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one of the strangest/funniest at the time,,,yes I shouldn't have laughed was from a woman..
that would hiss like a cat when she was nervous.....
I met her for the first time...did a proper handshake and she hissed at me...
my god I was speechless,,,im thinking this woman is brilliant.....she makes every man she meets very awkward.
she even looked like a cat and I swear I heard her purr too..
so its just not laughter .....when people are nervous
I met another lady that ...got all dressed to the hilt,,, and then start chewing on her hair .... kind of a nervous behavior...
I find these things quite intriguing,,,and usually alcohol will diminish these nervous ticks,,
except for the hisser...she was hissing all night
ClaraC, I'm with you. I tried the laughter therapy yoga---it seemed so forced. Instead of getting a positive result, I resented having to fake laugh.
OP, thanks for starting this thread. I've noticed this as well with people and it drives me crazy! I am an introvert while the majority of people are extroverts, so I'm the one who should be nervous and uneasy when encountering other people and having to deal with them. But although I am introverted, I still have social skills and I'm an adult. So I never laugh when I see other people. I try to think of something to say and if I can't, then I say nothing. I truly don't understand the mechanism of the nervous laughter. All I can think of is that it's kind of a sheepish acknowledgment that the other person feels uneasy and doesn't quite know what to say. Maybe that's where being introverted comes in handy---that we can deal with any silences.
At the gym I go to daily, I pass by acquaintances who laugh as a greeting. I never understand why they would be nervous---it shouldn't be that unexpected to see me as we are all members and they know I am friendly because we have talked or said hello previously.
I used to host Meetup dinners where strangers would come. Some would look like a deer caught in headlights and had bonafide social anxiety, so I could understand that and try to help ease their discomfort. But when it's someone I have already met and it's not unexpected to see each other, I will not reciprocate the laughter because I don't feel uneasy and it would be as fake as the laughter therapy kind (and wouldn't really help the other person).
OP, that is just amazing that your SIL, who I presume you have known for years, would do the nervous laughter thing.
I am an introvert (and trust me, I am not hosting a Meetup dinner as one) and sometimes I laugh nervously about things. It's really not that hard to understand. I am not TRYING to laugh. I am not telling myself, "Laugh, because you don't know what else to do!" It's like an automatic response and not something I am controlling. If I do realize I did it, it's not until after the fact.
You do not have anxiety and/or uneasiness with your interactions, which is where this nervous laughter comes from---if someone does it, it doesn't make them less of an adult.
I have severe anxiety lately due to dealing with my husband's cancer diagnosis and treatment. I cry very easily. However, I was watching a video that was hilarious one night recently and laughing so hard that I had tears. Suddenly I was bawling my head off (yet again!) It's like my body's auto-pilot just took over... "Here, let me fix that for you. You're supposed to be crying."
Subconscious response caused by the brain over-thinking. I've had the opposite happen, too. I've been crying and suddenly the whole situation seems so absurd that I will start laughing. If you witness this, it looks very much like Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. It's disconcerting, to say the least. I'm not sure I'd prefer nervous laughter over the crying at the drop of a hat, to be honest.
I know a man who behaves just the opposite. When he should cry, he laughs. When I first saw him do this I thought he was being disrespectful towards the very sad situation at hand. But he explained that's how he reacts when most people would cry.
He's a very kind person so I know he isn't being a jerk when he does this. It just his nature to laugh at something sad. He says he feels sad even though he's laughing.
I have finally figured out that this is why people laugh at things that are not funny.
I have a good friend who after I say something, where someone else might nod, or say, uhuh, or I see, laughs loudly.
Not bec. what I said is funny.
for her laughter seems to be what she does as a pause in the conversation.
At first it was disconcerting.
My s-i-l does the same thing. She'll greet me, not with hello, but with a burst of laughter, altho nothing humorous has happened.
Humour is very subjective, what you find funny I may not and vice versa
Plus people may laugh in order to be polite as someone tells a bad joke etc
there's also "laughing yoga".
a friend of mine used to teach it.
Laughing feels good. It is good for one physically and emotionally,
but yes, I am like you, I cannot laugh unless something is funny.
Quote:
Originally Posted by ClaraC
Laughing is so interesting. There's a new "laughter therapy" where people sit and make themselves laugh. It's very rewarding apparently and causes endorphin release.
I can't do it. If something's not funny, I can't laugh.
But yes, people who laugh nervously (a real laugh, not kind of a nervous giggle) are trying to calm themselves.
yeah, I don't think my SIL is nervous, as in social anxiety.
I think it is a habit.
some people don't know what to say, so they laugh.
people don't like silence.
Me - I'm fine with silence.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jazzcat22
ClaraC, I'm with you. I tried the laughter therapy yoga---it seemed so forced. Instead of getting a positive result, I resented having to fake laugh.
OP, thanks for starting this thread. I've noticed this as well with people and it drives me crazy! I am an introvert while the majority of people are extroverts, so I'm the one who should be nervous and uneasy when encountering other people and having to deal with them. But although I am introverted, I still have social skills and I'm an adult. So I never laugh when I see other people. I try to think of something to say and if I can't, then I say nothing. I truly don't understand the mechanism of the nervous laughter. All I can think of is that it's kind of a sheepish acknowledgment that the other person feels uneasy and doesn't quite know what to say. Maybe that's where being introverted comes in handy---that we can deal with any silences.
At the gym I go to daily, I pass by acquaintances who laugh as a greeting. I never understand why they would be nervous---it shouldn't be that unexpected to see me as we are all members and they know I am friendly because we have talked or said hello previously.
I used to host Meetup dinners where strangers would come. Some would look like a deer caught in headlights and had bonafide social anxiety, so I could understand that and try to help ease their discomfort. But when it's someone I have already met and it's not unexpected to see each other, I will not reciprocate the laughter because I don't feel uneasy and it would be as fake as the laughter therapy kind (and wouldn't really help the other person).
OP, that is just amazing that your SIL, who I presume you have known for years, would do the nervous laughter thing.
Nervous laughter isn't so much about being nervous, but is a habit that discharges excess energy that is aggravated by awkwardness felt by the person who laughs for no discernible reason. When people do this too much, I agree it is irritating. But I don't think they are aware, or mean to do harm.
hello, I'm sorry for your husband's diagnosis.
I hope he recovers.
I haven't been in your exact position, but I can imagine that the stress and anxiety produced would take all kind of outlets- laughing crying, whatever..
I hope you just love yourself no matter what, and give yourself permission to feel however you feel.
my best to you.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Nicci6Squirrels
I have severe anxiety lately due to dealing with my husband's cancer diagnosis and treatment. I cry very easily. However, I was watching a video that was hilarious one night recently and laughing so hard that I had tears. Suddenly I was bawling my head off (yet again!) It's like my body's auto-pilot just took over... "Here, let me fix that for you. You're supposed to be crying."
Subconscious response caused by the brain over-thinking. I've had the opposite happen, too. I've been crying and suddenly the whole situation seems so absurd that I will start laughing. If you witness this, it looks very much like Woman on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown. It's disconcerting, to say the least. I'm not sure I'd prefer nervous laughter over the crying at the drop of a hat, to be honest.
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