Nervous Laughter
By Esther Yoon, PhD
Interview by Stephanie Bouchard
Fact checked by Shannon Sparks
Q: I snicker when I talk and when I feel nervous. I’m super embarrassed by it. How do I stop doing something that happens automatically?
A: First, I want to emphasize that there’s nothing inherently wrong with nervous laughter. In the United States in particular, there’s a negative association with it, but in some other cultures, nervous laughter isn’t perceived negatively at all. In cultures where group harmony is important, nervous laughter is seen as a social lubricant that eases group tension in awkward situations.
Q: What causes nervous laughter?
A: Nervous laughter is one way your body tries to protect you. In situations where you are feeling anxious or stressed — even if it’s not obvious to you — it’s [obvious] to your brain. As your body produces stress hormones, such as cortisol and adrenaline, the sympathetic nervous system, known as the fight-or-flight response, activates.
Your body doesn’t like that feeling, so it has a release valve called the parasympathetic nervous system. This hardwired survival mechanism is very protective. As the pressure keeps building internally, it provides a way, without conscious thought, to release it. For some people, that release is through nervous laughter. Others who have difficulty releasing that pressure may have panic attacks or faint.
Q: Is nervous laughter considered a medical condition?
A: In situations where nervous laughter is the behavior your body uses to regulate itself, it’s not a medical condition. Uncontrollable outbursts of laughter that aren’t appropriate to the situation, though, can be an actual medical problem if there’s also a neurological
condition present, like dementia, stroke, or traumatic brain injury. In those cases, the laughter (or crying) is the result of a condition called pseudobulbar affect, which occurs when damage to the brain disrupts the areas that regulate emotion. But in relation to anxiety, nervous laughter is a natural physical response that is a coping mechanism. There’s no biological or genetic component that we know of that makes somebody more likely to have nervous laughter, and there’s no specific treatment for it.
Q: Can I make my nervous laughter go away?
A: If you want to reduce how often your nervous laughter happens, you could work with a therapist on awareness training to help identify triggers and build strategies to counter your nervous laughter response. Options include cognitive behavioral therapy, habit reversal training, relaxation training, and biofeedback. Usually, when using these therapies, it’s more effective to combine them. For instance, habit reversal training and biofeedback are more effective when paired with cognitive behavioral therapy.
Outside of a therapist’s office, recruit people in your life who can gently point out to you when you’re laughing to help you build awareness of the conditions that trigger your nervous laughter. You’ll begin to learn how to identify how your body is feeling before the pressure builds so much that it needs that pressure-release valve.
Q: What can I do when nervous laughter starts to feel distressing?
A. I can’t emphasize enough that nervous laughter is not in itself a bad thing. While you may feel embarrassment or shame because of cultural judgment, have compassion for yourself. Do not punish yourself for something your brain has developed over time to protect you. If it continues to cause distress, help is available.
Esther Yoon, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
