Science of Everything: Nervous Laughter

Nervous laughter, or laughing when we feel uncomfortable, is likely not a behavior you think of when you think of successful socialization. It often slips out without us realizing it, a half-hearted “heh” disguised as social agreeability that we later shake our heads at on the drive home. So why do we do it?

Dr. Esther Yoon— or just Esther, as she prefers— is a licensed clinical psychologist at Northwestern Medicine who specializes in behavioral medicine. When asked about nervous laughter, she was quick to emphasize just how normal it actually is.

“Nervous laughter is a really natural and normal reaction to an intense emotion or overwhelming situation, much like happy tears can be,” Esther explained. “An intense emotion could be anxiety, stress, shock, grief. And nervous laughter is just one of the many ways that we as humans have to try to self-regulate intense feelings.”

It all begins with external stimuli: maybe someone made an uncomfortable joke in the office, or you did something embarrassing in front of a stranger. When we feel discomfort, it triggers our brain’s sympathetic nervous system. The amygdala, a structure in the brain, senses and interprets a situation as stressful, and sends a signal to our hypothalamus, another area in the brain. From there, the hypothalamus triggers the release of hormones like cortisol and adrenaline in response to a perceived threat. These hormones cause the physical reactions that happen alongside emotional distress.

“When you feel stressed or anxious, not only is it an emotional response, but you probably have a physical response as well. You might notice your gut cramping when you’re nervous or anxious. You might notice your heart racing,” Esther said. “There is a physiological response to the emotion of stress and anxiety. And so unsurprisingly, the body wants to release that icky emotion. And sometimes one of the easiest ways to do so is through a physical response.”

In response to these reactions, the parasympathetic nervous system attempts to release some of the tension in the body. The hypothalamus— yes, the very same one that triggered the stress responses to begin with— sends signals to counteract these responses, often with the goal of soothing the body physically and emotionally. Esther said to think about the parasympathetic nervous system like a valve on a pressure cooker: something has to counter the negative, “icky” emotions.

Laughter, then, is the parasympathetic nervous system’s response to the sympathetic nervous system. We tense up, get sweaty, and feel our pulse quicken, so laughter acts as a counter to these responses. Our parasympathetic nervous system says, “well laughter is good, right? Maybe we should try that!” 

This, of course, can lead to some social faux pas. 

“I’m a firm proponent that most behaviors are neither good or bad,” Esther explained. “They just are. The same behavior could be helpful in one specific context and at the same time be incredibly unhelpful in a different set of contexts.”

So when does nervous laughter become unhelpful? If you’re using laughter to self-soothe in stressful situations, odds are this is a normal response. If nervous laughter is creating additional stress— say, causing tension in relationships or affecting your ability to create meaningful connections— this could be cause for concern. While there is no treatment for nervous laughter outright, seeking help for stress or anxiety could be the solution.

On the whole, nervous laughter is not a weird response to have when confronted with discomfort. Is it the #1 way to look cool in a social setting? Perhaps not. But next time tension has you feeling like a pressure cooker, know that it’s more than okay to hit the release valve.