I Got Paid for Laughing at My Screen Nonstop 😂💻💸

(Yes, they literally paid me to laugh in front of my laptop!)

Introduction: When Laughter Becomes a Paycheck

We’ve all heard the saying “laughter is the best medicine.” But what if I told you that laughter could also be your next paycheck? In 2025, almost everything is monetized—your walking steps, your sleep cycles, your scrolling habits, even your voice recordings. So perhaps it shouldn’t have surprised me when I discovered a bizarre app that actually pays you for laughing at your screen nonstop.

At first, I thought it was a prank, maybe some weird social experiment, or a hidden camera setup. Who in their right mind would pay someone to laugh? But curiosity got the better of me, and I downloaded it. Within hours, I was cackling like a maniac at my laptop, racking up virtual coins that translated into real money. What started as a joke turned into one of the strangest side hustles I’ve ever tried.

Chapter 1: The Rise of Absurd Apps

We live in the golden age of absurd digital side hustles. People once thought making money by filming yourself eating noodles was crazy—now “mukbang” is a global industry. Apps pay users to walk in circles, listen to white noise, or argue with AI parrots. Against that backdrop, being paid to laugh isn’t so far-fetched.

The app (which, for legal reasons, I won’t name directly) falls under what I like to call the “attention economy on steroids.” Instead of rewarding clicks, views, or likes, it rewards raw human reactions. The louder and more authentic your laugh, the more points you earn.

When I first saw it trending on a quirky subreddit, I rolled my eyes. But then I saw screenshots of people cashing out $50, $100, even $200 a week—just for laughing into their webcams. Something inside me said: Okay, I need to try this. Even if I make nothing, at least I’ll have a hilarious story to tell.

Chapter 2: Setting Up My Laughing Career

Installing the app was suspiciously easy. No shady permissions, no crypto wallet requirements, no dark-web vibes. It just asked for:

Access to my camera and microphone (so it could detect my laughter).
Basic account details.
Agreement that my laugh recordings could be used for “research and entertainment purposes.”

That last line caught my attention. Research and entertainment? Who exactly needs hours of strangers laughing like lunatics?

The onboarding process gamified laughter. It explained:

Volume matters: The louder the laugh, the more you earn.
Consistency counts: Continuous laughter increases streak bonuses.
Authenticity bonus: Fake laughs pay less than genuine giggles.

There was even a short calibration session where the app asked me to laugh into the mic, then rated me from “chuckle” to “howler.” Apparently, my laugh was classified as a “medium snort.” Not the most flattering assessment, but hey—it still qualified for payment.

Chapter 3: The First 30 Minutes of Madness

The first time I turned it on, I felt ridiculous. I sat in front of my laptop and forced a fake laugh. The app flashed a red warning:

❌ Detected low authenticity. Try again.

So I tried harder, going for my best sitcom audience laugh. Still flagged. Then, on the third attempt, something absurd happened: my own fake laugh was so over-the-top that it actually made me laugh for real. Suddenly, the app lit up green:

✅ Authentic laughter detected. 3 coins earned.

And just like that, I was hooked. For the next half-hour, I laughed nonstop—sometimes genuinely, sometimes triggered by the absurdity of the situation. By the time I was done, I’d earned the equivalent of $2.40. Not much, but enough to prove it worked.

Chapter 4: Why Would Anyone Pay for This?

This was my biggest question. Who funds such nonsense? After digging into the FAQ and some Reddit threads, I found multiple theories:

AI Training: Tech companies need authentic human laughter samples to train voice AI, robots, and virtual assistants. Machines need to understand humor cues.
Entertainment Libraries: Laughter tracks for sitcoms, YouTube compilations, or TikTok memes might come directly from users like me.
Psychology Studies: Researchers study laughter patterns to understand stress, happiness, and even cultural differences.
Marketing Experiments: Brands test which kinds of laughs make ads feel more engaging.

So basically, my “hee-hee-ho-ho-ha” was data gold for someone out there. It felt less like I was being paid to laugh and more like I was a test subject in the grand comedy lab of the internet.

Chapter 5: The Struggles of a Professional Laugher

Let me tell you: laughing nonstop is no joke. It’s exhausting. After about 45 minutes, my stomach hurt, my throat was sore, and I felt like I had done an intense ab workout. At one point, I thought I was going to pass out.

There were also awkward moments. Once, my roommate walked in while I was laughing hysterically at a blank screen. He just froze and said:

“Bro… do you need help? Should I call someone?”

Try explaining, “No, no, I’m fine. I’m working. I’m literally earning money by laughing at my screen.”

His face said it all: This man has lost it.

Chapter 6: Gamification and Addiction

The app wasn’t just about laughing. It turned the entire experience into a game.

There were daily laugh streaks (laugh for 10 minutes a day = bonus coins).
Weekly tournaments (top laughers earned extra rewards).
Special events (like “Evil Laugh Week” where you had to cackle like a movie villain).

I found myself competing against strangers with usernames like LOLMaster69 and GiggleQueen. One guy from Brazil reportedly laughed for 9 hours straight in a single session. I’m not sure whether to be impressed or concerned.

Chapter 7: How Much Money Did I Actually Make?

Alright, let’s talk numbers. After two weeks of testing, here were my results:

Average earnings: $5–$7 per day (for about 1–2 hours of laughing).
Highest single-day earning: $12.
Total after 14 days: $86.

Not life-changing, but definitely not fake. That’s a couple of nice dinners, or a chunk of my internet bill, all funded by laughter.

But was it sustainable? Probably not. My voice was getting hoarse, my abs were sore, and honestly, my brain felt fried from forcing joy.

Chapter 8: The Weird Psychology of Paid Laughter

Here’s what fascinated me most: laughing on command started to rewire my brain. Even when I wasn’t using the app, I found myself giggling more at random things. Studies have shown that forced laughter can actually trick your brain into feeling happier.

So in a strange way, I was being paid to improve my mental health. The more I laughed, the better I felt—both emotionally and financially. It made me wonder: could laughter-as-a-service become the next big wellness trend?

Chapter 9: The Dark Side of the Joke

Of course, not everything about the app was sunshine and giggles. Some users reported addiction, spending hours every day laughing just to earn pennies. Others worried about how their laughter recordings might be used—could AI deepfake my laugh in a creepy way?

There were also health warnings. Prolonged fake laughter can strain vocal cords, cause dizziness, or even trigger hyperventilation. One user on a forum admitted he blacked out mid-session. Yikes.

It reminded me that just because you can monetize something doesn’t mean you should.

Chapter 10: Final Thoughts – The Value of a Laugh

So, was it worth it? Financially, not really. Nobody’s retiring from a career in paid laughter. But experientially, absolutely. It gave me:

A hilarious story to tell.
A weird but genuine mood boost.
Extra pocket money from doing something absurd.

More importantly, it made me think about the strange new economy we’re entering. If companies are willing to pay us just for laughing at a screen, what else could be monetized next? Crying contests? Sneezing marathons? Yawning championships?

In the end, laughter has always been priceless. But for two weeks of my life, it had a very real price tag—and I got paid to smile about it.

✅ Sources

Provine, R. R. (2000). Laughter: A Scientific Investigation. Viking.
Mayo Clinic. “Stress relief from laughter? It’s no joke.” Mayo Clinic Health Article.
Psychology Today. “The Science of Laughter.” Psychology Today.
ResearchGate. “Forced laughter and its psychological effects.” (2021).
NPR. “The Power of Laughter in Everyday Life.” (2022).

Written by the author, Fatima Al-Hajri 👩🏻‍💻