# why do you double over when laughing hard?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-double-over-when-laughing-hard/526082>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [January 23, 2010, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-double-over-when-laughing-hard/526082 "2010-01-23T05:21:39Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![drhess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/94ad74/32.png) [@drhess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drhess)\
**Post date:** [January 23, 2010, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-double-over-when-laughing-hard/526082/1 "2010-01-23T05:21:39Z")

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I was watching some comedy videos where the actors break character and start to laugh extremely hard. It made me wonder: why do we bend forward (to the point you can touch the ground if you started from a standing position) from laughter? It this universal or just a bodily expression that people have picked up on that feels physically compelling in some cultures?

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**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\
**Post date:** [January 23, 2010, 11:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-you-double-over-when-laughing-hard/526082/2 "2010-01-23T11:46:31Z")

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Because when you laugh really hard, your diaphragm muscles contract, expelling air out. I know when I do it, my whole range of stomach muscles get really tight and small, which makes me double over if I’m not careful.