Download ArticleDownload ArticleThis article was co-authored by Ben Whitehair. Ben Whitehair is a Social Media Expert and the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of TSMA Consulting. With over a decade of experience in the social media space, he specializes in leveraging social media for business and building relationships. He also focuses on social media’s impact on the entertainment industry. Ben graduated summa cum laude from The University of Colorado at Boulder with BAs in Theatre and Political Science as well as a Leadership Certificate. In addition to his work as CIO, Ben is a certified business and mindset coach and National Board Member of SAG-AFTRA. He is also a successful entrepreneur as the Co-Founder of Working.Actor, the premier business academy and coaching community for actors.
This article has been viewed 396,457 times.
If you're looking to change your laugh, we have great news: switching things up is as easy as pie! Whether you want a quiet laugh, a bubbly giggle, or a loud guffaw, we'll include all the tips you need below. Just choose the laughing style that you want, follow our easy, effective guide and voilà! Your laugh will be changed for the better. So what are you waiting for? Let's get started!
Steps
Use a sound recorder to study your laugh. Tape yourself laughing, or ask someone else do it for you. Then, play back the recording and listen for what makes your laugh unique or undesirable. Maybe you snort loudly and often; maybe you giggle more than you'd like. As you work to change your laugh, you can record and rerecord your laugh to analyze your progress and tweak the style.- If you have a specific new laugh in mind, consider playing the recording of your original laugh at the same time as a recording of the laugh you'd like to imitate. This way, you may be able to better hear the subtle differences between the two.
Find a space where you can be alone. Try laughing in the car, or in a remote area, or in front of the mirror. When you feel ready, start laughing in the way that you want to laugh. Try to practice your laugh and actively tweak the way that you sound.Advertisement
Make yourself laugh authentically. Think of something hilarious, or have a friend tell you a joke, or watch something funny. Try to make the laugh genuine so that it will more accurately represent the way that your laugh sounds in real life.[1] If you can't bring yourself to laugh at anything else, just laugh at the absurdity of what you're doing: staring into a mirror and laughing at yourself self-consciously.
Try to get to the root of your undesirable laugh. If your laugh is too nasally, focus on the way that you flex your nose when you laugh. Instead, try to direct laughs through your diaphragm: an air channel which sits near your gut, just below your lungs. If your laugh is too loud, try to react a bit more quietly.
Amy Cuddy, Social PsychologistRecord your usual laugh, analyzing elements you wish to adjust like pitch, volume, or heartiness. Focus on your desired sound as you laugh freely alone. With daily repetition, consciously shape your laugh toward your preferred expression while maintaining authenticity.
Pick a new laugh style. If you don't have a style in mind, make it a goal to actively search for a laugh that you like. Look for inspiration everywhere that people are laughing: listen to the people you meet, characters from movies, and television personalities. Listen to loved ones and listen to strangers. Constantly be on the lookout for good laughs.- YouTube is a good source of recorded human speech – as is the Internet, period.
- Think about why you like certain laughs. Maybe you like a laugh because it's deep and hearty, or because hearing it makes you yourself laugh.
Imitate a laugh that you like. When you hear a laugh that inspires you, try to remember it or record it. When you're alone, find a mirror and try to mimic the laugh you heard. This mimicry may happen naturally, if you spend time around people with compelling laughs – but you can certainly make the process more intentional by choosing which laugh to try.[2]- Be aware that if you outright mimic a laugh that's famous from television or a movie, people may notice. Decide whether or not you want this.
Reflect on what you don't like about your current laugh. So, for example, say that you feel your laugh is too loud. In that case, you'll probably want to focus on adopting a quieter laughing style. Maybe you feel like your laugh is too silly; then, you might want to try out a more serious laugh.[3]- It goes without saying though that you're laugh is fine the way it is! If you want to change things up, you should definitely do that. But in the meantime, don't stress about whatever's making you insecure about your giggle.
Consider whether there is anything you really need to change. People are often unaware that their breathing needs change when laughing; for instance, many people snort because that is the way the body has adapted to get more oxygen during laughter. Try asking people who are close to you about how your laughter sounds. This can be very illuminating: if there is something annoying or disturbing about your laugh, they will likely tell you!
