Laughter: A Verbal Applause?

SteamTrean

I recently had a conversation with a friend of mine about fake laughter. I personally don't do fake laughing and for that reason I don't laugh all that much. I smile quite a bit, in amusing situations or around amusing people, but rarely a good belly laugh or even and audible titter. Maybe a couple of times a week (Not counting inebriation ). My friend, during this conversation, informed me that loads of people indulge in fake laughter on a daily basis. I didn't buy it.. I just assumed that I was a miserable sh!te...and if I'm honest , just assumed that my sense of humour was of such a high standard that I wasn't easily amused. I remember thinking about the simple ones, and how I would love it if I could summon a tearful belly laugh, whilst watching Friends.

Today was a big day. Today I realised that my friend is right. I used to think that he was a bit odd for thinking that lots of people who laughed at "un-funny" jokes where pretending. Why pretend I thought? Laughter, for me, is a natural thing that happens when I get really amused at something or someone. If it's audible, it can't be helped. The fact is that people enjoy cheerful people - so these phoneys go around laughing at everything that was supposed to be funny.. as a kind of applause.. to be liked. It irks me.. Is it not the same as doing a fake sneeze?

Can someone shed some light on this.. tell me I'm wrong or explain the phenomenon to me.. Are you a fake laugher?. maybe it's impolite not to be??? God forbid that be the case.

AnonoBoy

Great post. LOL!

(God I hate myself right now!)

menoscemo

So you never laugh, except when watching 'Friends'? It sounds like you are the one with the problem...

Overheal

lmaoroflcopter

maybe you just need to find something funny to laugh at.

WindSock

There are many different kinds of laughter. There is the involuntary kind that renders you unable to do anything else but titter uncontrolably like a hyena and then there's the kind to show your appreciation for something thats funny, but not side splittingly funny. Well theres 2. There are 2 kinds of laughter.

I do both kinds often. Soemtimes its easier to give a laugh than to actually have to say something that may take away from what was said. More often than not though I laugh because I don't understand what a person has said to me.

Ruu_Old

*canned laughter*

AnonoBoy

WindSock wrote: »

More often than not though I laugh because I don't understand what a person has said to me.

That's what you get for travelling out foreign. A good laugh every few minutes!

Pighead

Cracking post SteamTrean. Pighead is in the same inwardly laughing boat as you. Pighead very rarely LOL's. He's more of a LIQ (Laughing Inside Quietly) kinda guy.

Although in saying that there's nothing better than listening to somebody belt out a genuine uncontrollable bellylaugh. That laughing sneezing Lemsip policeman guy was a hero of Pigheads back in the day.

OK-Cancel-Apply

Sometimes it's just polite.

Homer

You certainly don't have any problem with Verbal Diarrhea!

Insect Overlord

I have a tendency to laugh uncontrollably in inappropriate situations, especially quiet lecture halls. However, I often have to fake a smile if somebody tells me a "funny" story that really doesn't have any humour in it. I think I know what you mean about being on a certain level with regards to humour: most of my mates who found Friends hilarious were not bright at all.

SteamTrean

Homer wrote: »

You certainly don't have any problem with Verbal Diarrhea!

I'm guessing Homer that you have a practised and perfected fake laugh that you use to ingratiate yourself with people every day. I've hit a nerve.. Yes Homer.. they know.. they all know you are full of sh!t.

halfinch

Laughter is the best thing you can do with your day. Laughing so hard your sides hurt is so much fun. I often find when Im hungover I can laugh for a god ten minutes as something only mildly funny,m sometimes laughter is out of your control

But in certain situations it is polite to fake laugh

DonkeyStyle \o/

Fake-laughers deserve a fake punch in the face.

Varkov

It means you're dead inside and should kill yourself :mad:

Farasoi

Im not a fake laughter myself. I often find it hard to fake my laugh because I will find the corner of my lips twitching, or if I succeed, its difficult to move my lips back to normal. So if I'm lauging to someone's joke it means that he/she is funny. But from my observation, people can laugh easily, meaning that they have lower standard sense of humour if they're in a good mood, like at a party, during holiday, hanging out with their partner, etc.
Even so, I very much appreciate fake laughters in certain situation like some people mentioned above. Laugh out of politeness. For me, I would give a warm smile istead if I found out someone's trying to joke but not funny a bit yet still deserve a verbal applause.

