Men are happy to be laughed at for their humor, but not for their folly.

Being laughed at for something you meant is fine. You made the joke, the laughter belongs to you, and it costs nothing. Being laughed at for something you never saw coming is a different experience, because the laughter is about the gap between how you thought you looked and how you did. That is the sting, and it explains why the same sound can feel like company one moment and exposure the next.

When someone laughs and it lands badly, notice which kind it was before you respond. If it was folly, laugh first and keep the information.