Crossing the line??

     As I have mentioned previously, there are situations in which laughter can form bonds and at other times, split people apart.  So is this feature of laughter, one in which casing groups to be formed, a positive or negative quality?  I would like to think laughter as only a positive quality, bringing joy and peace to everyone who hears it.  But we have to admit there are times in which laughter is unwarranted or seems excessive to the point of distancing others.

     It seems as though it is the situation rather than the intonation of the laughter that causes this break in social groups.  My suite could all be laughing and having a good time together, and even if one of us smirked or had a quiet laugh to ourselves, it would not cause any unease.  On the other side, if there was a disagreement and everyone was arguing and then the laughter came about, a different reaction would take place. The individual or individuals who laughed would have separated themselves through their actions.  A further example of this occurred the other day.  One of my friends was texting another and occasionally letting out a small chuckle.  Some might say I should have felt out-of-the-loop or get upset as I was not privy to their secret conversation.  However, quite the opposite occurred.  I actually felt a small happiness that she was able to laugh while in my presence in complete confidence.  If there had been tension, I am pretty sure my reaction would have been different.  But due to our friendship and companionable silence we were sharing, her laughter seemed fine and even was welcomed.

     Although her laughter was accepted in this situation, we still have not decided on whether or not there is a "line" that needs to be drawn about when laughter's grouping mechanics move from positive to negative.  Does there only need to be a little tension in order to make laughter inappropriate?  Or is it more complex than that?  I tend to agree with the latter in which each laughing scenario needs its own individual analysis in order to be deemed positive or negative.