Inappropriate laughter
 

Sorry if this has been mentioned recently. I can't keep up with all the posts here.

Winnie mentioned inappropriate laughter in another thread and I know I do this too, but I can't explain why I do it, which makes it hard to do anything about it. Can anyone explain?

Re: Inappropriate laughter
 

What do you mean? smile or laugh when you shouid not or want to do the opposite or doing it yet you do not know why or ??? :confused:

Re: Inappropriate laughter
 

Yes, all of those. Often I don't realise I'm doing it until the conversation ends and I wonder why my cheeks are aching.:d :confused:

Re: Inappropriate laughter
 

Thanks Mel. :smile2:

So I just have to make sure I never feel stressed.:rolleyesp

Re: Inappropriate laughter
 

Hi Chach
I'm not sure i'm right, but i seem to remember you are a fellow blusher? If so, i would suggest that this may be a reason for your unwanted smiling, because when someone is talking there's every chance that they may be looking at you, and eye contact is something blushers feel uncomfortable with.
I tend to find that if i smile at someone while they are talking to me, it helps both parties relax and the person talking feels comfortable that you are happy to listen to him/her. This in turn makes me feel more comfortable that i'm not going to get embarrassed in front of them.
If i'm wrong about you being a blusher i apologise, but i still think a smile helps to relax the situation regardless.

Re: Inappropriate laughter
 

This subject came up at my group therapy session on Tuesday when I was smiling and laughing a little bit while I was describing quite an unhappy situation.

The therapist challenged me as to why I was laughing and I came up with that the laughing stopped me feeling too upset and it lightened the mood because I found the subject difficult to talk about.

Another kind of inappropriate laughter came when I was doing the public speaking exercise at the social practice session I went to last week. I can't really explain why it happened but it was quite a humorous poem I was reading but my cheeks were burning and the laughing made me more embarrassed. I wasn't laughing at the poem, I was laughing out of anxiety and embarrassment. It was just really silly because you wouldn't expect a 49-year-old to break out into laughter like this - it's more like schoolgirl behaviour.

Re: Inappropriate laughter
 

I tend to laugh when i'm nervous. Most the time its pretty harmless but if its right after someones said something a bit sad/unhappy/serious it can seem innapropriate :-s

Re: Inappropriate laughter
 

Yup, same here. I've had a problem with nervous laughter since my teens. I used to worry that I came across as a right cold-hearted bitch but these days if I do start laughing in an inappropriate way I am quick to apologise and explain that I am prone to nervous laughter. My family and friends all know about it so don't make me feel bad about it. I laughed at the fall of a family member once but I was actually very worried about them :( It's almost as if the response gets mixed up in my brain, something has triggered an emotional response but I give the wrong one.

Re: Inappropriate laughter
 

hahahahahahaha!

Re: Inappropriate laughter
 

oops!

Re: Inappropriate laughter
 

;) Sometimes something bad happens e.g. someone trips over, and I want to laugh. Bad, I guess.:tongue1:

Re: Inappropriate laughter
 

You're probably thinking: "I'm glad it wasn't me."

Re: Inappropriate laughter
 

I have a tendency to laugh when things become overwhelming.When the twin towers collapsed I was standing outside Dixons with about a dozen other people and couldn't stop myself laughing.One other person there burst into tears which seemed more appropriate but she was probably feeling a very similar emotion.
This tendency even applies when bad things happen to me.

Re: Inappropriate laughter
 

Givusabud: I probably do blush but it's not something that bothers me. I do have a problem with eye contact. And I agree. Generally when I smile, people smile back and it helps to relax the situation.

Unfortunately, smiling isn't always appropriate.:headshake