It's true.
Well, either laughter is contagious, or being in a situation where you don't understand what is being said is funny. It was probably a little bit of both.
The other night I had the priveledge of attending a 2500 year old play in an ancient theatre in Epidavros. I had read the play before: The Clouds. It was a pretty hilarious play. There was just one catch.
The entire play would be performed in Greek.
Apart from the few little phrases that I can actually say in Greek, it's safe to say that I am extremely unfamiliar with the language. Thankfully, I was able to understand the jist of what was going on from the actors movements, and from my prior knowledge of the comedy. One thing that eluded me, however, were the parts that I was supposed to laugh. The humor itself seemed to be related to what the protagonist was saying. So here is what I heard:
Actor 1: "En shanfa lisos exias mira tatesalma protista"
Actor 2: "Di polis megaclos Socrate deus mis parakalo"
Actor 1: "Pu filme cuadadate kala me kokinno!"
AUDIENCE: ERUPTS INTO LAUGHTER
This is the point where I have a choice to make. I can either:
A) Stay completely silent, I didn't understand the joke anyway.
OR
B) Laugh along with them, assuming that their laughter is indicative of the joke's humor.
I chose the much more fun, Option B, and laughed my behind off. I mean, I'm sure it was funny, and I don't wanna' seem like the one party-pooper in the audience who wouldn't laugh at anything, so I joined in. It was my way of blending. Who knows, if I hadn't laughed, maybe I would have been ostracised.* (see nerd reference at end of post)
Despite not understanding the joke, the laughter felt very real, hence my lame title of "Laughter is Contagious". In a way I believe that it's a very true statement. After all, what's more fun than laughing by yourself? Laughing with others. To share in that common reaction to humor with obnoxious chortles and snorts is a wonderful experience that breeds more humor based off of the ridiculous noises that we make. It's a community building activity, and in my fake laughter I became part of a very real group of "laughers", causing me to start laughing...for real.
It was a great experience, and I'm happy that I chose to laugh. After all, why shouldn't I laugh?Life can be comical, and that's just fine....
*If you're bored and like history look up ostracism in Ancient Greece, it was a pretty interesting system.
Well, either laughter is contagious, or being in a situation where you don't understand what is being said is funny. It was probably a little bit of both.
The other night I had the priveledge of attending a 2500 year old play in an ancient theatre in Epidavros. I had read the play before: The Clouds. It was a pretty hilarious play. There was just one catch.
The entire play would be performed in Greek.
Apart from the few little phrases that I can actually say in Greek, it's safe to say that I am extremely unfamiliar with the language. Thankfully, I was able to understand the jist of what was going on from the actors movements, and from my prior knowledge of the comedy. One thing that eluded me, however, were the parts that I was supposed to laugh. The humor itself seemed to be related to what the protagonist was saying. So here is what I heard:
Actor 1: "En shanfa lisos exias mira tatesalma protista"
Actor 2: "Di polis megaclos Socrate deus mis parakalo"
Actor 1: "Pu filme cuadadate kala me kokinno!"
AUDIENCE: ERUPTS INTO LAUGHTER
This is the point where I have a choice to make. I can either:
A) Stay completely silent, I didn't understand the joke anyway.
OR
B) Laugh along with them, assuming that their laughter is indicative of the joke's humor.
I chose the much more fun, Option B, and laughed my behind off. I mean, I'm sure it was funny, and I don't wanna' seem like the one party-pooper in the audience who wouldn't laugh at anything, so I joined in. It was my way of blending. Who knows, if I hadn't laughed, maybe I would have been ostracised.* (see nerd reference at end of post)
Despite not understanding the joke, the laughter felt very real, hence my lame title of "Laughter is Contagious". In a way I believe that it's a very true statement. After all, what's more fun than laughing by yourself? Laughing with others. To share in that common reaction to humor with obnoxious chortles and snorts is a wonderful experience that breeds more humor based off of the ridiculous noises that we make. It's a community building activity, and in my fake laughter I became part of a very real group of "laughers", causing me to start laughing...for real.
It was a great experience, and I'm happy that I chose to laugh. After all, why shouldn't I laugh?Life can be comical, and that's just fine....
*If you're bored and like history look up ostracism in Ancient Greece, it was a pretty interesting system.
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