Of COURSE laughter is denial. It's spitting into the wind because you're sure that you can duck faster than Fate blows. It's tickling the belly of a cat who hates its belly tickled because *this* time she might realize she likes being tickled. Laughter is walking right up to the edge of the cliff because that's where the best view is. If we failed to deny the negative we'd never get to have any fun with the positive.
If somebody can come up with a good reason that the occasional denial is a bad thing, I'd love to hear it. Actually, I won't be listening. I'll be denying your right to deny my denial. Probably by laughing.