It is possible to die of laughter, though it's uncommon, and most people who do die from it have underlying health conditions. Laughing can cause a person's heart rate to increase to dangerous levels or to become irregular, causing a fatal heart attack. It can also trigger a rupture of a brain aneurysms, since it increases the pressure in the head; or, it can cause hernias to strangulate. Other people have reportedly died from suffocation caused by not being able to stop laughing long enough to breathe.
More about laughter:
- Laughter can have other health effects as well, including cataplexy, a condition in which a person has sudden muscle weakness because of laughing or experiencing extreme emotions. It can also result in laughter-induced syncope, a condition that causes people to faint when they laugh.
- Not all of the effects of laughter are bad though: it can also lower blood pressure, reduce stress, and improve memory.
- Uncontrollable laughter or crying can be a sign of several medical conditions, including Parkinson's disease, seizures, strokes, schizophrenia, and kuru.