Make an effort to use the new laugh in social situations. Be aware of how you sound when you laugh and speak. You may need to be almost hyper-aware, at first, in order to consciously laugh in the style you've chosen. Over time, however, you may find that the sound becomes more natural.- If you catch yourself slipping back into the old laugh, don't get frustrated. Your old laugh was a habit that evolved naturally through years of jovial interactions with people, and it can be a very hard impulse to break.
- The important thing is that you're conscious of the way that you're laughing. If you're conscious of how you sound, it may be easier to actively shift that sound.
Practice the laugh every chance you get. Whenever you're alone, work on the new sound: make yourself laugh, and keep laughing until you're happy with how it sounds.[4] You can do this in the car, in the park, or in front of a mirror. Be aware of the setting – other people may get uncomfortable if you practice your laugh around them when they haven't said anything funny.
Don't be afraid to let the laugh evolve. If you choose to strive for a specific style of laughter, it's important to keep in mind that practice can change intent. Just as your natural laugh was shaped by environmental influences—the people with whom you interacted, the movie characters you idolized, the laughs that you liked and subconsciously tried to imitate—so too will your new laugh be influenced by new experience. This doesn't mean that you won't like your laugh; it just means that you don't need to be too picky about the way you sound, as long as you like it.
Introduce your laugh slowly when around friends. Don't spring it on everyone – use it increasingly more often. Get used to your laugh first, and eventually you may not have to think about it at all. Your brain will gradually adapt and remember the tone.[5]
Expert Q&A
Tips
- Don't try too hard to change your laugh. Otherwise, you may seem fake, and your laugh will be posed.Thanks
- Choose a natural laugh and keep it normal.Thanks
- Have someone around to judge your laugh. If they think that it's as annoying or more annoying than the first one, make another one.Thanks
Warnings
- Choose your laugh carefully. If your laugh is too ridiculous, people might laugh at you.Thanks
Things You'll Need
- A mirror
- Someone to judge your laugh
References
- ↑ Ben Whitehair. Acting Coach. Expert Interview. 3 June 2021.
- ↑ https://www.ipscell.com/2012/08/the-science-of-laughing-what-ones-laugh-says-about-you-our-presidents-mitt-romney/
- ↑ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2320740/Are-giggler-gulper-wheezer--What-laugh-says-you.html
- ↑ Ben Whitehair. Acting Coach. Expert Interview. 3 June 2021.
- ↑ http://www.yourlifechoices.com.au/news/how-to-change-your-laugh
About This Article
If you want to change your laugh, start by choosing a new laugh style that you prefer. To find the right laugh for you, listen to the people you meet, characters from movies, television personalities, and people in YouTube videos. Once you hear a laugh you like, try recording it or imitating it a couple of times, so you're more likely to remember it. When you have time alone, practice the laugh and actively tweak how it sounds until you achieve your desired volume and tone. For example, if you think your laugh sounds too nasally, try directing your laughter through your diaphragm, which is the air channel near your gut, just below your lungs. Alternatively, if you think your laugh sounds inauthentic, practice it while watching something funny or having a friend tell a joke. For more tips, like how to practice your new laugh, scroll down!
Reader Success Stories
"My friends said I had the weirdest laugh and now I do not!"
Did this article help you?
⚠️ Disclaimer:
Content from Wiki How English language website. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License; additional terms may apply.
Wiki How does not encourage the violation of any laws, and cannot be responsible for any violations of such laws, should you link to this domain, or use, reproduce, or republish the information contained herein.
- - A few of these subjects are frequently censored by educational, governmental, corporate, parental and other filtering schemes.
- - Some articles may contain names, images, artworks or descriptions of events that some cultures restrict access to
- - Please note: Wiki How does not give you opinion about the law, or advice about medical. If you need specific advice (for example, medical, legal, financial or risk management), please seek a professional who is licensed or knowledgeable in that area.
- - Readers should not judge the importance of topics based on their coverage on Wiki How, nor think a topic is important just because it is the subject of a Wiki article.
