Why do people giggle at something that is serious?

Question

I've had many, many difficulties in my life, but each time I tell my friend and her mother the latest, they laugh. For instance, I'm a single lady and so have to do a lot of work around my home. I have recently had mice and they laughed (no offers of any help from them either!), then when I cut the lawn for the first time this year (after the winter), my lawnmower started smoking and so I immediately unplugged it. When I told my friends they just laughed and all I got was an 'Ahhhh'. My toilet leaked and again giggles. This happens so often that I've decided not to say anything anymore to them that's negative. I can understand why they may feel fed up with me talking dismally all the time, but life is life and bad things happen. It's not my faul they keep asking me how things are. One night, someone went into the back of my car and dented it slightly. As you can imagine, my friends laughedl Why is this so?

No, I'm no whinger.

Answer 1

very simple, they giggle because it is a jealousy mechanism. Obviously you are self sufficient and quite independent which means they are looking for a way for you to come down to their level. People who giggle when things go wrong are usually the type to say to people "I told you so". Ignore them, because they really don't care. To be honest, your friend can't be a friend when she can't be bother to help you when you are in trouble. You need new and better friends, don't whinge about weak people because they will inevitably make you weak.

Answer 2

I think you need some new friends. These people seem to be a little sick. You're ok. Humor is good, but you should support your friends. Laughing isn't all bad at times, but there are times to listen and to make a suggestion. Have you asked them for advice. Some people won't offer it unless asked for it.

You may want to talk to the proper people when things happen, like the lawn mower. Find someone who repairs them and discuss it with them. Ask them for advice.

Don't worry about others so much. Just try to relax and take things one day at a time. I often will say, "Well, if this is the worst thing that will happen to me today, then I guess I'm going to have a good day." It helps to put me back in perspective and change my attitude back to being positive.

Answer 3

That's how some people deal with things. I think you are taking your friends wrong. They are probably just imagining you running around the house chasing a mouse....well, that could be funny. Don't take yourself so seriously. Yes, I think they should offer you help, but have you asked for help from them? Don't be afraid to tell the story and then say " I really need some help with this situation". Otherwise, all the things you mentioned are a part of life and these are things that happen to everybody. My wife lived alone for 12 years before we met and had to deal with things like this on her own all the time. Life is too short to take yourself so seriously. Lighten up, laugh at yourself and ask for the help you need.

Answer 4

A popular theory amongst psychologists (though not everyone agrees) is that laughter (including giggling) is a way of releasing tension.

If this is true then maybe your friends simply don't know how to respond when you tell them about your mishaps, this creates tension (for them) and so they giggle.

After all, if someone tells you their toilet leaked, what are you going to do? Unless you're a plumber there really isn't a lot you can do, is there - except offer to phone a plumber? But maybe you'd already done that yourself?

How did you expect them to respond? Would you have felt any better if they just said, "Oh, really?" and carried on with whatever they were doing?

Answer 5

To put it simply, they are insecure and insensitive and probably jealous of you for some reason.

They don't know how to express compassion or empathy, and they show their shallowness by giggling at you when you tell them things that aren't funny. Some time later, looking back at the situations, you may all laugh together. But that is not what is going on here.

They do not deserve to be considered friends either, as friends offer support and help, not laugh at your expense. You don't need those kind of people in your life, rather you need to surround yourself with people that actually care what happens to you.

I am sure that they have noticed you are not sharing in the giggle with them, and maybe you have even told them that they are being rude and insensitive, and yet they continue. I'm sorry to you have to put up with those kind of people. Stop sharing with them and see how they react. Or share your successes with them and leave out the daily struggles with them and see what happens.

In any event, I'm sorry to hear that this is how your friends treat you and its time to find some new ones. Good luck

Answer 6

Sometimes it's easier to face uncomfortable situations with a giggle or a laugh. I've faced bad times, but have turned around, shook my head side-to-side and chuckled. It doesn't mean it's a "HAHAHA, in your face" laugh, it's more of a "here we go again" laugh. Some people are accident prone and friends think that's funny. Like Rodney Dangerfield used to say, "I'm doing good today, but yesterday I was in rough shape. I looked up my family tree and two dogs were using it..." (haha) He used uncomfortable moments and turned them into laughter. When talking about his lousy marriage and sex life, he would say, "I came home and saw a naked man jogging down the street. I stopped and asked him why he was running, and he said, 'because you came home too early." It's just a defense mechanism.

