For a while now I've struggled with excessive laughing to the point of fainting or near-fainting. I've only ever fainted once, in broad daylight while walking down the side walk. My friend had told a joke, ironically about falling into a coma and I laughed so hard I passed out and had a small seizure, possibly due to hitting the ground. This is the only time I've ever actually fainted from laughter.
The other two or so occasions I felt the fainting coming and stopped myself in time, once while on a road trip and the other when I was really, really high which was honestly the worst and had me slightly scared. It might also be notable that one time I smoked I felt like my lungs were burning and shut and that I couldn't breathe, though it turned out I was breathing fine the whole time and the situation was largely psychosomatic. Anyway, the point is I don't get high often.
At first, I didn't really take the whole "laughing to death" idea seriously until I did a little research and came across a term "laughter-induced syncope" which basically means fainting from laughter. I haven't been to the doctor but it's not rocket science when you're living through the asphyxiation of excessive laughter. Though it is extremely rare people have died from laughing to death.
My question here is whether dying of laughter is a fitting exit from the world, considering I'll die one way or another and it'll probably be painful, I might as well enjoy it right? Not that I'm gonna force myself to laugh or anything but if the times right I might as well take my chances and see if I wake up right? I feel like this is a gift and massive universal irony as an Absurdist, going down in history as a man who laughed to death might be a worthwhile accomplishment. I guarantee nobody will forget the guy who laughed to death in front of them, and it might be easier for my family to hear then me getting hit by a truck or killed in a terrorist attack. Or both...
Thoughts?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQmnWj6bJh4
Quote from: pr126 on August 26, 2017, 01:45:20 AM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQmnWj6bJh4
Short attention span so I only watched the 1st minute, but pretty much. Maybe a little less maniacal, but I'm sure it looks pretty absurd from anyone else's viewpoint.
Quote from: Absurd Atheist on August 26, 2017, 01:13:05 AM
For a while now I've struggled with excessive laughing to the point of fainting or near-fainting. I've only ever fainted once, in broad daylight while walking down the side walk. My friend had told a joke, ironically about falling into a coma and I laughed so hard I passed out and had a small seizure, possibly due to hitting the ground. This is the only time I've ever actually fainted from laughter.
The other two or so occasions I felt the fainting coming and stopped myself in time, once while on a road trip and the other when I was really, really high which was honestly the worst and had me slightly scared. It might also be notable that one time I smoked I felt like my lungs were burning and shut and that I couldn't breathe, though it turned out I was breathing fine the whole time and the situation was largely psychosomatic. Anyway, the point is I don't get high often.
At first, I didn't really take the whole "laughing to death" idea seriously until I did a little research and came across a term "laughter-induced syncope" which basically means fainting from laughter. I haven't been to the doctor but it's not rocket science when you're living through the asphyxiation of excessive laughter. Though it is extremely rare people have died from laughing to death.
My question here is whether dying of laughter is a fitting exit from the world, considering I'll die one way or another and it'll probably be painful, I might as well enjoy it right? Not that I'm gonna force myself to laugh or anything but if the times right I might as well take my chances and see if I wake up right? I feel like this is a gift and massive universal irony as an Absurdist, going down in history as a man who laughed to death might be a worthwhile accomplishment. I guarantee nobody will forget the guy who laughed to death in front of them, and it might be easier for my family to hear then me getting hit by a truck or killed in a terrorist attack. Or both...
Thoughts?
Perhaps using a tongue depressor would help. It might reduce your extreme over-happiness.
Quote from: Absurd Atheist on August 26, 2017, 01:13:05 AM
For a while now I've struggled with excessive laughing to the point of fainting or near-fainting. I've only ever fainted once, in broad daylight while walking down the side walk. My friend had told a joke, ironically about falling into a coma and I laughed so hard I passed out and had a small seizure, possibly due to hitting the ground. This is the only time I've ever actually fainted from laughter.
The other two or so occasions I felt the fainting coming and stopped myself in time, once while on a road trip and the other when I was really, really high which was honestly the worst and had me slightly scared. It might also be notable that one time I smoked I felt like my lungs were burning and shut and that I couldn't breathe, though it turned out I was breathing fine the whole time and the situation was largely psychosomatic. Anyway, the point is I don't get high often.
At first, I didn't really take the whole "laughing to death" idea seriously until I did a little research and came across a term "laughter-induced syncope" which basically means fainting from laughter. I haven't been to the doctor but it's not rocket science when you're living through the asphyxiation of excessive laughter. Though it is extremely rare people have died from laughing to death.
My question here is whether dying of laughter is a fitting exit from the world, considering I'll die one way or another and it'll probably be painful, I might as well enjoy it right? Not that I'm gonna force myself to laugh or anything but if the times right I might as well take my chances and see if I wake up right? I feel like this is a gift and massive universal irony as an Absurdist, going down in history as a man who laughed to death might be a worthwhile accomplishment. I guarantee nobody will forget the guy who laughed to death in front of them, and it might be easier for my family to hear then me getting hit by a truck or killed in a terrorist attack. Or both...
Thoughts?
