Gigglers

 

By Glen L. Bledsoe 

A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: ATTENTION MALES OF ANY AND ALL AGES!

From the earliest days of mankind boys and indeed men of all ages have been perplexed in social situations where they are presented to young members of the opposite gender and are met with giggling*. The first reaction for men is to wonder "What about my appearance or bearing causes these young ladies to laugh? Are my clothes so out of fashion? Has my cowlick sprung loose and stands like a radio antenna? Is some article of my clothing untucked, mismatched, mis-buttoned or worse unzipped?" Female giggling has deflated many a teenage boy's self image, made him feel inadequate and has exacerbated his sense of social and physical awkwardness. This among the riot of hormones permeating the bodies of both genders.

But now the truth can be told. Be at ease, young man. Girls and young women giggle not because they find anything ungainly about a given young man, but because they feel silly and awkward in the situation. And since most young women tend to move in pairs or small groups when one starts giggling the reaction is contagious.

How might young men then counter this giggling? Saying, "You must share the joke which causes you so much amusement " will only trigger more cascades of giggling. A better response might be to join in their mirth by saying, "This all really does seem ridiculous, doesn't it?" Or if you wish to misdirect their minds into a different frame pose a guestion that reguires math since it stimulates a different part of the brain. You might ask, "How long did it take for you to get here?" Or my favorite, "How many shopping days until Christmas?"

*I should point out that young men also giggle uncontrollably but under different circumstances.