Real-life example, a teacher scolded me under wrong accusations.
I giggled thinking "what a dumb situation, I cant take what you say seriously because I didnt do these bad things"
She got more angry saying "nervous giggle was annoying and inappropriate, you need to grow up." At that time I stopped giggling and nearly hit her XD .. I was a bad student it seems.
The point is : If you call a Korean out for giggling and they just laugh more, maybe they are very self-controlled
I cant disagree more with people how say "its because they are nervous" ... I am also Korean-American, I also giggle like this. I never giggle if nervous. Usually giggling means "I am kind of pissed off" or "Its funny that I need to be in this situation" or "I think what you just complained about is beside point, very stupid, or you are making wrong assumptions and dont understand me/the situation"
This reaction comes from a non-confrontational culture.. Its involuntary reaction for sure
Where did Korean giggle syndrome come from? In that situation they didn't tease or banter you. We, Korean, giggle when we don't know how can say, when we are nervous, or when we do instead of saying 'Im sorry or thank you'. How can still you not get it.
People giggle because they are nervous, it is an untrained reaction, that is, they were not trained by their parents how to deal with an ordinary awkward situation, so they just giggle like idiots. I notice the same here in Canada. They have this annoying kind of apologetic giggle that it is very uncomfortable. In South America people will be more upfront and confident (almost confrontational to the foreign eye, personally, I find it refreshing) - great videos.
I think the giggling happens because you're a foreigner. If you were a Korean guy, pissed off, angry and demanding your pay ASAP, I highly doubt that they would giggle. Also, this might sound crazy, but it helps to actually hear the giggle in order to tell you what they're thinking. Giggles sound different depending on what they're thinking and what kind of situation they're in.
I've been to korea. I asked for a direction in the shopping centre to this teenager. All she did was giggling with her friends. Didnt know that it was cultural thing, until i saw this video.
here's my guess, re:your 2nd exp. with giggling in confrontation. In my experience, apparently it's not ok to "show your anger" in certain instances, or when dealing with someone of higher status, even if they are blatantly in the wrong. The person may smile, or chuckle, and continue. It's like they're trying to deflect, or diffuse the situation. Even men will do this, but by chuckling instead of giggling. I also agree with the explanation given by therlaegund..
Hey man, this is a bit off the subject - I'm from New Zealand and am looking at getting over there soon to teach, my agent is encouraging me to complete a TEFL course first - is this necessary/beneficial to getting a job or can I still get the same level of job without one? Awesome vids by the way bro.
etatauri explained it so well. for your second experience well i can't really figure out what exactly happened. but i guess it was also another typical example of koreans getting nervous and embarrassed talking to a (particularly) western guy in english. also, i think girls(women) giggle(and put their hands in front of their mouth which is also something you might have seen quite a lot when they feel nervous and embarrassed) more than boys. and guys just show a shy smile don't they?
You might find it annoying, and sometimes it is, but I think prefer the fake smiles and giggles to the dour faces and attitude that I see in the states, especially in areas of customer service...
The student's mom's giggling, and most giggling actually, is highly sycophantic in nature. It's a way to prevent displeasing the person of higher status/power. To sum up, the Korean implications of giggling are as follows:
a). *giggle*, stop making this situation unnecessarily unpleasant
b). *giggle* this person (customer, teacher, w/e) of a higher position so I better suck it up and laugh even though the situation is as unfunny as can be
Korean here. Sometimes the giggling (I think it's more of a chuckle than a giggle actually) is used to appease an awkward/ potentially unpleasant situation, like the one involving your paycheck. At others, it's actually a mechanism to hide how pissed off we actually are, in situations that demand politeness and decorum. You see this with a lot of the sales/ retail people, where they're forcing out smiles and chuckles for thoroughly unhilarious comments/ complaints.
Korean society is fundamentally group minded. Being an individual is seen as less important than making sure the group functions as a whole. The giggling is to ensure that the group all feel comfortable and to stop conflict arising which would be seen as that person as not maintaing nunchi to help society work properly.
