Recently, I read in NewScientist an article on laughter:
http://www.newscientist.com/nsplus/insight/emotions/laugh.html
It mentioned an epidemic of laughter in Tanganyika. It seemed improbable to me, but after some additional searching, I found numerous references to it:
http://www.agape.com/dle2.htm
http://www.apa.org/monitor/sep97/giggle.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/interact/longterm/horizon/091097/laugh.htm
Feeling satisfied, I forwarded the article to several friends. That night, over drinks, I took quite a bit of ribbing.
So, my question: can this be true?
Maybe I should post the actual “UL” as well…
>OXFORD (ENGLAND): Robert Holden, psychologist and laughter specialist, tells of a bizarre epidemic that began in a rural schoolhouse in the bukoba District of Tanganyika, central Africa. A teacher’s banal remark got a couple of children giggling, and pretty soon the entire classroom was chuckling. Those in adjacent classrooms heard laughter through the walls, and began to laugh, and pretty soon everyone-pupils and teachers-were laughing uncontrollably, and school was adjourned. “Remember, virtually none of them had a clue why they were laughing,” Holden said in an interview, recounting a report in the Central African Journal of Medicine. “It was delirious laughter turning contagious.” Then the children went home laughing and when their parents saw them, they, too, were infected. “Next day, they were all laughing so hard that nobody was able to go to school or work,” Holden said. "The entire village was infected. Over a period of two weeks it spread to neighbouring villages. “Finally the Red Cross was called in because people were collapsing from exhaustion and dehydration. There have been similar incidents in Africa, but this was the longest laughter epidemic on record…” The Malay Mail, Friday, November 17th, 1995 page 76.<
It definitely sounds like a UL. Holden is described
as a “laughter specialist” - I’d like to know where you
can get that degree and what the job pays. And, the
“Central African Journal of Medicine” sounds about as
believable as “military intelligence”.
It’s interesting that all of the articles about Provine mention the “Tanganyika epidemic”. Sounds like a case of extremely lazy (yet, unfortunately, typical) journalism.
Robert Holden is a real person. Here is an article by him about laughter, and here is a photo and brief bio.
The Central African Journal of Medicine is also real. Their web site has only the 1997-1999 editions online.