expressions of mirth, divers

overheard a discussion on the mrt yesterday on the ridiculous overuse of 'haha' in short messages (e.g. haha i agree haha u shld tell her u said that haha she will never speak to u again haha dinner tonite?). ditto with 'heh' and 'lol'. everyone's guilty to a greater or lesser degree; the real question is why we do it. the fear of misconstured sarcasm i can perhaps understand...but it's more than that.. it's almost like people experience a deep-seated anxiety that every time they do not say haha/heh/lol it means that they have been emotionally devastated by the preceding comment and are about to forsake the relationship with the other party forever.

i'm going to try and break the habit, mostly because i'm getting annoyed with myself. 'haha's in IM/SMS will henceforth be kept to a minimum...and it doesn't mean that i hate you.