Laugh and Be Happy

Published July 13, 2009 @ 04:00PM PT

Apparently there are two types of laughter--laughter as an unconscious expression of joy, and laughter as a conscious expression of social information. Guess which one an Ithaca study found autistic children do much more of? The good news for us is that people prefer listening to the unconscious, spontaneous type of laugher that many of us on the spectrum excel at. Spontaneous laughter is the sound of happiness.

On the happiness topic, a University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill study is all about how short, frequent moments of happiness lead to resiliency and well-being, that, as quoted from researcher Barbara Fredrickson),

"Those small moments let positive emotions blossom, and that helps us become more open. That openness then helps us build resources that can help us rebound better from adversity and stress, ward off depression and continue to grow."

...The study helps show that to be happy, people do not need to adopt a "Pollyanna-ish" approach and deny the upsetting aspects of life.

...Fredrickson suggested focusing on the "micro-moments" that can help unlock one positive emotion here or there.

Something probably especially important for those of us who live with a lot of stress. And perhaps something to be mindful of concerning--or even be an important reason behind--autism therapy fatigue.

Share this Post

Comments (5)

This is somewhat related to something I've noticed about myself: I look very natural in photos where I'm smiling because I'm genuinely happy or amused by something... and I consistently look awkward in photos with posed smiles.

Posted by Cody Boisclair on 07/13/2009 @ 04:43PM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Reply
- Like
For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment. In the process we will also create a Change.org account for you so you can track this and future conversations. Don't worry - we won't spam you. We just want to promote constructive dialogue and find that people are more respectful when they are not anonymous.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

reply to thread started by by Cody
Check Spelling
- Email me when there are new posts to this thread
- Comment Policy
Cancel Reply
http://autismcrisis.blogspot.com/2009_05_01_archive.html

is a link to Michelle Dawson's excellent summary and discussion of this research. In a piece I wrote for jypsy's Wrong Planet Symposium a few years back, I identified "theatrical imagination" as the route to competent approved falsity in typical children - and I think that's what's going on in the laughter research.

When I was bringing my children up I did not praise them for lying, but that seems unfashionable at best - these days the earlier you learn to be false the more Normal you are seen to be. Hooray?

Posted by dinah murray on 07/13/2009 @ 11:37PM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Reply
- Like
I've heard parents literally say they were thrilled when their child told his or her first lie. Oh goodie, just what the world doesn't need--more liers. Hooray? *headdesk* This "lying is good because non-autistic people do it more often" thing has always disturbed me deeply. If that's what it means to be "normal" thank the heavens I'm not! If it was "normal" to kill kittens I wouldn't want to be encouraged to exhibit that behavior either.

Thanks for the link!

Posted by Dora Raymaker on 07/14/2009 @ 09:31AM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Like
Reply to thread
For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment. In the process we will also create a Change.org account for you so you can track this and future conversations. Don't worry - we won't spam you. We just want to promote constructive dialogue and find that people are more respectful when they are not anonymous.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

reply to thread started by by dinah
Check Spelling
- Email me when there are new posts to this thread
- Comment Policy
Cancel Reply
There's also laughter as a result of plenty of other emotions, including nervousness, fear, grief, pain, and submissiveness. I laugh when I am happy but I also laugh in all of the rest of those situations, and unlike most non-autistic people I am almost totally unable to suppress the laughter that our culture calls "inappropriate" (I say our culture because not all cultures pretend that laughter is only a happy thing) -- most people seem to be able to suppress at least some of that response, although nervous laughter seems to be allowed to a point, and for intense grieving at least some people understand the laughter that can come with that.

I know a number of other non-neurologically-standard people (whether autistic or otherwise) that this is true for. Unfortunately in cultures where laughter is seen only as a response to happiness, we are judged specifically for the fact that our bodies respond unconsciously with laughter not only to joy, but to many other emotions as well.

Posted by Amanda Baggs on 07/14/2009 @ 12:25AM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Reply
- Like
Yeah I definitely oversimplified the topic of laughter, mostly because what I wanted to focus on was the happiness research and the concept of happy spontaneous laughter associated with concept of happiness in my brain. I'm putting laughter in my ideas file and will address it more in depth when I can (no guarantees on time though--sometimes it can take me a while to get around to specific topics).

Posted by Dora Raymaker on 07/14/2009 @ 09:35AM PT
- Report close
  You must be signed in to report content.
- Like
Reply to thread
For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment. In the process we will also create a Change.org account for you so you can track this and future conversations. Don't worry - we won't spam you. We just want to promote constructive dialogue and find that people are more respectful when they are not anonymous.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

reply to thread started by by Amanda
Check Spelling
- Email me when there are new posts to this thread
- Comment Policy
Cancel Reply

Add a Comment

For your comment to be published, you will need to confirm your email address after submitting your comment.

If you already have an account, click here to log in.

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:

Create Password:

Comment

Check Spelling

Email me when there are new posts to this thread
Comment Policy

Comments on Change.org are meant for further exploration and evaluation of the ideas covered in the posts. To that end, we welcome constructive comments. However, we reserve the right to delete comments that are offensive, abusive, or off-topic; that contain ad hominem attacks; or that are designed to subvert or hijack comment threads rather than contribute to them. Repeat offenders may be permanently removed from the site at our discretion.

Author

Dora is committed to improving quality of life for individuals on the autistic spectrum--including herself! She is Co-director of the Academic Autistic Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education and a member of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network's Board of Directors.