Why we laugh at inappropriate times and how to avoid embarrassment

Perhaps you have already felt an uncontrollable urge to laugh in the midst of an unfunny situation, for example, after receiving bad news or while a friend lamented about your heartbreaks. And although the so-called nervous laughter may seem rude, the truth is that there are several scientific reasons capable of explaining why many people can’t help but laugh at the worst times.

In this article, the awesome.club explains the reasons why we end up laughing in unexpected situations.

Nervous laughter is an organism’s response to various types of stimuli. The phenomenon can occur due to shame, alertness or discomfort caused by some situation experienced at a given moment. Although behavior is not always seen as funny, we usually present the reaction when our brain needs to regulate the emotions experienced, whether in a context of vulnerability, weakness or lack of protection.

We can see nervous laughter as a defense mechanism of our subconscious in the face of certain danger. Neuroscientist Vilayanur S. Ramachandran explained the phenomenon in a simple way. According to the expert, “we present nervous laughter because we want to convince ourselves that what is in front of us is not as terrible as it seems”. It’s as if the body wants to make us believe that that discomfort is not such a big problem.

Although we know the reasons behind nervous laughter, the human body is so fast that we may find it difficult to escape our instincts in unpleasant situations. First, we need to ask ourselves what triggered the laughter.

To prevent and control such a reaction, experts recommend doing some breathing exercises, socializing more often, practicing yoga, meditating, and even taking music lessons. But people who have suffered from nervous laughter also suggest other tricks that can help turn chuckles into low-key laughter, or even make us stop laughing altogether once we become aware of the condition.

Occasionally, our self-control tricks may not work. When we realize that we are laughing when we shouldn’t, we can do the following: try to have a friend around, as this is always a good idea. That way, we feel less pressured when something similar happens. We can ask the friend to tap our shoulder or give us a light pat on the back to calm us down.

When we can’t stay focused on the conversation, we can try to think of something that seems boring. In this way, we can distract ourselves from the constant laughter. In order to keep us from laughing, some people recommend thinking mainly about difficult things, like math problems.

To prevent us from laughing non-stop, some recommend trying to lightly bite your tongue, the tip of your lip or the inside of your cheek. You just have to be careful not to hurt yourself. This is perhaps the quickest technique to put into practice when we’re in trouble.

For when we’re at a restaurant or attending a meeting and we need to react or stop laughing immediately, some people claim that pinching their own leg or palm a little works. This would help us to gain more awareness of the situation and avoid embarrassing laughter.

We can even do some breathing exercises to calm our body. They can be performed anytime, whenever we want to relax.

Relax your shoulders and neck. Keep your mouth closed and breathe in slowly through your nose. Count two seconds. Then press your lips together as if you were going to whistle. Then exhale slowly for four seconds.

Are you also unable to control laughter in the face of an embarrassing or uncomfortable situation? How do you deal with situations like that? Collaborate with our debate by leaving your comment!