Interesting. Learn to breath properly, most people don't. Take regular deep breaths, to keep your blood oxygenated. That way, if your breathing is interrupted by laughter, you won't go short too quickly. Also given the absurdity of human existence, I can see the attraction of dying while laughing, vs dying while crying.
Quote from: Cavebear on August 26, 2017, 02:38:35 AM
Perhaps using a tongue depressor would help. It might reduce your extreme over-happiness.
Should I just carry a tongue depressor around? I can certainly see that killing the mood.
Quote from: Absurd Atheist on August 26, 2017, 10:32:19 AM
Should I just carry a tongue depressor around? I can certainly see that killing the mood.
Better your tongue depressed, than your whole body be nihilistic - Jeebus
Quote from: Absurd Atheist on August 26, 2017, 10:32:19 AM
Should I just carry a tongue depressor around? I can certainly see that killing the mood.
I'm sorry, it was a Dilbert joke. Dogbert went to a vet saying he was unusually mirthful and the vet gave him a tongue depresser and said "I like that dog"...
That said, uncontrollable laughter is real thing, and I was wrong to make light of it. I just didn't know it was real until I looked it up just now.
I reqd that actual mirth could help.
Why did the turtle cross the road? It didn't have anything to do for the next 2 days.
(I'm making this stuff up as I type)
Why did the turtle cross the road? To get the the Shell station!
Why did the turtle cross the road? To see if it could!
Why did the turtle cross the road? To catch the chicken!
Why did the turtle cross the road? Because it was racing the tortoise!
Why did the turtle cross the road? Because 2 kids were playing "catch"!
Why did the turtle cross the road? Because it was being chased by a slug!
Why DIdN'T the turtle cross the road? Well, when you are stuck up on a fence post, there isn't a lot you can do.
BTW, It was so HOT in Arizona today, a terrified rabbit was being chased by a starving coyote, and both were walking!
If you have to laugh, let there be a reason...
Quote from: Baruch on August 26, 2017, 08:26:51 AM
Interesting. Learn to breathe properly, most people don't. Take regular deep breaths, to keep your blood oxygenated. That way, if your breathing is interrupted by laughter, you won't go short too quickly. Also given the absurdity of human existence, I can see the attraction of dying while laughing, vs dying while crying.
Do you know any sources that can teach people how to breathe properly?
In 1962 there was an epidemic of laughter in Tananyika:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanganyika_laughter_epidemic
That was no laughing matter!
Quote from: Absurd Atheist on August 27, 2017, 10:59:57 AM
Do you know any sources that can teach people how to breathe properly?
First of all, you have to be alive. Second, you need to feel your own body. Some people block sensations from their own body, they are so autonomous. So you have to cain conscious recognition of it. Then it is a matter of retraining. If your breathing is poor, and you don't have lung disease, then you simply have to be conscious of your breathing, frequently, and take deep slow breaths as you do so. Eventually you will have retrained yourself. In Hinduism/Buddhism this is called pranayama. It is a prequel to proper meditation.
Quote from: Unbeliever on August 27, 2017, 06:05:58 PM
In 1962 there was an epidemic of laughter in Tananyika:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanganyika_laughter_epidemic
That was no laughing matter!
And example of mass hysteria. Happened in Medieval Europe too ...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dancing_mania
Quote from: Absurd Atheist on August 26, 2017, 01:13:05 AM
At first, I didn't really take the whole "laughing to death" idea seriously until I did a little research and came across a term "laughter-induced syncope" which basically means fainting from laughter.
Thoughts?
I get it, although I've never done it, but I have had a couple of experiences where intense laughter has weakened me to the point where I might have collapsed had I been standing, but they have always been of very short duration. I think the startling nature of the experience shocks me to the point where the laughter abruptly stops and I regain control of musculature. No one at the table ever seemed to notice.
I doubt that the above is exactly what you are talking about, but I would think people who die from laughing probably already suffer from some weakness of an organ or system. When I think about it, it seems like any death results from he failure of one or more organs or systems. But this is only a guess.
I had an old girlfriend that related to me that one time she and 3 of her girlfriends were driving down the highway when they started laughing so hard, over I can't remember what, that all 4 of them peed their pants. I don't know if this signifies an organ failure, or something else.
Quote from: SGOS on August 28, 2017, 09:25:48 AM
I get it, although I've never done it, but I have had a couple of experiences where intense laughter has weakened me to the point where I might have collapsed had I been standing, but they have always been of very short duration.
I recall when I was a kid, sometimes I'd be wrestling with a buddy, and if I started laughing I'd suddenly lose any strength I'd had. My muscles would just stop working altogether. It was very disconcerting.
Quote from: Unbeliever on August 28, 2017, 10:03:04 AM
I recall when I was a kid, sometimes I'd be wrestling with a buddy, and if I started laughing I'd suddenly lose any strength I'd had. My muscles would just stop working altogether. It was very disconcerting.
Laughter is a hiccup of the brain. When it happens, the mind misfunctions.
Quote from: Cavebear on August 31, 2017, 03:31:40 AM
Laughter is a hiccup of the brain. When it happens, the mind misfunctions.
