From sex to funerals – the inappropriate times Brits get a fit of giggles
DURING sex, at a religious ceremony and at a child’s school concert — these are just some of the inapropriate situations in which Brits have been reduced to tears of laughter.
A nationwide survey reveals nine out of ten Brits have got a fit of giggles at an ENTIRELY inappropriate moment, while a further 70 per cent feel regularly inclined to crack up, when they know if would be frowned upon to do so.
In fact, almost two thirds (32 per cent) of Brits admit to having chuckled when watching someone hurt themselves, while 19 per cent have got the giggles while being disciplined by their boss.
Three in ten Brits have laughed out loud during sex — and 17 per cent admit to choking back the chortles during a serious religious ceremony such as a funeral.
Also, on the list of the situations that have given us the giggles were when trying to pronounce a difficult name (31 per cent), during a tragic moment in a film (30 per cent), and when dealing with a child having a tantrum (25 per cent).
11 per cent of Brits have tried (and failed) to hold back the laughter when seeing a friend’s baby for the first time, 14 per cent while watching their kids perform in a school play, and one in ten (nine per cent) while being dumped.
The study of 2,000 Brits by Netflights, found that eight per cent have giggled when they were told their partner was cheating on them, and six per cent have even laughed when told they were ill by a doctor.
Yet the classic, seeing someone walk into a lamp post was the most hilarious misfortune, with 52 per cent of the vote.
WHY WE LAUGH WHEN WE SHOULDN'T
Jordan Raine, a PhD Researcher into “Human Non-verbal Vocalisations” at the University of Sussex, believes that inappropriate laughter could be the brain’s way of diffusing tension, or a defensive coping mechanism when you are faced with something traumatic or distressing.
“This can sometimes occur as fits of nervous laughter in immediate reaction to some event, perhaps serving to protect ourselves against the true nature of what we’re witnessing."
Said Andrew Shelton, Managing Director of Netflights, who commissioned the poll: “They say laughter is the best medicine and this research shows that even in the most awkward moments, there’s something that will bring a smile to our faces. We call it the ‘grinfreeze’ moment.
Whether it’s the happiness you get knowing you’ve got a great deal on a flight, or a funny memory of a friend or family member, it’s about feeling good whatever the circumstances and looking on the bright side of life.”
The research found that when it comes to strategies to hide the laughter, 35 per cent of people had pretended they were actually coughing, and 22 per cent have had to leave the room.
A lucky 38 per cent of the time people have got away with the inappropriate chortling with no one noticing, while 31 per cent admitted their giggles had started a chain reaction, leading to lots of people laughing.
However, there can be repercussions, with a third of people (32 per cent) having been tutted at, while one in five Brits said they ended up getting into a big row because of their inappropriate laughter.
The study found that seven per cent have lost friends, the same number have ruined dates, and one in twenty have even had a physical fight because of their inability to hold in the chuckles.
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The study found that the average Brit laughs 13 times a day, and when it comes to how we let it out, the most popular form is a giggle (52 per cent), while chortle (20 per cent), snort (18 per cent), smirk (18 per cent) and howl (11 per cent) were also some of the top ways we describe our laughing technique.
And an enormous 94 percent of us have laughed until we cried, with 47 per cent of us saying we do it often.
The data revealed how important laughter is to us. As 95 per cent of people believe that “laughter is the best medicine”, it is no surprise that when it comes to difficult moments, the top choice to make us feel better is laughing with friends and family (49 per cent) over being with family (40 per cent) and listening to upbeat music (37 per cent).
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