Answer 7

When I first read your question I thought you were asking about why a person is always laughing. My grandmother was always laughing, it was a nervous laugh and it was passed down throughout our family. I had to cure myself of that flaw.

But then I realized you were asking why your friend and her mother were laughing at what was serious for you and you weren't laughing when you told the story. I'm thinking your friend and her mother have gotten together and either they laugh to try to cheer you up, that they laugh because they think you are laughing inside and are trying to entertain them, or they are laughing because they think you are trying despirately to find things to say to them, or they are mean spirited and are truly laughing at you and what goes wrong for you, or they have gotten together and talked about you and are merely trying to deter you from talking negative so much, or what they feel is so negative. I couldn't really say as I'm not there to see it happening. You'll have to decide which it is.

You could try not saying negative things, not telling everything you know, not spending so much time with the two of them that you have to tell them everything just so you'd have conversation to give them or maybe you do that so you won't sound boring, or maybe you do it to show them you are busy and accomplishing things, or maybe they see you as whining or leaning and they feel sorry for you, or maybe they think you tell them everything (which you probably do), so maybe that's your flaw and maybe that needs to be corrected. Practice to say a lot of nice things, compliments, talk about the weather, about ball games, interests, etc. and when you feel you start to run out of happy things to talk about then excuse yourself from the room and go watch tv or go home.

You have to learn that when people ask you how you are they don't really mean for you to tell them how you are or tell them your whole life history...merely saying "fine" is the appropriate answer. If you say a lot of negatives it dubs you as a lonely individual and sadsack.

The little things in life that are happening to you, well you can solve those by yourself with a little knowledge. Ask your questions on Q&A or go to wikipedia or a search engine to find the answers to your problems.

Answer 8

Famous sentence: The best way to deal with tragedy is with comedy....

Your friends have options: to help you or to giggle. giggling is probably the easier option...

It doenst necisserily mean that they are laughing at you. maybe with you...
I too live alone and I also have millions of mishaps, like changing the light bulbs and falling of the ladder so I decided to live in the dark rather then change. I had the heating automatically work and I got too hot and had no idea how to turn it down...

Its also the kind of things that I would like help with. instead I get giggles and sayings like: thats so typical of you.

In the end I end up laughing at myself.....

I dont think your friends are being mean, but us single ladies do live a funny life!
(sometime i wonder what would happen if i had a camera in my house. it would be the most succesful sit com).

Answer 9

Perhaps because you have so much go wrong. My mum had 3 car accidents in 4 months and wrote of the car each time. After the first one I actually laughed. Because it was absurd. Not because I thought it was funny but just that it was incredible that so many bad things happened.
I went through a phase were EVERYTHNG went wrong really quickly. My mum had her acar accident and she broke her rib, I had the flu (and it really was the flu, not just a bad cold) then my partner and my kids got the flu while i was still recovering, my partner lost 3 jobs (he is self employed and 3 of the jobs he was due to start fell through), my partners dad became terminally ill, my boiler burst and ruined my kitchen, my partners van got nicked, my step daughter had a huge row with her mum and moved in with us (not that it is really bad but it stretched the finances) and I then lost my job! There were lots of little things too and when I told my friends and mum they laughed too. Not because they weren't taking it seriously or being nsaty but because so much had gone wrong.

Answer 10

When I watch a Woody Allen movie I laugh, perhaps for the same reason your friends laugh when you tell them about things going wrong. Maybe they're not being as kind as they should but I don't think they mean any harm. Life can seem comical sometimes.

Answer 11

I'm not sure why they laugh, perhaps they think it's what you want them to do or they just dont know what to say! But either way they are supposed to be your friends and if they can't recognise when you need help then you could try asking for it (if you haven't already). If that doesn't work then I would look for new friends!!