Fluther: Why is it that when you get "the giggles," not being ...

Why is it that when you get "the giggles," not being ALLOWED to giggle makes it 10 times harder to stop?

Asked by Dutchess_III (46815

) October 26th, 2012
12 responses
“Great Question” (6

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Like, as a kid with a friend staying the night, up in the middle of the night having to be quiet so you don’t wake the folks…that’s a sure fire way to get the giggles!

What causes giggles, anyway?

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Topics: behavior, humor

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Answers

I so love that! I even do it now as a so called adult! I wish I knew how it worked, I need more of it!

Shippy (10015

)“Great Answer” (4

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I’m 24 and whenever I’m home visiting my family, my 18-year-old sister, 21-year-old brother and I still get in “trouble” for getting the giggles in the wee hours of the night lol I’m not really sure why this happens though…

jordym84 (4752

)“Great Answer” (3

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I don’t know but I love it when it happens to. I remember being thrown out of a shorthand class at college because I could not stop laughing. The teacher (and she was a very typical shorthand/typing teacher) read us a passage and we had to take it down in shorthand. It was about a budgie. I can’t remember what the heck it was about the budgie that made me laugh but I could not stop. So she made me go and stand in the corridor, which was even funnier since I was 18 at the time.

I agree with @Shippy – there should be more of it. It’s good for you.

Bellatrix (21307

)“Great Answer” (3

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EVERYTHING makes me giggle. Being allowed to makes me giggle, thinking about giggle, thinking about what makes me giggle, even trying to hold a straight face around friends who share my sense of humor makes me giggle. Being told to not giggle, well, that just makes me giggle more. I think that it’s mainly because concentrating on not doing something pushes you to do it more than if you don’t concentrate on it at all.

BTW- It’s making me giggle.

GracieT (7393

)“Great Answer” (2

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This is the best example of that, ever!

syz (35938

)“Great Answer” (1

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Did someone do something in church?

woodcutter (16377

)“Great Answer” (0

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@syz… oh dear! That is so funny. Poor man. How embarrassing for him.

Bellatrix (21307

)“Great Answer” (0

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@Bellatrix I know! I have no idea if the subtitling is accurate, but he’s clearly mortified and yet unable to stop. I’ve had a few incidences like that (thankfully not so very publically).

syz (35938

)“Great Answer” (0

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‘Giggle Without A Cause’ obviously.
It’s an inner rebellion, and seems to be impossible to stop.

SomeoneElse (2708

)“Great Answer” (0

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It’s a psychological state I guess, it’s like you know if you giggle they’re going to wake up so you accidentally giggle more.
It also happens when you’re telling the truth and start giggling or smiling so people think you’re lying, when for once, you really are telling the truth!

Luiveton (4162

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