Laughter is linked to physical, emotional, and mental well-being; sometimes, it is described as the best medicine. After all, most people like a good belly laugh from time to time.
On the favorite holiday of pranksters, there could be a lot of laughter to happen. But how did April Fool's Day start, and why did pranks make people laugh?
The Science of Laughter: Why April Fool's Day Pranks Make Us Laugh
What Happens During April Fool's Day
According to Leydon Lettings, April Fool's Day is an annual celebration celebrated every year on April 1st by playing practical jokes and spreading hoaxes to unsuspecting individuals.
The holiday refers to the jokes and their victims, wherein pranksters would often shout "April Fool!" after exposing their pranks. It can be carried until noon but is not accepted after that period. Anyone who still carries out a prank or hoax past noon is called the "April Fool" themselves.
Large corporations have even participated in this holiday by playing elaborate practical jokes. Some would even appear on television, newspapers, radio, and websites.
On the other hand, April Fool's Day has mixed reviews in which some would see it as funny, and others think it is in bad taste. Some see it as just poorly thought out in general.
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History of April Fool's Day
April Fool's Day is believed to have begun in 1561. As per The Reader's Digest, a Flemish poet wrote a comical verse about a nobleman who sent his servant on ludicrous errands to prepare for a wedding feast.
The poem is roughly translated to refrain on errand day which is the first of April. But it was not until 1686 that April Fool's Day was first mentioned when biographer John Aubrey described April 1st as "Fooles holy day".
However, nobody knows the exact origin of April Fool's Day. Although, some believe that it came from an ancient tradition like the Roman's Hilaria on the spring festival that is celebrated around March 25. It is commemorated in honor of the first day of the year when it is longer than night. Today, that is called the vernal equinox, which typically falls on March 20.
Why Do Jokes or Pranks Make People Laugh?
Laughter is said to have evolved to enhance connection in societies. Many mammals laugh when they are tickled, but humans do not need a physical trigger to laugh. Professor emerita Janet Gibson at Grinnell College in Iowa told CNN that laughter evolved in humans as a communication signal.
CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta said on his Chasing Life podcast that laughter was a glue that kept groups together hundreds of years ago. It was a signal that tells the group everything is fine and that they can relax, so there is no need to be anxious or threatened by what is happening around them.
Scientific American reveals that researchers do not fully understand why jokes or situations could be funny. Experts have proposed that people are amused by other people's misfortunes and also become an expression of otherwise forbidden emotions.
One scheme seems to weave this hypothesis together, wherein humor results when someone recognizes a norm that has been breached and that it is done benignly.
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