I don't know I am on the spectrum or not.

Page 2 of 2 [ 21 posts ]  Go to page Previous  1, 2

jimmy m
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 30 Jun 2018
Age: 76
Gender: Male
Posts: 9,518
Location: Indiana

13 Jan 2021, 10:34 am

Laughing in the face of tragedy.

These are some comments on the Internet:

Keeping severe mental illness out of the equation, not everyone reacts to tragedy in the same way. Some laugh to release tension. Their reaction is involuntary, but our society judges them on it, anyway.

Laughter is a great emotional equalizer. We’re often told it’s the best medicine. Deeply stressful or emotional episodes overload our emotional engine and send the needle into overdrive. To release stress, we often respond through inappropriate laughter. It’s not ideal, but it is effective. On top of reducing the stress hormone cortisol and improving short-term memory, laughter has even been found to ameliorate physical pain. Generally speaking, studies say that this is a way for our subconscious to assuage our fears and convince us that everything is actually okay. Sometimes we laugh because we’re having trouble accepting what we see — we’re in shock. So we distance ourselves from the fear or pain of the circumstance by laughing it off.

The medical community even has a term for this. It is called the Pseudobulbar Affect

From my perception, Aspies experience significantly more stress than the average NT. Stress is chemical in nature and stored within the body. Unless this stress is vented, it will accumulate until it produces a state of distress. Sometimes your body will automatically sense this buildup and produce an involuntary reaction, such as laughing in the face of great turmoil. Your body does this to relieve and vent this accumulated stress.


_________________
Author of Practical Preparations for a Coronavirus Pandemic.
A very unique plan. As Dr. Paul Thompson wrote, "This is the very best paper on the virus I have ever seen."


uncertaingoblin
Butterfly
Butterfly

Joined: 10 Jan 2021
Age: 36
Gender: Male
Posts: 15
Location: British Columbia

14 Jan 2021, 2:09 pm

Thank you for the information, jimmy! much appreciated.

This explanation could well explain it as one thing I am absolutely certain of is that I am the most stressed-out individual I know of in my life. This is something that professionals like doctors, chiropractors, anyone i’ve gone to see has commented on. I’m unable to relax. One of the best things I ever did for myself was to accept this an inherent part of who I am and simply explain to people when it comes up that I’m always tense or unable to relax. This at the very least got me to stop worrying about trying to relax when I clearly am not able to do so, although side effects of this such as waterfalls of sweat, constant pacing, fiddling with objects or my clothing (anything I can get my hands on) and nail biting/picking bring attention to this trait very often. It would be nice to have fingernails one day but I no longer think it’s worth the hassle of beating myself up over.



jimmy m
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 30 Jun 2018
Age: 76
Gender: Male
Posts: 9,518
Location: Indiana

14 Jan 2021, 5:13 pm

I thought I would recommend a good book to read.
It is called "In an Unspoken Voice" by Peter A. Levine.
It explains how the human mind responds to stress.
So if you are looking towards improvements or even a greater understanding, this is the book.


_________________
Author of Practical Preparations for a Coronavirus Pandemic.
A very unique plan. As Dr. Paul Thompson wrote, "This is the very best paper on the virus I have ever seen."


uncertaingoblin
Butterfly
Butterfly

Joined: 10 Jan 2021
Age: 36
Gender: Male
Posts: 15
Location: British Columbia

14 Jan 2021, 8:55 pm

That sounds interesting, i’ll look into getting that book in some form or another. Thank you!



CockneyRebel
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 17 Jul 2004
Age: 50
Gender: Male
Posts: 117,423
Location: In my little Olympic World of peace and love

16 Jan 2021, 1:32 am

Welcome to WP!


_________________
The Family Enigma