Is there a polite way to ask someone to stop laughing?

I think upon reflection this is the answer. Earplugs or the ipod going with some soothing music to drown out the distraction. I used to do that at work....of course I had to place my phone where I could see the light on it flicker when it was ringing...and check my voice mail a lot.

well wouldn't you want to know if you had an annoying laugh? If so, I would want to change it.

I asked my husband to be perfectly honest if I had an annoying laugh - he said far from it.

Fortunately he is the type (or maybe unfortunately) he would hurt my feelings and tell me the truth. Believe me he has for other things.

I do have air plugs that I use when things get noisy though - but man what a horrible laugh and she laughs alot (and it doesn't sound like a sincere laugh - just kinda forced sorta). There is another women who has a loud cackling laugh that you can hear across the floor - but she doesn't laugh so much and it sounds .... meaningful if you get what I mean by it.

There is a woman where I work with an annoying laugh. However, she is one of the kindest, most thoughtful people I have ever met, and not only that, she is hot. So I'm doing nothing.

Link...lemme see if I've got this right:

One of the problems bothering you right now is the fact that you work with someone who laughs a lot!

I think you should stop working on changing that person for the better...and find someone else to change for the better ...if you get my drift.

No, absolutely not.

I would want to know that when I'm happy, or when I find something funny, I'm free to express it with an unselfconscious feeling.

mismi - I'm sure there's tons of websites that give suggestions on how to change your laugh. The same way there are just as many websites telling you that you're not good enough in an infinity of ways, and that by God you better not think you can express yourself as an individual, either in looks and behavior, but instead need to have any given behavior or appearance fall into strictly defined parameters.

I wonder how many people out there don't laugh when they want to, because they're afraid they will sound "weird" to someone?
Maybe just as many as are unhappy with themselves because they have been told they need to lose 5 pounds in order to look right.

uhg, this whole this is actually starting to piss me off. So now you can't even go through life being happy, you have to be the right kind of happy?

I would seriously be asking myself what kind of person I am that I feel I can try to dictate how someone express their joy through laughing.

If I ever found a note on my desk telling me anonymously that my laugh was annoying to them and/or others, I'm absolutely certain I would break down crying right then and there. I would feel totally humiliated. Worse, since I wouldn't know who was the person who felt they could attack me in such a cowardly way, I wouldn't trust anyone there anymore as a friend, or someone I could have enjoyment with.

Answer to the initial post....No, there is no polite way to ask someone to stop laughing. Only ways to make the person believe there's now something wrong with them, and feel like **** about it.

If someone head on confronted me with that, I'd more likely feel angry, and ask them if they thought they were perfect, that my laugh was just fine, and that maybe they should be wondering what things about them people found annoying.

The person I said I hated that had a laugh like a donkey? No way would I ever tell her that, no more than I would tell her that her eyes shouldn't be brown.

There used to be a Laughing Sal at Playland at the beach in San Francisco.
Here's a video (watch to the end) to hear the laugh.
http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Laughing-Sal-presides-over-new-Playland-museum-3282222.php#media-20518

Record this, then play it back very loud when your associate starts to laugh.

Well I am not interested in hot women. And I wouldn't classify her as one. I do not know her - so I don't know if she is nice or not or anything.

Her laugh though is not only annoying - it is incredibly loud.

I wouldn't mind if it was an actual laugh - it is loud and braying and kinda like a loud machine gun. I mean it makes you jump out of your seat it is so loud.

Singing and music is nice too - but not loud off key singing especially when you are trying to think.

Just out of curiosity, am I on ignore?

You need to speak to your supervisor about the interruption of your work by her laughing (and the annoyance).

Noise pollution is noise pollution, and should not be tolerated in a workplace where many people work in the same room.

You know people on here really have no sense of humor (I know ironic). this is one of the reason I rarely post on here. People get all up tight and defensive on something that is supposed to be light and funny - do they really think I would tell this woman to shut up - of course not - I am making humor at an uncomfortable an annoying situation one is put into being in close corners in cube h*ll. I mean I used to have an office, way back when, but as companies continue to cut corners, seating gets smaller and smaller even as your position levels go up.

