Contagious Laughter

Great thread... it definitely enlightened my day.

It is definitely true that laughter is more than often contagious but sometimes you can also end up in situations that shouldn't be funny at all but for some unknown reason, you can't help but laugh to tears.

That was definitely the case in that video:



What you see in this video has been proven to be staged but regardless it is one of the funniest video I have ever seen.

I dare anyone not to laugh at this one.

I think that laughter is a truly magical experience. It's the product of complicated neurological processes which exhibit themselves as a reaction which can't be hidden.

Like a patellar reflex it just bursts out of nowhere and can have many different causes. Carefully delivered dry wit, slapstick comedy and the misfortune of others all invoke it. There is a natural hierarchy within groups which is categorised by the roleplay elements of comic, content and audience.

"He who laughs last didn't get the joke", "The last laugh is on him" and "Who's laughing now?" all indicate something different from each other but all have the common theme of laughter. As an emotion is can mean so many different, and powerful, things.

With so much variance it is difficult to study and break down. Cultural differences colour its sentiment and get lost in translation.

The best thing about it though is that it's fun to research.

Obligatory YouTube funny:



-m0r

I Absolutely love this thread, nice to see a positive one :-D When my friends and I were younger, we would all put our heads on each others bellys' and laugh forever. Fond memories!! Laughter is soo contagious, even if its' your own laughter...Ever have a laugh attack for no reason? It's almost torturous, haha. Yawns are contagious too, but why? I have always wondered who the very first person was to laugh out loud, and how that was connected to humor...the same goes with singing, and smiling, and scowling etc, ...I am so curious as to how these expressions/actions became associated with those emotions! I am also so curious as to who had the very first kiss...who decided the lips? hehe

[edit on 9-2-2010 by Seekingmyself]

Scene from "The Money Pit" always cracks me up!

www.youtube.com...

Peace



[edit on 9-2-2010 by Holist1c]

[edit on 9-2-2010 by Holist1c]

Originally posted by schrodingers dog

Furthermore, I have personally noticed and often been told, that when folks go to the movies to see a comedy, the frequency and degree of their laughter can be affected and influenced by the number of other people in the movie theater. That is to say that they are more likely to laugh more often in the presence of a crowd than if they were watching the movie alone at home or alone in the theater.

This is totally true. Years ago we used to frequent a cult movie theater in the suburbs of Melbourne. A group of us would often be astounded by the thunderous laughter in some very unfunny movies and so one day we decided to go back to a particular movie simply to laugh off-cue.

The amazing thing was that other people close by started to laugh with us, and soon after, other people close to them joined in. We were rather astounded that it worked.

Go figure!

IRM

I have to share a email I just got. Owning a motor home I know first hand how bad it can get LOL LOL

Darwin Awards for 2009

Yes, it's that magical time of year again when the Darwin Awards are bestowed, honouring the least evolved among us.


Here is the glorious winner:

1. When his 38 calibre revolver failed to fire at his intended victim during a hold-up in Long Beach , California , would-be robber James Elliot did something that can only inspire wonder. He peered down the barrel and tried the trigger again. This time it worked.

And now, the honourable mentions:

2. The chef at a hotel in Switzerland lost a finger in a meat cutting machine and after a little shopping around, submitted a claim to his insurance company. The company expecting negligence sent out one of its men to have a look for himself. He tried the machine and he also lost a finger. The chef's claim was approved.

3. A man who shovelled snow for an hour to clear a space for his car during a blizzard in Chicago returned with his vehicle to find a woman had taken the space. Understandably, he shot her.

4. After stopping for drinks at an illegal bar, a Zimbabwean bus driver found that the 20 mental patients he was supposed to be transporting from Harare to Bulawayo had escaped. Not wanting to admit his incompetence, the driver went to a nearby bus stop and offered everyone waiting there a free ride. He then delivered the passengers to the mental hospital, telling the staff that the patients were very excitable and prone to bizarre fantasies.. The deception wasn't discovered for three days.

5. An American teenager was in the hospital recovering from serious head wounds received from an oncoming train. When asked how he received the injuries, the lad told police that he was simply trying to see how close he could get his head to a moving train before he was hit.

6. A man walked into a Louisiana Circle-K, put a $20 bill on the counter, and asked for change. When the clerk opened the cash drawer, the man pulled a gun and asked for all the cash in the register, which the clerk promptly provided. The man took the cash from the clerk and fled, leaving the $20 bill on the counter.. The total amount of cash he got from the drawer... $15. [If someone points a gun at you and gives you money, is a crime committed?]

7. Seems an Arkansas guy wanted some beer pretty badly.. He decided that he'd just throw a cinder block through a liquor store window, grab some booze, and run. So he lifted the cinder block and heaved it over his head at the window. The cinder block bounced back and hit the would-be thief on the head, knocking him unconscious. The liquor store window was made of Plexiglas. The whole event was caught on videotape.

