What do you do when you start laughing uncontrollably at work?

I haven’t been caught laughing uncontrollably, but a couple of my co-workers did and were told to stop and get back to work! (Of course it was a micro manager).

My phone is always on vibrate at work.

i bite down on my pen really hard. it usually stops the laughing

@erichw1504: I meant your work phone… I edited the question to reflect that :)

I welcome uncontrollable laughter outbursts. They don’t happen often enough so when they do, I don’t dare try to control them.

I don’t have the kind of job that precludes laughter but I sometimes have this problem in class. What I do is try and sit very still and breathe through my nose. Try laughing through your nose. It’s hard. If that doesn’t work, I start coughing like crazy. It usually turns into real coughing pretty quick and I can excuse myself from class for a few moments.

i agree with Italianprincess. enjoy any laughing you get to do. life is too short. surely they won’t fire you for laughing.

I bite my bottom lip (gently).

I took a bathroom break and laughed as long as took to let it die out.

Laugh.

I laugh and then show my co-workers what I’m laughing at!

Some places don’t tolerate laughing. I mean, if you’re laughing, you’re enjoying something, therefore not concentrating on your work because there is nothing to enjoy about your work! I had one job like that. It was the most awful place to work.
I hold my breath.

Usually I do try to stifle, but sometimes I just can’t. It is an article of conviction with me that if something is funny, I am entitled to laugh. (This belief was a great support to me while bringing up kids.)

I laugh when a coworker sends me a funny e-mail message, usually somehow related to work. So I would say (if someone asked) that someone in the group wrote me a hysterical wisecrack, but that I can’t share it because it was in a private message.

I did have a co-worker friend with a very distinctive laugh. Her cubicle was on my floor but, like, half a mile away on the other side of the building. From where I sat, I could always tell when she’d opened a humorous message from me. I’d hit Send and then listen. So gratifying.

@Jeruba I was talking to my sister once (when we used to get along) about an email I’d sent her. I didn’t usually forward pre-written stuff along, just sent my own observations and thoughts and stuff. She said she got this one and just busted out laughing and her coworker said, “Another email from Val?! Let me see it!” It is a good feeling! Lots better than having people cry when they open your emails!

In my case, the problem pretty much solves itself because my uncontrollable laughter is invariably accompanied by uncontrollable flatulence. Nobody wants to be close enough to reprimand me.

@ratboy, that is a defense system of a kind often found in nature. Who knows? It could save your life one day.

Many years ago I always listened to the radio while at work, and in New York that generally meant Howard Stern (back when he was still sorta edgy and genuinely funny). It was not uncommon to be on the phone with a client (most of them were also in NYC) when all of a sudden we would both start laughing. Good times.

Anytime I feel like laughing at inappropriate moments (bad news, funerals, Jack died again), I think really hard about air ventilation shafts. It’s so boring, all the laughter inside you just dies.

@efritz LOL! You made me spit crackers out of my mouth!!!