Laughter is the only antidote to human tragedy.
Quote from: Baruch on August 31, 2017, 06:57:23 AM
Laughter is the only antidote to human tragedy.
Laughter is the physiological response to human error. Not the same as humor, though they are related. And I will agree that all humor is based on tragedy to some extent.
Even rats laugh when they're tickled!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-admRGFVNM
Quote from: Unbeliever on August 31, 2017, 02:15:26 PM
Even rats laugh when they're tickled!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-admRGFVNM
I read that in SA! They even enjoy it...
And I just found out - so do meerkats:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=880RAXPoBQ8
Quote from: Unbeliever on August 31, 2017, 02:17:47 PM
And I just found out - so do meerkats:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=880RAXPoBQ8
Who can't love meercats? I cried when Flower died.
Quote from: Absurd Atheist on August 26, 2017, 01:13:05 AM
At first, I didn't really take the whole "laughing to death" idea seriously until I did a little research and came across a term "laughter-induced syncope" which basically means fainting from laughter. I haven't been to the doctor but it's not rocket science when you're living through the asphyxiation of excessive laughter. Though it is extremely rare people have died from laughing to death.
The best-attested case of laughing to death is probably that of Alex Mitchell (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kung_Fu_Kapers#Viewer_death), who died of a heart attack after laughing essentially non-stop for 25 minutes at The Goodies episode 'Kung Fu Kapers'. It has since been discovered that there may be a genetic predisposition to heart failure in his family.
Of course, had this happened in the US, there would almost certainly have been lawsuits against the network, the actors, the production company, everyone. But this was in the UK, so the widow sent a letter to the comedians thanking them for making her husband's last minutes so happy. And people wonder why I'm an Anglophile….
Quote from: trdsf on August 31, 2017, 04:45:08 PM
The best-attested case of laughing to death is probably that of Alex Mitchell (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kung_Fu_Kapers#Viewer_death), who died of a heart attack after laughing essentially non-stop for 25 minutes at The Goodies episode 'Kung Fu Kapers'. It has since been discovered that there may be a genetic predisposition to heart failure in his family.
Of course, had this happened in the US, there would almost certainly have been lawsuits against the network, the actors, the production company, everyone. But this was in the UK, so the widow sent a letter to the comedians thanking them for making her husband's last minutes so happy. And people wonder why I'm an Anglophile….
There might be worse ways to go. Yes, I know the end might have been painful and dying in your sleep is great. But laughing is (I hope) better that having your inquisitors trying out new techniques.
Quote from: Cavebear on August 31, 2017, 05:13:38 PM
But laughing is (I hope) better that having your inquisitors trying out new techniques.
Maybe
yours -
my inquisitors are hilarious! :raspberries:
Quote from: Unbeliever on August 31, 2017, 05:16:29 PM
Maybe your - my inquisitors are hilarious! :raspberries:
OK. yer bird tops all!
I damn near did laugh to death at some of these weird statues:
http://teamjimmyjoe.com/2013/12/strange-funny-statues/
Quote from: Unbeliever on August 31, 2017, 05:16:29 PM
Maybe yours - my inquisitors are hilarious! :raspberries:
You have an odd idea of "inquisitors" then. LOL! I'm not into S&M.
Quote from: Cavebear on September 03, 2017, 10:09:58 PM
You have an odd idea of "inquisitors" then. LOL! I'm not into S&M.
Depends on how pretty the inquisitor is ;-) Some prefer young buxom blonds dressed as Nazis. Ve vill show you who is the mistress race!
Quote from: Baruch on September 03, 2017, 10:21:34 PM
Depends on how pretty the inquisitor is ;-) Some prefer young buxom blonds dressed as Nazis. Ve vill show you who is the mistress race!
The rack knows no gender of the user...
Quote from: Cavebear on September 03, 2017, 10:24:47 PM
The rack knows no gender of the user...
The boys don't have "racks" ;-)
Quote from: Baruch on September 03, 2017, 10:25:40 PM
The boys don't have "racks" ;-)
Again you go! Racks a la Family Guy... The trier the more you do, the less sense you make in the dumpling!
Quote from: Baruch on August 27, 2017, 08:13:22 PM
First of all, you have to be alive. Second, you need to feel your own body. Some people block sensations from their own body, they are so autonomous. So you have to cain conscious recognition of it. Then it is a matter of retraining. If your breathing is poor, and you don't have lung disease, then you simply have to be conscious of your breathing, frequently, and take deep slow breaths as you do so. Eventually you will have retrained yourself. In Hinduism/Buddhism this is called pranayama. It is a prequel to proper meditation.
Careful there, I laughed out loud at the first sentence. :) I'll look into it though, thanks.
Quote from: Cavebear on September 03, 2017, 10:24:47 PM
The rack knows no gender of the user...
Yeah, but those buxom blonde inquisitors have a hell of a rack...
Quote from: Unbeliever on September 05, 2017, 01:36:40 PM
Yeah, but those buxom blonde inquisitors have a hell of a rack...
I have no idea what you are talking about. (koff, koff)