugh by seeing you laugh. It is a whole chain reaction.

Deep down you know that you don’t want it to, you may also feel guilt for what you’ve done but you have no control over your subconscious mind, it just finds its way out of your mouth.

Laughing neutralizes the awkwardness & intense emotion we are experiencing. It relieves emotions in the form of laughter. Although it may create more stress and awkwardness in your mind afterwards it does work for the body.

Now, I’m really afraid that it’ll happen while giving an interview? There is no way to escape that.

But, Legends say that there are some ways if you properly use your brain’s cerebral capacity. So, in the wrong situation when you think you are about to laugh:

• Start coughing
• Think how much is 671*23
• Pinch yourself
• Distract your mind
• Rub your eyes
• Close your eyes and think you are somewhere else

However, if any of these doesn’t work, then just cover your mouth or fill your mouth with lots of tissue paper, that’s the best you can do, otherwise….you are screwed anyway.

Any better solution you got? As you know different minds have different solutions. Here is a chance to use your brain’s cerebral capacity. Let us know in the comment box.

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