Caliden

Ive mastered the fake laugh. Although I am easily amused and if someone was to come up and whisper "boobies" right now i probably would let out a little giggle.

Get yourself looking at some LOLcats.

Farasoi

Caliden wrote: »

Ive mastered the fake laugh. Although I am easily amused and if someone was to come up and whisper "boobies" right now i probably would let out a little giggle.

Get yourself looking at some LOLcats.

Oh my I just giggled!!! :eek::eek::eek:

tech77

I don't do fake laughter either- it's a kinda respect for humour/the other person i suppose.

What's totally annoying though is people who almost demand you smile when you just don't feel like it.

Polite smiling is OK though (no harm though in NOT hiding that it is a polite smile, and not necessarily an amused one)

Agamemnon

Caliden wrote: »

Ive mastered the fake laugh. Although I am easily amused and if someone was to come up and whisper "boobies" right now i probably would let out a little giggle.

boobies

Irish Halo

Caliden wrote: »

Ive mastered the fake laugh. Although I am easily amused and if someone was to come up and whisper "boobies" right now i probably would let out a little giggle.

I too just had a wry smile on my face and did a quiet exhalation through my nose in amusement (a snort? But not as loud or obnoxious as a real snort) as I read that, I'm a bit childish I suppose.

I don't LOL much, a smile is about as much as most people get but they are rarely rip roaringly funny so meh.

m@cc@

I know what fake laughter is and it's usually reserved for bosses or the opposite sex. To suggest that the people spend the majority of their time fake laughing is ridiculous. To say your a 'miserable ****e' is a much more plausable explaination.

xOxSinéadxOx

everyone fake laughs

javaboy

xOxSinéadxOx wrote: »

everyone fake laughs

I'd be able to tell if a girl fake laughed at one of my jokes.

xOxSinéadxOx

how? cos they're crap?

m@cc@

javaboy wrote: »

I'd be able to tell if a girl fake laughed at one of my jokes.

A lot of experience then?

Dave!

The alternative is to stand there straight-faced and make the person feel like a gobsh*te. I'm not into that. If someone makes a joke, I'll have a chuckle; if it's really funny then I'll laugh a bit more.

This depends on the situation and the person btw.

javaboy

xOxSinéadxOx wrote: »

how? cos they're crap?

I was making an adult themed joke. Don't worry about it.

Dave!

I would also like your joke explained javaboy. I'm not sure I understand.

Epic Tissue

I laughed out loud about 5/6 times from the replies to this thread. I'm the only one in the room. I laugh too much maybe.

What I do find annoying is when people say they laugh/giggle at words such as boobies, bumbum or something stupid. That's obviously faked..

javaboy

Dave! wrote: »

I would also like your joke explained javaboy. I'm not sure I understand.

Woman: Women fake orgasms all the time.
Macho Man: Bull. I think I'd know if a woman faked an orgasm with me.
Woman: Oh yeah. Does this sound familiar. Ooh. Yeah. Oh. Yes. Yes. Ow.

See When Harry Met Sally for more details.

xOxSinéadxOx

javaboy wrote: »

I was making an adult themed joke. Don't worry about it.

now i feel like a baby!

is this the when harry met sally thing then?

beautiation

This is weird, I was having this conversation only yesterday in the pub when me and a friend were watching old mobile footage of ourselves and realised how awful our fake laughs are. Our new idea is to be absolutely honest about how amused we are by each other's jokes from now on, in the form of football commentary from Brazilians and Pro Evolution.

Attempts to be funny that fail so badly they're almost comical: "he goes to shoot...but he's tripped over the ball!"

Abysmal fail: "He shoots...but he's got it all wrong, why, that was closer to to the corner flag Trevor!"
"He'll be dissapointed with that."

Funny that makes you smile bit: "He shoots...Dramatic save by the keeper there, I think that one was more for the cameras"

FUNNY: "He shoots...it's there! LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL! LOL! LOL! LOL! LOL! LOOOOOOOOOOL!"