Did you just LOL?

This morning I received a text from my dad.  I finished the conversation with:  LOL!  THANK YOU!!.
This would end a conversation with most people given the circumstances. However, it was followed up with this response:

Dad (in all caps of course, I'm typing this EXACTLY as sent..errors and all):  I NEED 2 ASK?  THIS IS A POLL FORALL TEXTERS DO PEOPLE TRUELY LAUGH OUT LOUD WHEN THEY SCRIBE LOL OR R THEY JUST ATTEMPTING TO MAKE THE PREVIOUS SENDER FEEL GOOD???"?. JUST WONDERING

Well...then I had to think about it.  Most of the time I don't laugh out loud.  This is largely because it is awkward for me to laugh out loud for no apparent reason in line for coffee, at the grocery store, in the middle of class.  They call that just plain crazy.  Then you have to explain yourself to the strangers around you who are holding their children just a little tighter because crazy behind them is 'lol-ing' for no reason.  No dad.  I didn't really laugh out loud.
If I'm alone, or it's really funny..I laugh out loud.  I'm pretty sure lol is an 'appreciation laugh'.  If you were in front of the person you would recognize the humor by giving your automatic 'appreciation laugh' that is, in fact forced but it doesn't mean you didn't think that the party talking was funny.  They just didn't make you belly laugh.  You show them they are in fact funny and you appreciate the humor in your day with this laugh, or in text case-an lol.
In the cases where I DO lol at a text, I usually text back:  I literally just LOL!; or I REALLY LOL'd!!
Maybe this doesn't make sense.   Of course there is the passive aggressive LOL, as in 'thanks for calling me back last night, lol' ; 'are you ignoring me? lol';  'wow, you were drunk last night, my face doesn't hurt from you throwing that plant at it at the party at all, thanks for asking.  LOL'.  You get the point.
My response to my dad was this:
Me:  Sometimes I really laugh out loud....then I say- 'I really just lol'd!'.  Mostly llol means 'smiled to myself'.  STM.  Would have laughed if you were in front of me.  WHLIYWIFOM.  That is too long (to type)

Dad:  I THINK U should pretend I'm always in front of you when I text funny.  Just saying.

OK dad.  But, when I get stares for bringing out the crazy you know who I'm blaming in therapy this week.