Have a tendency to always laugh after hearing other people talk? In most cases, these behaviors indicate that you have an anxiety disorder, although of course other factors may be at play, such as nervousness, pressure to lighten up, involuntarily daydreaming, or difficulty focusing. To stop or at least reduce the habit, try to identify the emotions you feel when you laugh to find the cause. Then, apply various methods of suppressing laughter, such as pinching yourself, focusing on your breathing, and doing various physical activities to distract yourself from the urge to laugh. If you have trouble engaging in conversation, practice mindful listening skills, such as by imitating the other person's behavior and asking follow-up questions.
Step
Method 1 of 3: Identifying the Source of Laughter
Step 1. Understand the reason behind your burst of laughter
Do you laugh because you feel anxious, nervous, or scared? Or are you laughing because you're observing something funny? For example, you may observe an image that is so strange that it actually looks funny. Basically, humans laugh for a variety of reasons, and knowing this will make it easier for you to break the habit. From now on, whenever you feel like you're laughing too much, try thinking, "How do I feel right now?" If you're feeling scared or anxious, chances are that laughter is a defense mechanism that your subconscious puts out to fight fear or anxiety.
The best way to avoid laughing when you're feeling anxious is to make the conversation situation more comfortable for you. Don't worry, there are lots of preventative measures and physical tricks you can take to calm your body down
Step 2. Recognize the laughter that comes out of your lack of ability to listen actively
In fact, many people laugh when daydreaming, don't know what to say, or feel tickled by words or situations that shouldn't be laughed at. If you always display this behavior, try to consider the possibilities. If the conversation doesn't make you feel tense or relaxed, it's more likely that you're laughing to fill a gap or because your attention isn't fully engaged in the interaction.
If you laugh because you're always daydreaming, don't know what to say, or imagining silly things while listening to someone else talk, try to hone your listening skills and train yourself to stay focused in the conversation to suppress those tendencies
Step 3. Learn to control laughter in personal conversations
Basically, you'll find it harder to feel comfortable, focus on your listening role, and control your impulses in social situations where a lot of people are involved. Therefore, to find out the reason behind your laughing habit, try to have more intimate and private conversations. Once you've identified your laugh triggers and pinpointed the problem you're experiencing, feel free to gradually expand your social circle to practice your laughter control skills.
Who can focus on listening in the midst of distractions? If you feel the same way, don't worry. Just get in the habit of having a personal conversation to reduce any external distractions that may arise. As a result, you can focus more on the conversation
Tip:
This method is especially important if your laughing tendencies are triggered by fear or anxiety, and a very crowded social environment or situation that requires you to speak in public has the potential to amplify these negative emotions.
Step 4. Talk to your doctor if you have a tendency to laugh for no reason and have trouble controlling it
If you've always had trouble controlling your laughter and/or don't know the reason behind your uncontrollable laughter, try consulting your doctor. Chances are, there is a nervous system disorder that makes it difficult for you to control emotional expression. In the medical world, this disorder is known as involuntary emotional expression disorder (IEED), which can actually be treated with therapy and medication. Some of the symptoms to watch out for are excessive crying, constantly feeling upset, experiencing intense mood swings, and having trouble controlling yourself.
- Doing speech therapy in the presence of a psychiatrist can help you cope with the symptoms of IEED.
- In very extreme cases, your doctor may prescribe antidepressants to calm your emotional response, as well as to control the various forms of your symptoms.
Method 2 of 3: Preventing Laughter Triggered by Anxiety or Nervousness
Step 1. Slow down as soon as you start laughing
If you've been laughing at the wrong time, try to bring your focus back to your breathing pattern. Close your lips, then inhale slowly for 2-3 seconds through your nose. Then, exhale slowly through the narrow gap between pursed lips. Keep doing this process until you are able to inhale for 5 seconds, and exhale for 5 seconds as well. Good control of your breathing will make it difficult to laugh, especially since your focus will be on something else.
To avoid being noticed by others, try bending down as if you were tying your shoelaces, or looking away as if you need to reply to a text message from someone else
Tip:
This is the most efficient way to suppress laughter from anxiety. As you slow down the tempo of your breath, your heart rate will gradually decrease. As a result, you will begin to feel calm. In addition, constantly pursed lips to exhale will also make it difficult for your face to show the expression that accompanies laughing.
Step 2. Pinch your skin to resist the temptation to laugh
In particular, pinch the skin on your arm or leg just before you feel like laughing. Make sure the pinch is firm enough for you to feel, but not so hard that you don't feel pain. These physical sensations will divert the impulse to laugh so you will find it easier to stay still.
- Pinching the skin is the perfect way to suppress laughter in inappropriate situations, such as when the other person is relaying information that shouldn't be laughed at.
- Instead of pinching the skin, try biting your lip or bending your big toe and placing your entire body weight there.
Step 3. Grasp your hands tightly and tuck your thumbs into them to distract yourself
If the urge to laugh starts to arise, immediately grab your hand as tightly as you can and tuck your thumb into it. This behavior is effective in diverting focus and resisting your urge to laugh at the situation.
