The present article discusses the role of laughter in the much cited ‘laughter epidemic’ that occurred in Tanganyika in 1962. The 1962 outbreak began in a girls’ school and then spread to other communities, with uncontrollable laughter affecting perhaps 1,000 people, lasting several months, and causing the temporary closure of 14 schools. Children passing saw the girls laughing and although unaware of what had provoked such a joyous outburst among the girls, also started laughing. By July two further schools had been shut down as investigations continued into the cause of the happiness hysteria. Pain? It spread throughout nearby villages, infecting mostly young girls. We have all experienced at some point in our lives a mini version of the Tanganyika Laugh Epidemic where we have commenced uncontrollable laughter. “It’s not as crazy as one would think.”. When the environment was tested for contaminants, nothing was found, and ultimately the local media reported the case as a sort of mass psychogenic illness. The school was closed in March 18, 1962 shortly after the outbreak of laughter since the students couldn't concentrate on their studies. The school ended up being temporarily closed as investigations begun. Excessive laughter can lead to cataplexy, unpleasant laughter spells, and extreme elation. The laughter spread like wildfire throughout the school, affecting nearly 60% of the students. Listen to the audio pronunciation of Tanzania laughter epidemic on pronouncekiwi. Provine says it was not a case of an entire village grinding to a halt because of continued laughter outbursts. (Photo: CC Tanzania). It was called Tanganyika back then. 5: Tanganyika Laughter Epidemic (1962) Girls sit in a classroom in Namibia, 1969. One can look to the Tanganyika epidemic in 1962 to get answers. (Photo: Pixabay). The most famous example of a laughter epidemic happened in 1962 in Tanzania (Tanganyika at that time). Pain? by Neuroscientist and lecturer Robert R. Provine, in his book “Laughter – A Scientific Investigation” writes that the Tanganyika Laugh Epidemic was a very real event. Hempelmann recalls an instance from his time living in Layafette, Indiana. The most famous example of a laughter epidemic happened in Tanzania (then Tanganyika) in 1962, but this kind of psychological behavior happens on … “You’re saying: You don’t have a valid disease, you don’t have an issue, you’re just being crazy because that gets you out of trouble.” The stigma is still there. It had spread to the nearby villages of Nshamba and Bukoba. None of the five teachers at the school were affected (two European teachers and three African teachers). Are Yeltsin and Clinton laughing out of mirth? Winner will be selected at random on 02/01/2021. Symptoms of those affected lasted from a few hours to 16 days. Could it be both? It’s not always this way. Laughter has been linked to reduced stress hormones and increased endorphins, providing both physical and psychological relief. November 26, 2020, 5:50 pm, by Here you'll find all collections you've created before. Periodically, the students would break out into the Your email address will not be published. September 9, 2019, 12:56 pm Like Atlas Obscura and get our latest and greatest stories in your Facebook feed. This page was last changed on 3 October 2018, at 05:13. Follow us on social media to add even more wonder to your day. These fits were accompanied by restlessness—aimless running, occasional violence—but there was no evidence of organic causes. August 6, 2020, 1:53 pm. The laughter epidemic started on January 30, 1962 at an all-girls boarding school near the village of Kashasha in modern day Tanzania, Africa. Eventually if you are really lucky a group of people including yourself will be rolling around the floor with tears of joy streaming down their faces! Mass fainting in Tanzania believed to be caused by mass hysteria is an unusually common phenomenon throughout the region, and although it has never been officially linked to the Tanganyika Laughter Epidemic, one still has to wonder. “The Tanganyika laughter epidemic of 1962 was an outbreak of mass to have occurred in or near the village of Kanshasa on the western coast of Lake Victoria in the modern nation of Tanzania (formerly Tanganyika) near the border of Kenya. The laughter spread like wildfire throughout the school, affecting nearly 60% of the students. Scott Williams Required fields are marked *. All rights reserved. The […] Malice? Things supposedly started innocently enough. It’s not always this way. By the middle of March 1962 two thirds of the students of the missionary boarding school (95 of 159) were experiencing periodic outbursts of uncontrollable laughter. When it reached America, Sunkist marketers recommended hot lemonade. Did stress in a small African village trigger a laughter contagion? Offer available only in the U.S. (including Puerto Rico). Hempelmann says that while mass psychogenic illness is fairly common, it’s often not reported under that name. Blood samples taken at the time and sent to Europe for testing confirmed that no anomalies were found in the blood samples collected. The Laughter