It has happened to everyone at some point. Laughing at a delicate or confusing moment is a reaction that, despite it seeming unnatural, is due to a logical succession of impulses in the brain. Nervous laughter in certain situations, such as those at a funeral or any other solemn ceremony, can be interpreted in the eyes of others as a lack of respect or as a source of shame for the person who suffers it, but the truth is that it treats a revulsive that helps alleviate fear or pain.
People who tend to suppress negative feelings in the face of a hard time are prone to make them surface through laughter. That laugh during which the affected person thinks ‘earth, swallow me’, actually helps them to recover their emotional balance after a stress process. The evolution of our species has favored the resource of laughter as a reflex act, since it is a sign of integrity and carelessness. In this way, the stronger we seem to face a predator or an enemy—in this case, fear—the subconscious makes us feel less vulnerable.
Fearful laughter can occur for a multitude of reasons, usually among people who are going through a bad time. Complex situations can lead a person to deny what is happening. In these cases, laughter is a vehicle for denying the pain, annoyance or anguish that a certain event causes us, as a natural defense mechanism.
The mind brings positive emotions back to us in difficult times to rebalance our emotional well-being. That is why laughter has the power to calm anxiety and bring out the discomfort endured during a family member’s illness, for example.
Despite being conflicting emotions, laughing and crying have certain similarities on a physical level, which is why we also cry with happiness. When we go from laughing to crying in a matter of seconds, what we really do is look for the formula to release tension at a specific moment.
Crying is a linear movement that activates and coordinates the cerebellum, so when it is interrupted by a nervous laugh, we continue crying almost instantly. This is because, just as we need to slow down our heart rate after an aerobic exercise, crying is a resource that allows us to return to normal after laughter has accelerated our heart.
