Since I can remember, I’ve had a disease. Now, it’s an undiagnosed disease, mind you. It’s not causing my body to deteriorate or my mind to collapse. Rather, it causes my age to take a dip, as has been the case for the last 20 years of my life. There’s no rhyme or reason as to what triggers it or how to cease it, but here it is: hi, my name is Sydney and I have nervous laughter.

Now, those of you reading this article (hi mom) may be thinking to yourselves “Wow, what a cruel girl to be comparing laughter to a disease.” But believe me when I say this disease is sick and painfully uncontrollable. For those of you who have fallen victim to my nervous laughter, I apologize. It had nothing to do with you as a person, for I’m sure you’re a lovely one. It was just the particularly hilarious way that you sneezed that brought on this eruption of laughter.

Yes, laughing at a sneeze is juvenile, but I assure you I’m not the only one who suffers from this syndrome. In fact, I believe it was passed down to my sister and myself through my mother. We’ve all found ourselves doubled over in laughter at a man losing his balance and falling over on the sidewalk, having tripped over air (he was fine, don’t fret). Oftentimes, I have been described as “immature” or “hopeless,” but hey, comedy is all around us. Stand-up comedians laugh at themselves, and invite their audiences to do so as well. I guess I view the world as a stand-up show, but there’s no harm in that.

Why am I telling you this? I have no idea. Maybe to save my butt the next time I find myself in an awkward enough situation where my nervous laughter kicks in. Maybe it’s just to get attention. But all in all, I love my ability to find the humor in life’s s****y moments. It keeps it interesting. So the next time you find yourself on the verge of laughter, let it out. It feels good.