Do you actually "laugh out loud?"

liah

When I write "lol," it tends to be a simple acknowledgement of something mildly amusing rather than anything even remotely resembling actual laughter. Hell, most of the time I don't even crack a smile.

Then, when I'm reading boards, I occasionally come across posts like "I just laughed so hard I spit coffee all over my keyboard" or some such rot. And, at least in my opinion, it's generally in relation to something that really.. isn't that funny. And, to be frank, it makes me cringe as I attempt to visualise some poor sod actually doing this.

Now, I may be some kind of robot or something, but there's very, very little that can be displayed in text on a screen that can actually make me "laugh out loud." In fact, anything displayed on a screen, period, doesn't make me laugh unless I'm in company or it's that youtube cat jumping over the baby gate with a miserable "fail" ending. I don't laugh at jokes in threads, I don't laugh at youtube videos, I don't laugh at TV shows or movies-- unless I'm in company. I tend to just smile to myself if I'm alone and I find something particularly tickling.

So who's the weird one? Me, or the kind of people who claim to be laughing their arses off (and allegedly spraying beverages out of their noses) at something they read?

AnonoBoy

I chuckle menacingly at inappropriate times.

Captain Darling

liah wrote: »

When I write "lol," it tends to be a simple acknowledgement of something mildly amusing rather than anything even remotely resembling actual laughter. Hell, most of the time I don't even crack a smile.

Then, when I'm reading boards, I occasionally come across posts like "I just laughed so hard I spit coffee all over my keyboard" or some such rot. And, at least in my opinion, it's generally in relation to something that really.. isn't that funny. And, to be frank, it makes me cringe as I attempt to visualise some poor sod actually doing this.

Now, I may be some kind of robot or something, but there's very, very little that can be displayed in text on a screen that can actually make me "laugh out loud." In fact, anything displayed on a screen, period, doesn't make me laugh unless I'm in company or it's that youtube cat jumping over the baby gate with a miserable "fail" ending. I don't laugh at jokes in threads, I don't laugh at youtube videos, I don't laugh at TV shows or movies-- unless I'm in company. I tend to just smile to myself if I'm alone and I find something particularly tickling.

So who's the weird one? Me, or the kind of people who claim to be laughing their arses off (and allegedly spraying beverages out of their noses) at something they read?

LOL

Thoie

Bits of this site sent me into hysterics one evening, but aside from that, the majority of things on discussion boards etc make me smile at most.

A lot depends on what else is going on in your life when you read something that strikes you as particularly amusing.

L.Jenkins

I only lol at the misfortune of others!

Dudess

I do indeed - I'm a very "laughy" person. But I wouldn't to the point of deafening everyone within earshot, e.g. in a restaurant, at work, etc...

Some Boards posts make me laugh out loud, but yeah, sometimes I type "lol" when referring to something that amuses me but doesn't literally make me "laugh out loud".

ScumLord

I don't laugh, ever.

Vinta81

I write "lol" and I mostly have a blank expression on my face. i say "lol" when I can't be bothered saying anything else generally...lol.

4zn76tysfajdxp

I sometimes do laugh at loud when I'm reading and tend to just use "lol" on such occasions.

bonerm

Yes, I laugh out loud. But that's mainly because I'm a 60's Bond villain.

here.from.day.1

I have picked up a bad habit of saying "Lol," it started as a joke.. God help me!

extra-ordinary_

lol indicates that I'm joking or I found what you said funny. I read boards all day in work and I actually laugh out loud or at least chuckle I'd say at least once everyday when reading threads on here.

damagegt

not on screen as you say but i have a tendency to laugh in my sleep most nights

jd007

liah wrote: »

Then, when I'm reading boards, I occasionally come across posts like "I just laughed so hard I spit coffee all over my keyboard" or some such rot. And, at least in my opinion, it's generally in relation to something that really.. isn't that funny. And, to be frank, it makes me cringe as I attempt to visualise some poor sod actually doing this.

Just cos you don't find it funny doesn't mean someone else can't find it funny.

bluto63

Dudess wrote: »

I do indeed - I'm a very "laughy" person. But I wouldn't to the point of deafening everyone within earshot, e.g. in a restaurant, at work, etc...

