The strange reason you can’t stop laughing at serious moments

Picture this: you’re at a funeral, it’s silent, the air is heavy… and suddenly, you’re giggling. Not a polite chuckle — a full-on, can’t-control-it laugh. Mortifying, right?

It sounds inappropriate, even offensive, but for some, it’s not a matter of choice. This unexpected reaction could be a sign of a rare neurological condition called Pseudobulbar Affect (PBA). 

PBA is a bizarre and rarely talked-about brain glitch that makes your emotions go rogue. It causes sudden, uncontrollable bursts of laughter or crying that don’t match how a person truly feels. 

People with PBA laugh when nothing’s funny or cry at the happiest moments. It’s not a bad sense of humour or a drama queen act.

These emotional outbursts can be confusing, not just for the person experiencing them, but also for those around them. Often mistaken for mood disorders, PBA is actually the result of neurological damage.

The brain’s ability to control emotional expression becomes disrupted, causing emotional reactions that feel "out of place” or exaggerated.

Basically, your brain hits the wrong emotional switch—and boom, you’re crying at cat videos or laughing during a breakup.

One of the biggest challenges of living with PBA is the social stigma. People who laugh during sad moments — or cry during joyful ones — may be misunderstood or even judged. This misunderstanding often leads to embarrassment, anxiety and withdrawal from social situations.

Thankfully, PBA is a recognised medical condition and treatments are available. Certain medications can help manage symptoms and increased awareness is helping remove the stigma attached to it.

So next time someone laughs at the worst moment, don’t judge. Their brain might just be pulling an emotional prank on them.