Epidemic, Tanzania, 1962 Rumors about this incident claim that a contagious laughter spread from the village of Kashasha, causing victims to laugh non-stop for months. Dismiss. Like us on Facebook to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. “On the one hand it sounded too good to be true, and on the other hand, people were citing it in support of all kinds of things, across the spectrum, and contradictory things,” says Hempelmann. This is the story about the Tanganyika laughter epidemic that occurred in 1962. In this type of situation, the person has no power over the stress and can come up with no other response. September 17, 2020, 11:19 am, by Grab your copy of the happy human today (ebook also available for immediate download), A Minute On Happiness – November 26, 2020, A Minute On Happiness – 22nd October, 2020, A Minute On Happiness – September 24,2020, A Minute On Happiness – September 17, 2020, https://www.thehappyhuman.me/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Happy-human.mp4. That is why the laughter epidemic that happened in Tanzania in 1962 where over a thousand people laughed hysterically for over a year is not a laughing joke. There is no doubt that the event was remarkable. Began as an innocent chuckle between two girls in a boarding school in the village of Kashasha How it started How long did it last The laughing epidemic lasted from six months to The story goes that the laughter started with three girls in a town called Kashasha, and from there the intoxicating guffaws spread to 95 students shutting down school and causing panic. Psychogenic illness has all kinds of so-called nerve symptoms, he explains, and laughter is just one of them. “Statistically in this case, this did not release anything. The stress factors here among the schoolgirls may have included the unfamiliar expectations imposed in the British-run schools and the uncertainties created by Tanganyika’s independence, achieved barely a month before the incident. Yet cases like the group of high school girls in New York who developed facial tics continue to perplex the media. Tanganyika / ˌ t æ ŋ ɡ ə n ˈ j iː k ə / was a sovereign state, comprising the mainland part of present-day Tanzania, that existed from 1961 until 1964.It first gained independence from the United Kingdom on 9 December 1961 as a state headed by Queen Elizabeth II before becoming a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations a year later. September 12, 2020, 8:16 am, Your email address will not be published. It wasn’t just a group laugh—rather, experiencing the same stress, people subconsciously copy a complex of symptoms, of which laughter is just one. The Tanganyika Laughter Epidemic of 1962 was an outbreak of mass psychogenic illness (MPI) in the vicinity of the village of Kashasha on the western coast of Lake Victoria in the modern nation of Tanzania. Offer subject to change without notice. Christian F. Hempelmann's research is a barrel of laughs. Two other girls with her also started laughing. Let’s take a … Sign in to disable ALL ads. Recent developments in the field of laughter, an area of research known as gelotology, include humor and laughter therapy, laughter meditation, and laughter yoga—in which feigned laughter becomes real, bringing with it supposed mind and body benefits. If not, remove the wrong ones in the widget settings. Though the Tanganyika case is closed, similar cases of mass psychogenic illness occur among groups of people unable to extract themselves from a stressful situation. See. As far as that last idea, Hempelmann says it’s the classic Freudian theory of humor, where “we build up some magical psychic pressure, and laughter lets us release it, through whatever metaphorical valve we have for that.” He doesn’t think that is a good theory for the role of laughter and how humor works. Back in 1962 in Tanzania (then Tanganyika), a laughing epidemic broke out at a girls' school. Slowly, it spread beyond their school and region and into other at-risk populations. Today it is a proven fact that laughter reduces stress. In this article we will try to explore the facts of what actually took place in Tanganyika (now Tanzania). Every weekday we compile our most wondrous stories and deliver them straight to you. 20 simple secrets to increase HAPPINESS in your life NOW! The most famous example of a laughter epidemic happened in 1962 in Tanzania (Tanganyika at that time). Maybe, "Have you heard the one about?" Such a person is more commonly young than old, female than male, and employee rather than a supervisor. October 22, 2020, 4:36 pm, by A laughter epidemic happened in 1962 in Tanzania. Sufferers’ symptoms included recurring attacks of laughing and crying that lasted from a few hours up to 16 days. Much less serious than the Dancing Plague was the Tanganyika laughter epidemic of 1962. If you are suffering the affects of stress consider setting up a daily laughter plan to increase your laughter levels . Rather the laughing epidemic affected around 200 people in the originating village by the end May of 1962. Christian Hempelmann of Texas A&M University, who has done research on the