There is a famous proverb in Korea, "People can't spit on your smiley face."
so when we (I'm a Korean) are confronted with some awkward moment or embarrassing situation, we just laugh with the awkward smile i guess.. lol.. but yeah it may not be the perfect reason, but actually idk.. lol (even now i'm giggling O_o)
What's really annoying is when Americans do this to Americans. These younger kids (many teenagers) can't say ANYTHING without a grin or that laughter in their tone. Insecurities maybe? They should not grin when asking where the library or pharmacy is. Another culture? Not sure why. I guess I will see soon.
Someone would be in severe pain not paying me and giggling. I mean hospital level pain. I once was asked by a neighbor to help her move. She had solid wood furniture, and a lot of it. She said she was moving to the third floor and said repeatedly that there was an elevator to use. On the day of the move I asked again about the lift and she did the little child, giggle thing. I nearly chocked her to death. I squeezed her throat for three seconds and let go, I would kill her if I didn't stop.
I think its kind of a self defense mechanism. Sometimes when I make a mistake at work I will let out a little chuckle. Its kind of a laughter directed towards yourself. Koreans tend to do this when they are embarrassed. It's like laughing at yourself if that makes any sense. I've heard a lot of stories where this reaction was misinterpreted because it is a highly specific cultural thing.
The first example is because Koreans practice English for years without much, if any, real interaction with English speakers, so the giggling is partly nervous and partly in spite of the fact they finally have to put to practical use what they learned for years.
The latter example is because they knew they weren't going to pay you, but didn't want the situation to escalate and become serious.
@durkeeinkorea I had a Korean coworker who giggled all the time when we'd talk over lunch. She knew tons of grammar and was really smart (she knew more grammar than me at the time), but it was clearly the first time she'd been in a situation to have a casual and practical conversation in English. Her speaking was really slow but she tried to word everything correctly.
I guess it's more of culture in korea because they maybe likes to have some random humour that is funny or not..I guess the mother was a bit nervous trying to speak to you and so, she thought probably best to just giggle out loud... or she might've been giggling for no reason >_>
haha I have actually noticed that with some koreans here. it seems like girls do it whenever they are uncomfortable, but also when they are bing flirted with. I don't really know why though.... I hope someone can answer your question. :D
It seems like it's probably nervous giggling; ingrained socially I guess. I remember reading that Koreans don't like dealing with conflict head on, like Westerners often do. Supposedly a Korean will often smile (or in your case, laugh) if a Westerner is getting angry and raising their voice or something, because that's often not how conflict is supposed to be dealt with in Korean society. I could be wrong about all this, but that's my hypothesis.
This happened when I asked a woman in a shop if she spoke English. I'm a girl and I've never seen someone giggle so much In my life!
meggssknighhtt 4 days ago
Real-life example, a teacher scolded me under wrong accusations.
I giggled thinking "what a dumb situation, I cant take what you say seriously because I didnt do these bad things"
She got more angry saying "nervous giggle was annoying and inappropriate, you need to grow up." At that time I stopped giggling and nearly hit her XD .. I was a bad student it seems.
The point is : If you call a Korean out for giggling and they just laugh more, maybe they are very self-controlled
peongkeu 1 week ago
I cant disagree more with people how say "its because they are nervous" ... I am also Korean-American, I also giggle like this. I never giggle if nervous. Usually giggling means "I am kind of pissed off" or "Its funny that I need to be in this situation" or "I think what you just complained about is beside point, very stupid, or you are making wrong assumptions and dont understand me/the situation"
This reaction comes from a non-confrontational culture.. Its involuntary reaction for sure
peongkeu 1 week ago
Where did Korean giggle syndrome come from? In that situation they didn't tease or banter you. We, Korean, giggle when we don't know how can say, when we are nervous, or when we do instead of saying 'Im sorry or thank you'. How can still you not get it.
rjkdaudwlsdjs 1 week ago
People giggle because they are nervous, it is an untrained reaction, that is, they were not trained by their parents how to deal with an ordinary awkward situation, so they just giggle like idiots. I notice the same here in Canada. They have this annoying kind of apologetic giggle that it is very uncomfortable. In South America people will be more upfront and confident (almost confrontational to the foreign eye, personally, I find it refreshing) - great videos.