- Apply this method to the right thumb, left thumb, or even both. The result is the same, really.
- This trick is usually used to stop the urge to vomit, especially since activating the arm muscles will tense the chest muscles at the same time. As a result, your body will find it difficult to convulse while laughing or experiencing the sensation of wanting to vomit. As a result, it's a powerful way to prevent anxiety-induced laughter.
Step 4. Avert your eyes to avoid eye contact, and focus on another object
If you find it difficult to hold back laughter between interactions, try shifting your gaze for a few seconds to a spot behind the other person or communicator. In particular, try looking for a tree, bird, or building, and then focus on observing the object for 10-15 seconds until your body and mind feel more relaxed. Once your mood and focus return to normal, please return to paying attention to the other person or communicator.
This method is suitable to be applied if your position in the conversation is as a spectator or audience, not as the other person. This means that this method is not suitable for personal conversation, especially since you are expected to maintain focus and respond regularly
Step 5. Keep moving an object to distract your anxiety
When you're in an uncomfortable social situation, try playing with a ballpoint pen, fiddling with coins, or doodling to calm your mind. In particular, you can continuously rotate or rub the selected object to keep all the senses active. This way, your body will remain active while your ears listen passively to what other people have to say. As a result, the urge to always laugh will be easier to suppress.
- Understand that this method is not suitable for use in professional situations that require you to be formal.
- If you don't have anything to play with, you can also tap your finger on a table, chair, or other flat surface.
Step 6. Think of something boring to take your mind off the urge to laugh
Another way to reduce the frequency of laughing at other people's comments is to think about something boring. For example, you could try counting sheep, thinking about unfinished homework, or remembering the lyrics of any song. Basically, any topic can be used as long as it doesn't risk making you laugh.
This method works when you need to focus on being a listener, such as when you're watching a movie at the cinema or attending a lecture
Method 3 of 3: Engage in Conversation to Resist the Laughing urge
Step 1. Mutter verbally or simply say “okay” to show the other person that you are listening
Some people have a tendency to use passive laughter as a form of nonverbal communication to show their involvement in the conversation. If that's the case for you, try using another nonverbal signal, or simply saying "okay" instead of laughing at the other person's ending. Standard verbal mutterings like “Mmm” can also be used to show your involvement without having to speak.
- Usually, people in this category laugh to cover up their nervousness, or their fear of not being included in the conversation. In particular, it's the combination of their anxiety and their inability to listen actively that triggers the burst of laughter. If both are a problem for you, feel free to combine all the methods previously recommended.
- Want to use nonverbal cues? Just nod your head after the other person has finished speaking.
Step 2. Pretend to remember the other person's words
Another way to stay engaged in conversation and resist the urge to laugh when you hear someone else say is to focus on remembering their words. When the other person starts talking, try repeating their words in your head. Imagine every word that comes out of his mouth and give the impression that you are focusing on remembering it. The more focused you are, the more likely you are to stay involved in the conversation without having to laugh all the time without realizing it.
This method is very good for those of you who like to daydream when spoken to. In addition, it will also help you to hold back laughter at inappropriate moments
Step 3. Imitate the tone of voice and facial expressions of the other person
Another way to stay involved in the conversation and resist the urge to laugh is to imitate the behavior of the other person. Implicitly, try to imitate his tone of voice and facial expressions that are easy to duplicate. If he laughs, laugh with him. If he scowls, scowl along. By doing so, you will undoubtedly be able to more easily identify the right time to laugh.
Warning:
For some people, trying to imitate the behavior of the other person is actually a bad move, especially if the other person is also easy to laugh at trivial things. Therefore, if you find it difficult to apply this method, or if this method is unlikely to have any effect on you, stop doing it.
Step 4. Ask follow-up questions to engage actively in the conversation
If you have something to say, you can automatically suppress the urge to laugh, right? Therefore, while someone is talking, try to think of some follow-up questions or comments you can send to them. Design the entire question or comment in your head, then wait for the other person to finish telling the story. That way, you won't have time to laugh.
For example, if someone tells a story about their dog being sick and says, "The vet said Fluffy will be fine, but I'm not too sure she'll ever get back to health," try asking, "What makes you so unsure?" or say, “I hope Fluffy is okay, okay. He's an obedient dog." In this way, you have become an active participant in the conversation, rather than simply playing the role of an observer
Step 5. Leave the conversation for a few minutes to rest and cool down
If the urge to laugh is so intense that it's making it difficult for you to focus, feel free to leave the conversation for a while. For example, tell the other person that you need to check your phone or take notes, then leave the room for 3-5 minutes. In another room, laugh to your heart's content! Once your laughter is over, control your breathing to normalize your body before returning to the conversation.
Tips
- It's impossible to stop laughing overnight. Most importantly, try to reduce the habit gradually and maintain your consistency.
- Don't force yourself to stop laughing when other people are laughing. Instead, use the moment to vent all your laughter!
- Get at least 8 hours of sleep per night. In fact, humans have a tendency to laugh more often when you're tired, and you'll have a harder time controlling yourself when you're tired.
