Why Joker Laughs? Insights into the Psychology of Laughter

In a new DC film called Joker (2019), we look at the origin story of one of the most known super-villains of all time and an arch-nemesis of Batman, Joker.

By the number of memes currently circulating on the net, I’d say that this movie was a huge box office success. 

 But despite the fantastic feedback that this movie received, I’d say that Joker’s psychology and his laughter were not well explained. so check out these posts to get to know about “Why Joker Laughs”.

Why Joker Laughs 

 In one of the first scenes, Joker (real name still unknown) gives a card to a woman on a bus, which says that he has a condition that makes him laugh uncontrollably and spontaneously in a way that he truly cannot control.

And while this is an interesting explanation of why Joker laughs, I like the better description given in Batman: The Killing Joke (2016). Joker enjoys laughing over others’ pain. It’s a dark and sick type of humor but said he finds different funny things than most people. 

Why Joker Laughs weirdly

Many people don’t understand Joker. They think that he is a madman, but in reality, his actions follow a clear logic, whereas all the pain he causes was on the positive emotions he gets out of it.

So what if people suffer over it? Gotham is a city where Joker is born and raised. It is a city full of violence, misery, and social inequality.

Trying to be happy and normal in that environment is very hard. People are more concerned about survival and short-term gains rather than happiness.

On the other hand, Joker sees what this city indeed for what it is; he embraces the madness and rejects any fairy tale lie that so many people live by. He embraces the rage and makes it part of himself.

His mere existence is a symptom of everything that is wrong with that society. Perhaps this is why Bruce Wane (aka Batman) tries to stop him and ultimately save him.

Jokers Laughter In The Real World

 For over 4 years now, I was actively reading, writing, and coaching people on the topic of happiness. I genuinely believe that being mostly happy is possible because I managed to get to this point, and I knew from experience that other people could do it.

Often, I’d challenge myself by trying to help people who had a terrible life experience, and I show them that happiness is still possible, despite whatever happened to them.

 Yet, I never knew how I would react if something terrible would happen to me despite my coaching. I mean, Utopian happiness is often just a theory. It is idealistic, optimistic, and usually, when is faced with a real-world situation, it falls apart. So while I have such an optimistic view over the “how things can be,” I always wondered if it will hold in the real work.

And so, one beautiful day while traveling throughout Asia, I jumped over a log and landed on my foot in such a way that I ripped a ligament on my left leg. What happened next surprised me. 

 I was in shock and a lot of pain; I did not have time to reason. So I reacted to this adverse event by starting to laugh. As you saw in the movie, it was as much of a Joker’s laughter, maybe not that intense. Still, I laughed despite the pain I was in.

I had tears, too, but laughter and crying related in our brains. Therefore it is known that people can laugh and cry at the same time. This is what happened to me. 

Psychopath Laughing Over The Status Quo

 So why did I laugh? Nearly, as I see it, I managed to brainwash myself towards positive reactions no matter what happens. I see the positive in negative events. I know how to control my emotions, so they don’t control me.

I also know how to flip a negative feeling into a positive one as soon as it arises.

I say this not to be cocky or to admit to some underlying craziness (although everyone is crazy in their unique way). I say it because we often don’t understand emotions enough as much as we often don’t understand Jokers enough.

He laughs because he sees the positive in the negative. He rejects the status quo, especially when it does not make sense, at least to him.

He might be a psychopath, but psychopaths are simply people who reject the social status quo. The status quo might be at fault, and psychopaths might be the same people. This is not to say that all psychopaths are correct or that their methods are proper.

But why cry over something that does not make sense? It might just be so crazy and out of touch with reality that it is better to laugh about it. 

Picture of Roman Russo: Author of Optimal Happiness

Roman Russo: Author of Optimal Happiness

Roman Russo wasn't always happy and struggled with his own negative emotions, anxieties, and depression, until one day he pledged to resolve this part of life, whatever it took. The journey took 6 years, but it was worth it. Today, Roman considers himself to be one of the happiest people alive, part of the 1% of the happiest elite, and he now teaches others a working and universal happiness formula to reach a similar goal. He offers his best advice on Optimal Happiness social media, newsletter, blog, and books, and teaches a complete and unconditional happiness formula in his online courses.

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“The problem is that of optimization,” states Roman Russo, author of Optimal Happiness: The Fastest & Surest Way To Reach Your Happiest Potential. There is plenty of advice on how to be happier or less sad, but no one is speaking about how to become the happiest we can be. And this is the difference that makes all the difference. By not looking at our maximum potential for happiness, we fall short of achieving it. After all, we all have hundreds of ideas on how to be happier or less sad, but most people still feel like they are not living their best lives. As such, Optimal Happiness explores the question of how to be the happiest we can be, regardless of who we are, where we are from, and what our life circumstances are. It proposes a complete and unconditional formula for happiness and explains how you too can become happy today and forever, inviting you to join the 1% happiness elite and become one of the happiest people alive.

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