Social laughing

[Progster]

You have probably noticed how many people often give a little laugh when they are talking, even if there is no actual humor in what they are saying - it's like smiling. Some people use them all the time - they practically never stop laughing. In the video, Professor Scott calls it social laughter (as opposed to helpless or spontaneous laughter in respose to humnor). Do you use social laughter, and how do feel about it? Do you have difficulty with it? I find it quite difficult, because it's not instinctive to me - I don't automatically put them into my speech or interactions, and when people use it and what they say or the situation isn't actually funny, it feels a bit awkward to fake a laugh.
Edit: grammar.

 

[Chance]

I'm a solemn guy... But I will laugh if something is truly funny.

 

[Suzanne]

I am afraid that is what causes many, who first meet me, to conclude I am a airhead, because when I am out of my depth, I will laugh when I talk and my husband has so often told me not to, because it gives off the wrong impression.

 

[Fridgemagnetman]

You have probably noticed how many people often give a little laugh when they are talking, even if there is no actual humor in what they are saying - it's like smiling. Some people use them all the time - they practically never stop laughing. In the video, Professor Scott calls it social laughter (as opposed to helpless or spontaneous laughter in respose to humnor). Do you use social laughter, and how do feel about it? Do you have difficulty with it? I find it quite difficult, because it's not instinctive to me - I don't automatically put them into my speech or interactions, and when people use it, but what they say or the situation isn't actually funny, it feels a bit awkward to fake a laugh.

I never fake a laugh. Although I do kind of smile when someone talks ot me.
Laugh out of turn- yes.

Im more likely to be checking if someone is genuinely laughing and mae a mental note 'false' if its not genuine.

Also i never go 'aaaah' really loudly afterr taking a drink of something!
Which i would say is also a social noise.
If you stumble into a mongolian yurt and dont go aaaah, you will be killed. You know what i mean, fermented yak sacks which you have to enjoy....
Else theres a risk of offence.

Risk of offence and hierarchy represented in social laughing?

Boss comes in - i always used to think t**t.
I noticed others would over laugh and fawn...
So now i have a name for what those guys did.

Nincompoopery. I mean social laughing.

 

[Fridgemagnetman]

I'm a solemn guy... But I will laugh if something is truly funny.

sort of like a lightbulb moment.

(Or the opposite as i have already shown)

 

[LucyPurrs]

I don't fake laughing but I do tend to find things funny when others don't (see all my "funny" responses on this forum). My "aspie" friend with whom I only text, puts "haha" or "ahahaha" after much of what he texts whether it's funny or not. I'm not sure what that means is unless it's just a nervous thing but I will sometimes find myself doing it if I feel unsure about his response to what I've said.

 

[Gritches]

I do use social laughter. I'll just smile a give a light, polite chuckle. I mean, if something's legitimately funny my laugh is quite different of course, I've just been operating under the assumption that NTs understand the difference between the two on some level or another.

Admittedly, a social laugh was one of the hardest things for me to get right, and I'm still working on it. For the longest time I'd refuse to laugh at anything that didn't make me laugh involuntarily, but I figgered owt that when NTs say something that isn't really funny but is intended to be funny, they're "asking" for a social laugh. And so unto them a smile and unobtrusive laugh do I furnish.

 

[Fridgemagnetman]

I do use social laughter. I'll just smile a give a light, polite chuckle. I mean, if something's legitimately funny my laugh is quite different of course, I've just been operating under the assumption that NTs understand the difference between the two on some level or another.

Admittedly, a social laugh was one of the hardest things for me to get right, and I'm still working on it. For the longest time I'd refuse to laugh at anything that didn't make me laugh involuntarily, but I figgered owt that when NTs say something that isn't really funny but is intended to be funny, they're "asking" for a social laugh. And so unto them a smile and unobtrusive laugh do I furnish.

Is your social laugh the same as the laughing policeman at Blackpool pier?
Mild and not at all mad....

 

[onlything]

For me, it's often connected to personating other people I've met in real life, saw in TV or read about in books. Just 'chameleon' behaviour of kind, coming from long-time observation from sidelines, borrowing smiles, tones, even phrases. About my real laughter, I can't exactly remember the last time I've done it.

 

[pjcnet]

I've tried to emulate this in the past and have ended up with a few people taking the p*** out of me for it, I've even had a couple of very immature individuals mimicking me (doing impressions). It's not something I can master naturally.

Edit: Spelling correction.

 

[the_tortoise]

Do you use social laughter, and how do feel about it?

I think I do(?), but I don't do it consciously / on purpose so I am not sure.

I tend to laugh when I verbally recount traumatizing experiences from my life or when I'm nervous in a social context. Nothing is funny. I can't help it. I don't do it on purpose, and find it very hard to stop. I count this as social laughter (not the only social laughter I think I do, though -- there is also laughter that is like a response to people, and laughter to express feelings of delight/enoyment/happiness....although I do the delighted.happy/enjoying laughter when I'm alone, too) because I would not laugh if I was verbally recounting a traumatizing experience to myself (like for practice....I can't think of any other reason I would ever do such a thing), nor do I laugh when I am nervous in a non-social context.

I don't really have any feelings about social laughter or any other kind of laughter.

I am not inclined to fake laughter for any reason. Sometimes I laugh when others laugh just as a sort of emotional contagion (when I don't get it or when do get it but don't think it's funny -- unless I'm offended/upset by whatever others are finding humorous, then I don't laugh) but it's not something I do on purpose.....if the other person can't stop laughing then I may find it similarly difficult to stop laughing; Not always, though -- I've often been the only person in a group who wasn't laughing because I didn't understand what was funny (or, I guess, didn't understand whatever social thing was happening that merited laughter).

 

[Progster]

Interesting answers - thank you for the replies. I do sometimes laugh when talking to people, but I can't fake any emotion, and don't laugh unless I genuinely find the situation or what I'm saying amusing, and I also don't always get why other people are laughing. In society, there is a huge pressue to always be fun, cheerful, happy, and I find this difficult, because inside I might not have this emotion. I also process slowly, and can't respond in real time. People who are always smiley. cheerful and bubbly are often wearing a mask - inside they may not have any particular emotion, or may be feeling down even, but I can't fake this like they can. I think that, partially because of this, people think I'm boring and humorless, but that's not the case - I do have a sense of humor and can be fun, but I just don't express it in this way.