How to hold back laughter at a crucial moment? It seems that everyone had such a situation when, at a crucial or tense moment, they wanted to laugh heartily, for no reason. Excitement, stress, panic - our psyche is trying to protect us, but we are not up to it when some important issue is at stake?
Even a barely perceptible “hee hee” can be heard by your boss and completely misunderstood. Someone can be seriously offended by your causeless laughter. Laughter is great, but only when it's appropriate. How to contain laughter and smile? What advice can psychologists give you?
How to stop laughing?
Although they say that laughter prolongs life and you need to laugh more often, it is worth noting that a joyful facial expression or laughter is not always appropriate and they are unlikely to be justified by a saying. People around you may not understand your chuckle, think that you are laughing at them, or not realize the importance of the conversation. When you suddenly want to laugh, try to calm down, force your brain to concentrate on the moment, try to realize the full importance of what is happening.
Think of something sad
Distracting yourself during an important conversation is bad advice, but still, if you are wondering how to hold back your laughter, think of something bad, sad, a tragic event or a sad ending to a movie, the chorus of a sad song. Think of something that could make you cry. Although it is unpleasant, it is effective, even when laughter cannot be suppressed.
When sad thoughts don't help, think of something terrible, like a scene from a horror movie. Scientists have researched and proven that adrenaline (the hormone of fear) is much stronger than endorphins. It will easily calm your causeless desire to laugh.
Pinch yourself
Unpleasant and strong physical sensation will help your brain switch, forget about chuckles. Pinch your arm, bite your lip or the inside of your cheek, put pressure on a bruise, bruise - do something that will bring discomfort to your body and change the focus. The technique will only take a few seconds to switch over, but it will be enough to stifle laughter.
Exhale
Blowing out is another way to hold back laughter. A lung-empty, maximum exhalation works in a wide variety of situations, and is what you need to calm down and put your thoughts in order. In addition, physiology also acts in this method of restraining laughter: in order to laugh, a person needs a large amount of air. How to empty your lungsthere will be - so to speak - nothing to laugh at. Exhaling, cough. Coughing may distract the attention of those sitting nearby from the conversation, but certainly will not offend the speaker.
Cough
If a laugh still escaped, then you can disguise it with a cough. Choked, with whom it does not happen. Cover your mouth with your palm to hide your smile and pretend to be coughing. Better yet, just leave the office to clear your throat. Breathe, calm down, tune in to a new wave and come back.
Pinch nose
If things get out of hand and you can't help but burst into laughter, quickly cover your nose and mouth. Bend over and hold your breath. The burst of laughter can be imagined as a sneeze or sobs, depending on the situation. You will be forgiven for sentimentality or a cold.
Self-hypnosis
Psychologists talk about the effect of reverse self-hypnosis. Just repeat to yourself “Laugh! That's funny! Let's laugh! Surprisingly, sometimes it works and the situation stops being funny. I wonder how this reverse self-hypnosis works.
1, 2, 3, 4…
Counting from 1 to 10 will help you calm down. Count to yourself, slowly, pausing. Better yet, count backwards or skip even numbers (numbers that contain the letter “t”). Get your head in something else. The account in this situation is the best assistant. The same multiplication table is a great way to switch. Set yourself a complex example and solve the problem in several steps, calculatepercentage of something in mind.
It would seem, what's wrong with a laugh? But someone nearby may think that you are laughing at him, and not everyone is able to cope with being the object of ridicule. That is why it is important to know how to learn how to control laughter in inappropriate situations.
It is important to note that the inability to stop laughing or crying, sudden mood swings can be symptoms of a neurological disorder. So, having noticed frequent attacks, it is better to consult a specialist.