incident, describes the laughter epidemic as a case of mass psychogenic or sociogenic illness, a malady that has the capacity to strike in a variety of high-stress settings. A 19th-century cholera outbreak in Sligo may have been Bram Stoker's chief inspiration. Christian Hempelmann of Texas A&M University, who has done research on the incident, describes the laughter epidemic as a case of. The most famous example of a laughter epidemic happened in Tanzania (then Tanganyika) in 1962, but this kind of psychological behavior happens on a weekly basis around the world, particularly among populations experiencing chronic stress. Laughing excessively can lead to extreme elation, cataplexy, and unpleasant laughter spells. The more we laugh the better we feel and the more easily we are able to cope with the things we have on our plate. According to their article, “ An Epidemic of Laughing in the Bukoba District of Tanganyika ,” the laughing sickness went on for six months. For decades, "pathological tourists" ended up in asylums or worse. It seems that around the time the epidemic broke out a new government administration was put in place across Tanjanyika which had a very strict policies towards children, schooling and expected outcomes. The fact that the epidemic mainly appeared to affect children and not adults caused this theory to eventually be discounted. While it did indeed happen, it doesn’t tell us too much about humor, and it annoys Hempelmann when humor researchers use the Tanganyika incident as evidence of laughter being contagious. The laughter continued spreading throughout the small school over the following weeks. Workers at the local DMV were exhibiting respiratory distress to the point that the building was repeatedly shut down and eventually relocated. Tanganyika Laughter Epidemic. We depend on ad revenue to craft and curate stories about the world’s hidden wonders. As they begin to recognize recurring themes, doctors are trying to figure out the best ways to approach patients of the illness. These people were suffering, expressing their suffering through that,” Hempelmann explains, “Nothing got better because they laughed.”. It began as an innocent chuckle between two girls in a boarding school in the village of Kashasha. “If you are referring to somebody as suffering from this, you are in a way still calling them hysterical,” he says. Tanzania laughter epidemic (1962) In late January of 1962, at an all-girls school in Kashasha, Tanzania, three girls began to laugh uncontrollably. Exploring the proven link between humour and better health this book is a 'must read' for anyone who wants to generate more laughter in their life! The Tanzania Laughter Epidemic Often, people think laughter is the best medicine, but what if medicine isn't the best medicine and turned out to be a disease? School rooms of children would begin laughing without explanation. As the investigations continued it was discovered that the laughter epidemic was not confined to just one school in Kashasha. This laughing epidemic spread to other schools and lasted between 6 and 18 months. Today what took place in Kashasha and Nshamba is described in scientific journals as the “Tanganyika (Tanzania) Laugh Epidemic”. The laughter outbursts lasted from minutes to a few hours and reoccurred up to four times (Provine: “Laughter, a scientific investigation”). There is also abundant evidence of such events in places of instability like Kosovo, Afghanistan, and South Africa. Get the latest stories straight into your inbox before everyone else! The 1962 Laughter Epidemic of Tanganyika Was No Joke. An example of a recent and similar incident is an instance of unexplained nausea and dizziness among students at a school in Lancashire, England this past November. Thank you for helping build the largest language community on the internet. As they begin to recognize recurring, 100 Years Ago, American Women Competed in Intense Venus de Milo Lookalike Contests, The Deadly Irish Epidemic That Helped Bring Dracula to Life, How the Influenza Pandemic Popularized Lemons, How the Black Death Gave Rise to British Pub Culture, How Coronavirus Put an Ancient Flour Mill Back to Work, When Doctors Thought ‘Wanderlust’ Was a Psychological Condition, high school girls in New York who developed facial tics. The Background:In January of 1962 a young girl in a missionary boarding school in the village of Kashasha started laughing. Scott Williams or "A Jew, an Indian, and Herbert Hoover walk into a bar …" or "Take my wife, please … Sign up for our newsletter and enter to win the second edition of our book. “So I thought—I’ve got to look at this again and see, did this actually happen and what does it tell us about humor.”, Tanzania, known more for its wildlife than its history of laughter epidemics. The Tanganyika laughter epidemic of 1962 was an outbreak of mass hysteria, or mass psychogenic illness (MPI), rumored to have occurred in or near the village of Kashasha on the western coast of Lake Victoria in the modern nation of Tanzania (formerly Tanganyika) near the border of Kenya. Consider supporting our work by becoming a member for as little as $5 a month. © 2021 Atlas Obscura. Hysterical hysteria! Other sources say it went on for a year, or two, or even more. Scott Williams Atlas Obscura and our trusted partners use technology such as cookies on our website to personalise ads, support social media features, and analyse our traffic. On January 30, 1962, at a mission-run boarding school at Kashasha village in Tanzania, three girls started showing symptoms that were the beginning of a critical outbreak: laughing a crying fits, restlessness, and paranoia. “You can hear the creaks, smell the grain—you really feel the age of it.”