Ask McFartnuggets: “Why Do People Say “Haha” When They Laugh?

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Dear McFarnuggets: 

Why do people say “Haha” when they laugh? It’s not like you have to say that every time you laugh. -- Shannon from Livingston, Zambia

Dear Shannon:

That’s an interesting question. I did some research and it turns out the phrase “Ha-ha” dates back before the 12th century in England. There’s not much else known about it. I doubt we’ll ever know who the first person to ever say “Haha” was. All we know is that person was a pioneer. To answer your question, we say “Haha” when we laugh because that’s what we observe other people doing at a young age and it just subconsciously becomes the standard way to laugh. Not everyone laughs that way though. Some people say “Tee hee!” and other say “Ah ah ah.” I even heard this guy on the street the other day laughing like “HEAAAGUHHH HEEEEEEEAAAAUCHHH!” He was really obese though so maybe that was just a throat fat issue he was having. People were staring at him like he was some kind of a freak. That’s what happens to people who don’t laugh the normal way. That’s why people say “Haha” when they laugh. Laughter is a way to bond people in a society together so naturally it would make sense to laugh the same way everyone else does. People say “Haha” because they don’t want to be singled out for being different.

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