Some Boards posts make me laugh out loud, but yeah, sometimes I type "lol" when referring to something that amuses me but doesn't literally make me "laugh out loud".

Ditto

Sea Sharp

Some of the funniest 'text' on the internet.
LINK

I'd be concerned if I saw someone rolling around on the floor with laughter because of something funny on the internet. So I assume rofl is never to be taken literally.

=] (I didn't really smile)

OutlawPete

No, I sometimes us LOL when I just smile.

The smiley looks Ghey though --->

TheZohanS

liah wrote: »

So who's the weird one? Me, or the kind of people who claim to be laughing their arses off (and allegedly spraying beverages out of their noses) at something they read?

Since you asked I'm going to say you.


LOL!!

WIZE

Knock Knock

bluto63

lol who's there? lol

Luno

Some stuff on Boards I actually laugh out loud about but I generally don't type it...

ART6

Personally I find it an irritating expression that's over used. We need an abbreviation for "chuckle", one for "belly laugh" and one for "that's hilarious";)

A better range of emoticons would do it.

cynder

I have to admit i laugh out loud and even in the cinema and every one turns around and looks:eek:,,,,,,,eeeerrrrrr.

Got a good sense of humour but when someone falls over in frount of me i double over laughing at them insted of trying to help.:D:D:D

I even laugh if i fall over....

I do laugh out loud if i read something funny.

Lux23

Yes when something is funny I laugh.

liah

Evidently I'm a robot so. :eek:

WIZE

bluto63 wrote: »

lol who's there? lol

Me

bonzodog2

liah wrote: »

So who's the weird one? Me, or the kind of people who claim to be laughing their arses off (and allegedly spraying beverages out of their noses) at something they read?

Do you think a new acronym may catch on ? (SBOOMN)
Maybe not ...

4zn76tysfajdxp

liah wrote: »

Evidently I'm a robot so. :eek:

That's cool, robots are rad.

epgc3fyqirnbsx

I'm very moody, sometimes I can do a run through boards without cracking a smile, other times I'm very giggly and do laugh out loud on occasion, even at the stupid jokes

It's hard to convey tone in text, thats why lol is used, just to let people know that you're getting a kick out of this

Abi

Yes I do. Which is fine and well when I'm at home, but if I'm reading it on mobile when out I'm sure I look crazy. Meh don't care.

RayM

I don't think I've ever literally "LOLed" (or - thankfully - "PMSLed") at anything on the Internet. At a stretch, I might crack a smile. It's the same when I'm watching something really funny on TV. Laughing loudly while alone just seems strange.

3hn2givr7mx1sc

If something is hilarious on boards I will lol, but usually I just smile.
TV, YouTube etc. either get a little smile or I burst out laughing. 'Tis great.:D

SugarHigh

I do genuinly laugh out loud sometimes. I don't really understand why you can't laugh at something because it's on a computer screen or because you're on your own.

Some jokes work better in text than when spoken.

TPD

Not really. I'd give a smirk at most, unless something is really incredibly outrageously funny, which may happen once every two years.

I was shown a few jokes in an email by an ex's mother, who along with the ex had been laughing her ass off. I read them, had a chuckle (exaggerated, the jokes weren't that funny), and got looked at like some kind of mentalist. They assumed I'd read the jokes every day for weeks to not have found them funny.

liah

SugarHigh wrote: »

I do genuinly laugh out loud sometimes. I don't really understand why you can't laugh at something because it's on a computer screen or because you're on your own.

Some jokes work better in text than when spoken.

It's not that I can't laugh at something because it's on a computer screen.

I just find laughing to be a very social activity. If there's nobody around, then what's the point? Laughing conveys what you're feeling to another person. If there's no one around to hear it, as it is essentially a form of communication, I just don't laugh. It's like talking to yourself for me.. if you do, on a regular basis, it does kind of come across as a bit weird.

I don't mean to not laugh. I just don't. I suppose it's a subconscious thing.

