Laughter Stress and Lying
Laughter, which is normally an uncontrollable limbic brain
response, can be used consciously by a liar to cover up their lie. For a liar
it can be a sound effect they know is normally associated with happy, guilt free, honest people so it makes a great cover sound.
However, not all laughing is a sign of dishonesty. In fact, we laugh when we are anxious. I was in the break room of a consulting company I
worked with talking to several female support staff members. Two male
consultants joined our circle and proceeded to tell a few off color jokes. I
glared at them, but the five female support staff members laughed! It was obvious to me that it was a nervous laugh to cover up the fact that they were uncomfortable. The
men left. I talked with the women and said I wanted to inform the guys about
what they had done. They gave me permission and I went immediately to the men
and told them what I saw and how inappropriate their humor was. They were gob smacked.
They said, “But the women laughed!" I defined "Cover Laughter" and explained how the women's laughter
was meant to ease tensions. So know that, as a woman or a man, a nervous laugh can actually be a
defense mechanism to deal with how uncomfortable you are. Yes, you can be
absolutely mortified about something being shared and you can laugh like it
pleases you to cover up your mortification. And know that if you are in a position of power and someone else in power is making people "Cover Laugh." your antenna should go up so you can see if those laughing are feeling shamed, disrespected or abused.
Patti Wood, MA - The Body Language Expert. For more body language insights go to her website at www.PattiWood.net. Check out Patti's website for her new book "SNAP, Making the Most of First Impressions, Body Language and Charisma" at www.snapfirstimpressions.com.
