My twin sons, Morgan, and Jordan are now 42 years old.
However, this story dates back to when they were in grade school, and it focuses on Morgan. At 9 years old and in third grade, his teacher, Mrs. Freshwater, sent home a note with his report card.
The note did not concern his grades, the grades were more than satisfactory. He also seemed to be getting along fine with his classmates. He was obeying the rules and was not bringing attention to himself as a class clown.
To paraphrase the tastefully-written note, Mrs. Freshwater described Morgan as a sweet boy with a sunny disposition. A little on the quiet side, he was a pleasure to have in the classroom.
She went on to say the only curious quirk in his otherwise normal personality was something she could only refer to as his “inappropriate laughter.”
She explained that he can find some things unbelievable funny and can almost laugh to tears when the rest of the class either can’t seem to find the humor in the situation or at best can only see it as slightly amusing.
Of course, there are people who study humor and laughter and its psychological and physiological effects on the human body.
Their area of study is called Gelotology. And through their work and the work of others we know a lot about the power of laughter.
According to the Mayo Clinic, there are a multitude of physical health benefits to laughter.
Laughter can increase our oxygen intake, which can in turn stimulate our heart, lungs, and muscles.
Laughing further releases feel-good endorphins which makes us happy and may even relieve pain or stress.
Laughter leads to positive emotions that lead to flourishing.
Laughter activates multiple regions of the brain, including the motor cortex, the frontal lobe, and the limbic system which controls positive emotions.
The benefits of laughter go on and on.
But honestly, I don’t think Morgan’s teacher was confused about his “laughter.”
I think it was the “inappropriate” nature of the laughter that caught her attention.
Which I totally understand.
To see a kid, think something, or see something that produces deep, fairly prolonged, belly laughter, when no one else in the room sees the humor can be. . .concerning.
As Morgan’s mom, I wasn’t at all concerned about Morgan and his laughter “problem.” It’s simple really, my son, at an early age, takes after his mother. I too have what some call “inappropriate laughter.” And I’ve had it all my life.
Now, of course, the experts have also chimed in on what they think about inappropriate laughter. And it ain’t pretty.
According to a Medical News Today article, inappropriate laughter alone is not necessarily a cause for concern. However, it can sometimes be a sign of a medical problem.
People with a variety of different conditions, such as autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, and anxiety, may laugh at inappropriate times. Even without a diagnosis, some people may laugh when they feel emotions other than humor.
And where I’m sure all of this is true, as I read further down the article, I realize that the malady Morgan and I have (and probably many other people that are easily amused) may not be inappropriate laughter at all.
The article states: inappropriate or uncontrollable laughter means that a person laughs when they do not want to, in a setting in which laughter would not usually be appropriate.
For my son and me and millions more like us, our laughter does not occur when we do not want it to. On the contrary, our laughter feels good, and is sparked by something or someone we find unbelievable funny.
All this talk of “inappropriate laughter” reminds me of the old Mary Tyler Moore, “Chuckles the Clown” episode. Do you recall the episode? Chuckles had passed away and Mary couldn’t stop laughing at the funeral. Makes for a funny episode, but we certainly wouldn’t want it to happen in real life. It’s the true definition of “inappropriate laughter!”
I think what many of us “laughers” have is the ability to see the humor in the everyday.
And the good news is there are tons and tons of people out there who laugh their way through the day, and so we’re in good company.
If there’s ever anything inappropriate about laughter, it’s when people laugh at others’ misfortune. It shows a lack of empathy, an inability to put themselves in the other person’s shoes.
But in the big picture, it’s smart to see the good in laughter, the lightness in laughter.
As Steven M. Sultanoff, a clinical psychologist and professor at Pepperdine University said, “the benefits of laughter are nothing to laugh at.”
Love that!
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