. Get the latest stories straight into your inbox! The laughter started with three girls and spread throughout the school, affecting 95 of the 159 pupils, aged 12–18. The eventual outburst of laughter was perhaps a coping mechanism to reduce the stress levels that were building up, primarily in the children but also in women rather than the male elders of the villages. To learn more or withdraw consent, please visit our cookie policy. Excessive laughter can lead to cataplexy, unpleasant laughter spells, and extreme elation. (Photo: Public Domain/WikiCommons). Discomfort? The event was a ‘laugh epidemic’ that caused uncontrollable outbursts of laughter, primarily among school children throughout the village. 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Most cases of mass psychogenic illness begin with a single individual—in this case, one schoolgirl likely fell into a fit of anxiety-induced laughter, setting in motion a chain effect, until the girls around her were also engulfed in desperate laughter. It is guaranteed that if you laugh more you will feel better, so look for something to laugh about today! October 15, 2020, 2:19 pm, by In June of 1962 it was reported that the laughter contagion had spread to another school and around 50 people were experiencing uncontrollable fits of laughter. Instead of medicine, laughter became an epidemic. Some researchers thought that the incident may have been a case of mass public hysteria brought on by the consumption of tainted or contaminated food products. Don't miss visiting The Happy Human Store! Some say the claims of what happened in Tanganyika are wildly exaggerated and has developed into an urban legend over the years. Today’s research into the Tanganyika Laugh Epidemic seems to indicate that stress was possibly a leading cause of the epidemic. It seems that laughter isn’t just a joyful noise; it can be a signal of distress, spurred by anger or sadness or intertwined with mania. One such mysterious event occurred in and around the village of Kashasha near Victoria in Tanzania in 1962. 65 Views. Scott Williams by These fits were accompanied by restlessness—aimless running, occasional violence—but there was no evidence of organic causes. The laughter epidemic began on January 30, 1962, at a mission-run boarding school for girls in Kashasha. When the first episode if what would be called the Tanganyika Laughter Epidemic occurred on January 30, 1962 at boarding school in Kashasha, Tanganyika (now Tanzania), no one suspected that what they were seeing would eventually affect over one thousand people. Even though laughter is regarded as a natural form of medicine and has been used as a therapeutic tool for many years, there are negative aspects to it. Those around us become affected by our outburst of joy and also start laughing. “If you are referring to somebody as suffering from this, you are in a way still calling them hysterical,” he says. Tanganyika Laughter Epidemic ADDPMP209 Outbreak of mass hysteria – or mass psychogenic illness (MPI) – rumored to have occurred in 1962 near the village of Kashasha on the western coast of Lake Victoria in the modern nation of Tanzania (formerly Tanganyika) near the border with Uganda. Shark attack: Surfer killed in Australian waters by a great white shark that was nearly ten feet long Kawasaki-like disease strikes severely: Children are suffering a great deal from the disease during the global pandemic compared to those in the past Tanzania Laughter Epidemic When did this take place. Malice? Well, a village of laughs to be exact. It is still spoken almost 60 years after it happened. Tough to tell. There were reported cases of the laughter outbreak lasting up to sixteen days in some individuals. Browse and manage your votes from your Member Profile Page, by Scott Williams No purchase necessary. Today’s research into the Tanganyika Laugh Epidemic seems to indicate that stress was possibly a leading cause of the epidemic. By the end of the outbreak over 1000 people afflicted by the mysterious phenomenon. Much less serious than the Dancing Plague was the Tanganyika laughter epidemic of 1962. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. (Photo: Are Yeltsin and Clinton laughing out of mirth? The Happy Human is the new book from Australia's Laughter Specialist Scott Williams. Please check if there are posts that match all the below criteria. (Photo: Sufferers’ symptoms included recurring attacks of laughing and crying that lasted from a few hours up to 16 days. 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