8. As a female shopper exited a New York convenience store, a man grabbed her purse and ran. The clerk called 911 immediately, and the woman was able to give them a detailed description of the snatcher.. Within minutes, the police apprehended the snatcher. They put him in the car and drove back to the store. The thief was then taken out of the car and told to stand there for a positive ID. To which he replied, "Yes, officer, that's her. That's the lady I stole the purse from."

9. The Ann Arbor News crime column reported that a man walked into Burger King in Ypsilanti , Michigan at 5 A.M., flashed a gun, and demanded cash. The clerk turned him down because he said he couldn't open the cash register without a food order. When the man ordered onion rings, the clerk said they weren't available for breakfast... The man, frustrated, walked away. [*A 5-STAR STUPIDITY AWARD WINNER]

10. When a man attempted to syphon gasoline from a motorhome parked on a Seattle street, he got much more than he bargained for. Police arrived at the scene to find a very sick man curled up next to a motor home near spilled sewage. A police spokesman said that the man admitted trying to steal gasoline, but he plugged his syphon hose into the motor home's sewage tank by mistake. The owner of the vehicle declined to press charges saying that it was the best laugh he'd ever had.

In the interest of bettering mankind, please share these with friends and family....unless of course one of these individuals by chance is a distant relative or long lost friend. In that case, be glad they are distant and hope they remain lost.

*** Remember they walk among us and they breed ***

reply to post by schrodingers dog



I've been away for a while- and just found your thread SD!!
A really good one, deserves a bump

Spiramirabilis, girl- loved that vid. ---->

reply to post by plutoxgirl


Thank you plutoxgirl ...


Here's another infectious laugh moment:

This video shows another bout of unctrollable laughter. She 'Catches' something and it starts to spread. Also if you follow the youtube link you will see the number of positive thumbs on all of the comments showing that laughter creates positive energy and positive response.




[edit on 10-2-2010 by Mr_Awesome]

Funny that I stumbled upon this post this morning, as just the other day I was wondering what causes this. Why is it that when you see/hear somebody laughing, you can't help but laugh even if you don't see humour in what they are laughing at? Is there some sort of psychological explanation?

Anyways, this happens to me all the time and is nothing unusual.

This guy has the best laugh ever (0:21)



(Don't bother watching the whole thing... the laughing stops at around 4:00)

[edit on 10-2-2010 by Xaphan]

reply to post by fooks

Originally posted by fooks
the carol burnette show with harvey corman and tim conway and momma, was the best!

they would crack up alot. laughter is contagious and people don't laugh enough anymore.

it is so scripted as to be stupid now a days.

the 1962 thing had to be mass hysteria, lol!!

Classic.

[edit on 10-2-2010 by loam]

reply to post by schrodingers dog


A word of advice to everyone about "Contagious Laughter".

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/4bab1daa41a0.gif[/atsimg]

Remember one thing, before you die, this is only the Internet.

It is not real life, and no one is in your face, and it is not the Spanish Inquisition.

Or there's this as well.

Always Look On The Bright Side of Life




Dorf On Golf 1 of 3


Dorf On Golf 2 of 3


Dorf On Golf 3 of 3


[edit on 10-2-2010 by SpartanKingLeonidas]

Originally posted by schrodingers dog
reply to post by plutoxgirl

 

Thank you plutoxgirl ...

Here's another infectious laugh moment:

Oh god!! thxs SD!! just what I was needing =D

The last part is my fav: "ladies and gentlemen the national anthem" - !!!!!!!...

I'm going to pass this one to my friends!

[edit on 12/2/10 by plutoxgirl]

reply to post by schrodingers dog


I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Darwin Awards, for "Contagious Laughter".

Quote from : Darwin Awards

The Darwin Awards salute the improvement of
the human genome by honoring those who
accidentally remove themselves from it...

They even made a movie about them.

The Darwin Awards Trailer




And of course there's a few other shows of assorted humor.

Americas Funniest Home Videos


Lil' Bush


South Park - Eric Cartman 9/11 song


[edit on 12-2-2010 by SpartanKingLeonidas]

The Clown Chakra is a very vital point in the body. Having it open and strong will greatly enhance and add to one's longevity.

Mantra for Empowering your Clown Chakra.

HAU HAU

Pronounced like this with drown out tone coming from the gut and focusing below where the collar bones meet.

HHH-AAA-UUUU HHH-AAA-UUUU
drawn out about 5 seconds.

which would constitute one round.

Do 5-10 rounds and then focus and feel the energy/vibration at that point. Then visualize white-gold energy glowing from the center.

Really works!