StudyCanada 1 week ago
2:01 the man in the background be trollin you
kbuildinglink 2 weeks ago
I think the giggling happens because you're a foreigner. If you were a Korean guy, pissed off, angry and demanding your pay ASAP, I highly doubt that they would giggle. Also, this might sound crazy, but it helps to actually hear the giggle in order to tell you what they're thinking. Giggles sound different depending on what they're thinking and what kind of situation they're in.
TheOKBou 3 weeks ago
I've been to korea. I asked for a direction in the shopping centre to this teenager. All she did was giggling with her friends. Didnt know that it was cultural thing, until i saw this video.
I thought she was the rudest person :/
bellpapavarin 1 month ago
You say you been in korea for three years, where is there a good place to go for someone that has never been there before?
NotOtherJerseyGirl 1 month ago
I understand even I'm Korean. But I can't help with the giggle too, when I encounter that kind of situation. I wonder why.
YoonJungful 1 month ago
here's my guess, re:your 2nd exp. with giggling in confrontation. In my experience, apparently it's not ok to "show your anger" in certain instances, or when dealing with someone of higher status, even if they are blatantly in the wrong. The person may smile, or chuckle, and continue. It's like they're trying to deflect, or diffuse the situation. Even men will do this, but by chuckling instead of giggling. I also agree with the explanation given by therlaegund..
jadujen 1 month ago
"if this was in the states, id assume she was high or something" hahahaha
vidachristina 1 month ago
Hey man, this is a bit off the subject - I'm from New Zealand and am looking at getting over there soon to teach, my agent is encouraging me to complete a TEFL course first - is this necessary/beneficial to getting a job or can I still get the same level of job without one? Awesome vids by the way bro.
crowe299 1 month ago
etatauri explained it so well. for your second experience well i can't really figure out what exactly happened. but i guess it was also another typical example of koreans getting nervous and embarrassed talking to a (particularly) western guy in english. also, i think girls(women) giggle(and put their hands in front of their mouth which is also something you might have seen quite a lot when they feel nervous and embarrassed) more than boys. and guys just show a shy smile don't they?
qforkyu 1 month ago
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You might find it annoying, and sometimes it is, but I think prefer the fake smiles and giggles to the dour faces and attitude that I see in the states, especially in areas of customer service...
therlaehgund 1 month ago
Comment removed
therlaehgund 1 month ago
The student's mom's giggling, and most giggling actually, is highly sycophantic in nature. It's a way to prevent displeasing the person of higher status/power. To sum up, the Korean implications of giggling are as follows:
a). *giggle*, stop making this situation unnecessarily unpleasant
b). *giggle* this person (customer, teacher, w/e) of a higher position so I better suck it up and laugh even though the situation is as unfunny as can be
therlaehgund 1 month ago 2
@therlaehgund Thanks for your great answers. =)
jadujen 1 month ago
Korean here. Sometimes the giggling (I think it's more of a chuckle than a giggle actually) is used to appease an awkward/ potentially unpleasant situation, like the one involving your paycheck. At others, it's actually a mechanism to hide how pissed off we actually are, in situations that demand politeness and decorum. You see this with a lot of the sales/ retail people, where they're forcing out smiles and chuckles for thoroughly unhilarious comments/ complaints.
therlaehgund 1 month ago 3
@Grahamcracker6366 Whats wrong with grinning when asking where something is? Maybe they just like to smile all the time, and be happy.