YourSQL

When someone tells me something somewhat amusing in real life that is vaguely funny but not funny enough to make me laugh i just say 'lol'

we'llallhavetea_old

if i write lol i have laughed out loud, but then i'm the kind of person that laughs out loud when i'm on my own anyway. if i'm in company its pretty much the same.

jokettle

I'm watching tim minchin for the first time and it's making me laugh audibly....but I never type "lol" in response to a post. I don't see the point....I do like lots of full stops though.....I like to think it evokes thoughtfulness and depth......

liah

jokettle wrote: »

I'm watching tim minchin for the first time and it's making me laugh audibly....but I never type "lol" in response to a post. I don't see the point....I do like lots of full stops though.....I like to think it evokes thoughtfulness and depth......

People like you drive people like me mad. I read everything as its expression is written; insofar that if it uses the appropriate grammar (full stops, ellipses, commas, semi-colons, etc.), that's the way it's read in my head. So when I read a post by someone who consistently uses ellipses, I read it as a ridiculous amount of pauses in the text. Which is irritating, because it's usually totally unwarranted. So damn you! And your ellipses-fanatic friends. :pac:

minidazzler

liah wrote: »

It's not that I can't laugh at something because it's on a computer screen.

I just find laughing to be a very social activity. If there's nobody around, then what's the point? Laughing conveys what you're feeling to another person. If there's no one around to hear it, as it is essentially a form of communication, I just don't laugh. It's like talking to yourself for me.. if you do, on a regular basis, it does kind of come across as a bit weird.

I don't mean to not laugh. I just don't. I suppose it's a subconscious thing.

You try to watch Jimmy Carr for an hour and a half alone and not laugh once, impossible!

I do use lol whether I laugh or not TBH. Dunno why!

Forest Master

liah wrote: »

I occasionally come across posts like "I just laughed so hard I spit coffee all over my keyboard" or some such rot. And, at least in my opinion, it's generally in relation to something that really.. isn't that funny.

+1
These people are tools.

And nobody laughs out loud at text-only internet stuff unless they're simple.

Pompey Magnus

Very rarely, usually I would just break a smile at funny stuff, but sometimes a gem comes along and just gets me actually laughing. The last post here to actually get me laughing was this one

liah

minidazzler wrote: »

You try to watch Jimmy Carr for an hour and a half alone and not laugh once, impossible!

I do use lol whether I laugh or not TBH. Dunno why!

Again, it's not like I'm trying not to laugh. If it's exceptionally funny, I'll let out a rather undignified snort (forced, I don't snort naturally!) or a low, close-mouthed laugh.

That's about as far as it gets when I'm on my own.

MrPain

I had a genuine lol thismorning, I was looking at a video on youtube and burst out laughing, then my dad looked a me funny from behind the paper so I tried to hold it in, which resulted in me going red and having a little giggle fit:o
Here is said video, it the tarzan like sounds and flying away upside down that do it foor me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3q27dzRgHLo

pickarooney

Forest Master wrote: »

+1
These people are tools.

And nobody laughs out loud at text-only internet stuff unless they're simple.

I'd venture that people who require humour to be acted out for them are the simple ones.

liah wrote:

Again, it's not like I'm trying not to laugh. If it's exceptionally funny, I'll let out a rather undignified snort (forced, I don't snort naturally!) or a low, close-mouthed laugh.

That's about as far as it gets when I'm on my own.

So essentially when you do laugh, in company, it's faked?

/tries not to extrapolate anything from that

liah

pickarooney wrote: »

So essentially when you do laugh, in company, it's faked?

/tries not to extrapolate anything from that

What? No. I'll laugh at something funny in real life and I don't need to fake it. But funny in real life is easier to laugh at, there's energy, expressions, and the situation to feed off of and laughter is contagious.

How on earth did you draw that conclusion at all?

OutlawPete

It's the people in the cinema laughing out loud constantly when something isn't funny that bugs me.

Roaring their heads off at nothing.

Spanners.

Wolflikeme

I laugh all the time but, I've never been a 'LOLer' - no man should. :P A simple 'Haha' should suffice.

If it's especially funny, it'll get one of these - Hahahaha.

Bolag_the_2nd

ROR-- im oriential

4zn76tysfajdxp

Forest Master wrote: »

And nobody laughs out loud at text-only internet stuff unless they're simple.

Or unless it's written well. Do you need moving images to find something funny? You must think jugglers are a riot.

artanevilla

I don't think I've ever written "lol" I'd just say "ha".