Seriously though - would you be annoyed (not only is laugh an annoying sound) but it is extremely loud and you need to think and reason things out as part of your job. I try to be considerate of others in that when I have to discuss something with others I try to keep my voice low as people are on top of one another. Same thing when I am on the phone, I try to converse as quietly as possible.

And yes, I would like to know if my laugh is annoying especially overly loud. But myself, I prefer not to annoy others. Just the way I am.

Well how was anyone to know you were being light and funny? You certainly sounded annoyed.

CI has it right, go to HR and let them deal with it.

I used to have an office too, haven't for a long time.

When I had an office, I used to have to listen to my boss play at a loud volume screetchy Celine Dion type music. Even with both of our doors closed I could hear it. I wish I was listening to someone laughing.

To some people that might have sound like "nice" music. To me, it was horrible and made me anxious.

At the job I just left (where I lived in a cube) I had to deal with 2 women, one of which was skinny as hell, go on and on about Weight Watchers. The ultra skinny one would talk about how many points she ate, how certain foods were good or bad, and both of them went on forever with horrible sounding receipes that all involved many processed foods.

I'd just turn my fan up higher to make white noise, and tried my best to ignore them, and after awhile it worked.
The only time I ever said anything was when they tried to recruit me to go to Weight Watchers with them, and I responded with. "Why? Do you think I'm fat? In don't think I am."

In other words, it was my problem, not theirs.

not from me - I don't think i have anyone on ignore - I don't even know how to ignore anyone at least according to here - I do ignore people of course, but not via whatever means there is an ignore on here.

I think this from Tico:



And this from Set:


was hilarious.

They totally got it.

One example –



Another example


Another example



And as how mismi pointed out others got my (now granted twisted attempt at) humor.

I’d also thought I posted enough previously that people would take this is a similar vain as my infamous bonsai kitties – but then again some people got very angry at me squeezing and shaping small animals to my liking. Ah to be a misunderstood comedian.

I think you should politely go in and ask her to please help you out in your time of grief.

your children's pet hamster Murgatroid passed on this morning, and her laughter is making it harder upon your grieving process.

traditional hamster grieving periods can last up to 6 months...

we're in the middle of a cube shuffle rodeo



I hope I get one of those loud laughers as a neighbour. I can come here and follow Linkat as she tries each of the recommended approaches. I don't trust myself not to start with Set's offering.

That may work ---- now a serious comment that could potentially be helpful.

Sorry linkat....I saw those people as making humorous comments, but thought you were being serious.

I apologize.

I would though cry if someone left a note on my desk telling me my laugh was annoying, and to stop.

btw, I do what some people refer to as big sighs....and have had some ask what's wrong, or make a big deal of pretending to sign really big back at me.

I tell them, in all seriousness, I'm not sighing, I'm taking a really big breath and oxygenating my system.

I remember there was one person who just wouldn't let it go, kept making sounds whenever he walked by, even if I hadn't breathed deeply in his presence for a long time.

Honestly, it made me feel very bad. So bad I told him about it, but it didn't help. He just thought he was the funniest thing.....at my expense.

If my big breaths annoy others, or make them think I'm upset or sad, I can't do anything about that.

I take big breaths sometimes.

I shall try to defend my seriousness in all of this.

As someone who loves to laugh and laughs a lot and just recently having realized it is not as beautiful a laugh as I once thought.....these are my thoughts.

I wondered why no one ever told me it was bad - and then I read Contrex's post and realize that I am hot and so that MUST be the reason.

Or it could be I live in Alabama and no one says that kind of thing to your face....

But like I said now I know, so I can just say - "I know - sucks for you don't it?" Because seriously? I don't think I would ever take the time to change that part of me....BUT if I thought it was bothering folks - I would use my inside laugh. That's like a golf clap.

I might be rambling.