Does anyone else have a problem with inappropriate laughter?
My whole life, I have had this issue.
I simply can’t help laughing at things that are supposed to be serious or sad, even when someone I love gets hurt.
For example, when I was about 14, my younger brother got bitten by a dog on his privates, after climbing his friends fence and meeting a dog on the other side.
My brother was howling in pain, covered in blood, and I was off to the neighbours house to get mum, in fits of laughter so bad I could barely speak. Mum yelled at me for telling lies and I finally got her to come home, and there was my brother on the steps waiting and needing the ambulance.
I know in my mind it’s not funny, it’s serious, but I couldn’t help squealing with laughter. I still can’t. I’m laughing now, 30 years later.
I laugh at people getting hurt, vulgar things, people dying, etc.
I have trigger words that will send me into paroxysms of laughter and I can’t stop even though I know it’s wrong and socially unacceptable.
Someone just has to say d!ck, dropping dead or something and I’m rolling on the floor laughing.
It embarrasses my children. Not so much me, I don’t really feel that emotion.
Anyone else like this?
13 Replies
Well I've heard of it, and seen it, as a nervous response. I actually smiled reading your post, but I'm intrigued most about the ending, you don't feel embarrassment? Do you feel concern for others? Are there other emotions you don't feel?
No, I don’t feel embarrassment. I do feel concern for others, but not deeply. It’s not that I don’t care about others, or actually like if someone is hurt, but that deep feeling isn’t there.
I do have empathy I think, in that I understand others may feel these emotions like embarrassment or distress so I wouldn’t actively cause them to feel those things, but I don’t “get” them.
I get this. It embarrasses me badly :( it happens during sex even.
See a psychologist.
Why though?
Because it is psychological. They can help you understand why and ways to
Cope with it.
This has a name! Has something to do with anxiety. My friend who has now passed away just about pissed herself laughing when her oncologist told her she was dying. It happens at funerals too. I can't remember what it's called but you're not a heartless monster x
Yeah, I just put it down to lacking the knowledge or skills to react appropriately. Be interesting to see how many do.
Look up the Pseudobulbar affect
I do this exact thing, I laugh at the most inappropriate things and always have. When I was in trouble as a child I couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably, when people hurt themselves, when I hear certain words, when my partner gets annoyed at me. I am the most empathetic and caring person. I just can not help but laugh, it has caused me endless trouble.
Yes, that’s me to a t.
Yep this is me, it's bloody terrible but I can't help it, someone can be literally telling me the saddest thing that has happened to them and I laugh not intentionally at all it's just a reaction I have.
If I see something terrible first reaction is a laugh not hysterical or anything but first thing that comes out of body is the start of a laugh if you get me and takes me a few seconds to correct it.
My daughter was about 3 weeks old and my mother tripped up a gutter with her in her arms and my daughter flew through the air like a football and all I did was laugh , I was super panicked but that was my reaction while I was trying to get to my daughter ( she was all ok and is now 13 years old) but I felt like the worst mother for laughing but it's just uncontrollable.
If I hear news of someone dying that I know I also do it and it makes me feel so awful.
This is psychological and like an anxiety disorder. It is probably a nervous laugh. It’s a coping mechanism.