It's Funny!

When witnessing a funny scene, notice the urge to laugh arising and try to hold it back for a few moments before bursting into laughter.


Carefully observe how this urge emerges and what sensations arise before the explosion of laughter.




〰




Description

I notice that I assess the situation almost instantly, interpreting it as comical and unexpected. 


I feel an involuntary activation of the muscles in my throat, abdomen, and mouth—the latter both expresses laughter and can be used to try to suppress it. 


Simultaneously, respiratory changes occur, generating internal air pressure, and the passage of this air creates a "tickling" sensation along a vertical line from the chest to the throat. 


When the air is released through laughter, it triggers a succession of trembling expirations. 


These vibratory movements propagate through the abdominal region, following the rhythm of the laughter.


After a few seconds of intense release, the body begins to relax. 


First, the limbs loosen, and the torso tends to lean forward (before that, while the laughter is still vigorous, it may tilt backward), while the laughter gradually fades, along with the sense of humor, until they disappear completely. 


In the end, a deep inhalation may occur, followed by an exhalation through the mouth, like a sigh. 


However, recalling the event may reignite the laughter, repeating a few times before fading entirely.  


Sometimes, when the scene is only moderately funny, the air pressure can be released all at once through the nose or mouth, without the need for a full laugh that completely exhausts the urge to laugh.



Check out these posts to understand the phenomenological approach used in providing these descriptions of experience: 1) What is Phenomenology; 2) Naturalization of Phenomenology; 3) Micro-Phenomenology; 4) Intersubjective Validation; 5) Embodied Cognition; 6) 4E













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