Do you Fake Laugh?

Cody Pomeray · 12-08-2013 6:44pm #1

Conversation overheard between two women in a workplace (not their real names):

-God I'm swamped today Mary
-Ahhhahahaha I'm the same Eileen! Oh God I hate Mondays
-Ahhhahahahahah Oh God it's always the same isnt it
-Ahhahaha, it is! I was dropping (my daughter) down to (summer camp) earlier... jesus it's great work they've done on it
-Ahahahahahah well for them
-God I'd love to be that age Ahahaha The freedom...
-Too much freedom my young one has!
-Oh! Mine too!
-Ahhahahahah well for them
-Ahhahahahha I sound like my mother
-Ahahhahahah...
-Ahahhahahah....

To any sober person, there was nothing funny about the dialogue. Yet the above continued and ended up with both women walking away from each other fake laughing in both directions. Why do people do it?

Maybe it's only intended as a way of saying "I accept you, I can relate to you", but I tend to doubt the sincerity of people who constantly do this when talking to me.

Do some people take the fake laugh too far? Are you one of these people?

Nemeses · 12-08-2013 6:45pm

ahahaha

That answer your question?

frozenfrozen · 12-08-2013 6:48pm

If I don't fake laugh all the time and try my hardest to seem super happy, people ask me what's wrong with me... It's a very annoying thing on both sides, I probably come off looking like an idiot to them and I feel like an idiot for laughing at menial sh/it.

I think this is a much deeper rooted problem than I thought before, now that I'm thinking about it...

The Backwards Man · 12-08-2013 6:49pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hI1nPd7hezM

shane9689 · 12-08-2013 9:51pm

yes. manipulation of emotions is a great tool. Can be used for both good and evil. no one is 100% honest, and the ones who nearly are, rarely have friends, sad truth

wazky · 12-08-2013 9:53pm

No, I LOL.

12-08-2013 9:53pm

I can't. I'd love to, but I can't.

keith16 · 12-08-2013 9:57pm

When it comes to a lot of people, I fake laugh, interest, conversation and general interest.

There is a guy in work who is an incessant yapper. I have developed an amazing ability to say things like "yeah?" "jaysis" "shure it has to be done I suppose" at appropriate junctures in his yammering without ever listening to anything he says.

Mr. CooL ICE · 12-08-2013 9:58pm

I only fake laugh.

I can't sense humour. I'm dead inside.

12-08-2013 9:58pm

I laugh politely on occasion, without it being either entirely sincere or entirely fake. It's a social skill.

I don't think I could manage the conversation in the OP though.

du Maurier · 12-08-2013 10:06pm

keith16 wrote: »

When it comes to a lot of people, I fake laugh, interest, conversation and general interest.

There is a guy in work who is an incessant yapper. I have developed an amazing ability to say things like "yeah?" "jaysis" "shure it has to be done I suppose" at appropriate junctures in his yammering without ever listening to anything he says.

So, so true. And it works - without that person even getting the slightest hint that your brain had shut down the minute they started talking. Is it it that they're so assured, self involved, or just firmly want someone to listen to anything they have to say.

Chareth Cutestory · 12-08-2013 10:07pm

I'm fake laughing right now

keith16 · 12-08-2013 10:08pm

du Maurier wrote: »

So, so true. And it works - without that person even getting the slightest hint that your brain had shut down the minute they started talking. Is it it that they're so assured, self involved, or just firmly want someone to listen to anything they have to say.

oh yeah?

cantdecide · 12-08-2013 10:09pm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IT6TXD4_yDM

I used to work with a guy who had the most disturbing fake laugh. He was utterly humourless and I always thought his aghast 'I can't believe they're going to do this to us' laugh made him come across as a sociopath.

I can't feign that kind of thing. I smile and recoil and say something like 'wow that's hilarious'.