OhPresly 1 month ago
@OhPresly No.. Your missing the point.
durkeeinkorea 1 month ago 3
Do Koreans giggle at other koreans in awkward situations? or is it just with people who dont speak the same language? So weird! haha
Scotland2Russia 1 month ago
@Scotland2Russia Yeah... They giggle here... there.. They giggle everywhere!
durkeeinkorea 1 month ago
Nervous habit.
kal20twelve 1 month ago
Comment removed
yurilovesutada 1 month ago
@yurilovesutada Yeah.. THat's when it really ticks me off. In a situation that is totally not funny.
durkeeinkorea 1 month ago
Korean society is fundamentally group minded. Being an individual is seen as less important than making sure the group functions as a whole. The giggling is to ensure that the group all feel comfortable and to stop conflict arising which would be seen as that person as not maintaing nunchi to help society work properly.
missbubzify 1 month ago
This has been flagged as spam show
There is a famous proverb in Korea, "People can't spit on your smiley face."
so when we (I'm a Korean) are confronted with some awkward moment or embarrassing situation, we just laugh with the awkward smile i guess.. lol.. but yeah it may not be the perfect reason, but actually idk.. lol (even now i'm giggling O_o)
ask90110 1 month ago
Comment removed
ask90110 1 month ago
What's really annoying is when Americans do this to Americans. These younger kids (many teenagers) can't say ANYTHING without a grin or that laughter in their tone. Insecurities maybe? They should not grin when asking where the library or pharmacy is. Another culture? Not sure why. I guess I will see soon.
Grahamcracker6366 1 month ago
I have a major giggle problem, because I'm so shy I just end up giggling like a little girl. My friends nicknamed me "giggles". =.=" *sigh*
kpopshawol 1 month ago
Someone would be in severe pain not paying me and giggling. I mean hospital level pain. I once was asked by a neighbor to help her move. She had solid wood furniture, and a lot of it. She said she was moving to the third floor and said repeatedly that there was an elevator to use. On the day of the move I asked again about the lift and she did the little child, giggle thing. I nearly chocked her to death. I squeezed her throat for three seconds and let go, I would kill her if I didn't stop.
TubaBuddha 1 month ago
i love u. :D keep making vids, its gonna be sad when u leave for the states!
TheJCguitar 1 month ago
I think its kind of a self defense mechanism. Sometimes when I make a mistake at work I will let out a little chuckle. Its kind of a laughter directed towards yourself. Koreans tend to do this when they are embarrassed. It's like laughing at yourself if that makes any sense. I've heard a lot of stories where this reaction was misinterpreted because it is a highly specific cultural thing.
etatauri 1 month ago 10
@etatauri Exactly, I too go "heh" too often, sometimes when I shouldn't. I need to train myself out of that habit.
agentm83 1 month ago
The first example is because Koreans practice English for years without much, if any, real interaction with English speakers, so the giggling is partly nervous and partly in spite of the fact they finally have to put to practical use what they learned for years.
The latter example is because they knew they weren't going to pay you, but didn't want the situation to escalate and become serious.
p00lman 1 month ago 9
@p00lman You hit the nail on the head right there.
durkeeinkorea 1 month ago
@durkeeinkorea I had a Korean coworker who giggled all the time when we'd talk over lunch. She knew tons of grammar and was really smart (she knew more grammar than me at the time), but it was clearly the first time she'd been in a situation to have a casual and practical conversation in English. Her speaking was really slow but she tried to word everything correctly.
p00lman 1 month ago
I guess it's more of culture in korea because they maybe likes to have some random humour that is funny or not..I guess the mother was a bit nervous trying to speak to you and so, she thought probably best to just giggle out loud... or she might've been giggling for no reason >_>
blackfairy28 1 month ago
Did you ever get your money?
pinkmonkeymode 1 month ago
You are experiencing expat rock star syndrome. Everything you do is cool, weird or somehow worthy of note and comment.
aaronpugliese 1 month ago
haha I have actually noticed that with some koreans here. it seems like girls do it whenever they are uncomfortable, but also when they are bing flirted with. I don't really know why though.... I hope someone can answer your question. :D
ChannelleCooper 1 month ago
It seems like it's probably nervous giggling; ingrained socially I guess. I remember reading that Koreans don't like dealing with conflict head on, like Westerners often do. Supposedly a Korean will often smile (or in your case, laugh) if a Westerner is getting angry and raising their voice or something, because that's often not how conflict is supposed to be dealt with in Korean society. I could be wrong about all this, but that's my hypothesis.
agentm83 1 month ago