It's not that funny
I laugh an obscenely large amount. Sometimes, I’ll even catch myself giggling at topics that are truly lacking in humor. In fact, they are so often devoid of funny that they barely merit a half-smile.
I’ve seen other people do this as well. My innocent eavesdropping into others’ conversations has convinced me that they too laugh at things that are not terribly funny. Very often the level of wit displayed by the speaker does not really deserve the deep belly laugh that spews forth from the cavernous stomach of the listener.
So why do I (and others) chuckle so joyously then at jokes that should probably never be told again? I prefer to believe that it is not simply because we all have oversensitive funny bones but rather because there is a deeper social issue involved here.
Human beings, being the social creatures that we are, enjoy the company of others. We also enjoy it when other people enjoy our company. It’s called getting along, and I personally view my laughter as one of the best ways to reassure someone that I too am enjoying their company.
This is not to say that every time I laugh it is simply to oblige the person sitting next to me into thinking that they are a sociable companion. Numerous occasions occur on the daily when I have been surprised into laughing at something that actually is jocular. Sometimes, however, my laughter has very little to do with the actual presence of humor. It seems to me that laughter for social animals is an involuntary and habitual survival tool and rarely used as a legitimate response to a witticism.
I’ve even heard someone call laughter a “social lubricant.” It is meant to smooth over those awkward situations when everyone knows that the line just spoken, although intended to tickle the funny center of the brain, has failed to generate any laughter-inducing chemicals. I personally would much prefer a laugh in those circumstances, even if it is not entirely bona fide, than the pin-drop, cricket-chirping silence that would otherwise result.
So then I wonder is it ethically wrong to laugh simply because it’s a primal instinct? Should I be more cautious and contain myself from giggling at those things that do not merit said giggle? Am I being dishonest? Or am I simply continuing to do what human beings have been doing for eons: being social?
As much as I would like to further ponder these questions my calculus test tomorrow deserves my immediate attention. In the meanwhile, I think that I will continue to laugh unexpectedly and without proper reason, simply because to do so pleases me regardless of how my girly teehee may appear to others.
— Shivani Khanna