The first group I observed were two boys standing in a booth that I think simulated the sounds of being in the middle of a stampede. Both were laughing and having a great time, and their parents laughed watching them.
The second group I observed was a group of girls laughing as a water tower sprayed water on them. When each of them got sprayed, the others would join in and laugh with the girl getting sprayed.
The final group I observed was two zoo employees showing animals to visitors. When the turkey came onto the stage, it made a strange noise causing the zoo keepers and visitors to laugh.
Perhaps the thing that surprised me most about the zoo trip was how hard it was to find people laughing and smiling. I spent several hours at the zoo and visited each exhibit, but most of the people I saw looked rather unhappy, including the children.
While there, I did observe that laughter was contagious. There wasn't much laughter at the zoo that day, but when one person laughed, they were usually joined by others. I think this goes for almost any situation, unless someone is being put down or is purposefully trying to refrain from laughing. I think people are typically drawn to positivity and trying to feel better, so humans love to laugh. Also, people tend to laugh at things they usually do not find funny if they're with friends who laugh at it. Since it is a form of communication, I think laughing is contagious as it allows us to socialize with a group we are trying to join.
Johnny,
ReplyDeleteI had a similar experience at the zoo in that it was very difficult to find examples of people laughing. The instances I did find were similar to yours: one of children and one at that exact water tower. Considering how much people love the zoo, I was surprised to see how little laughter there was. I think you're right that laughter was contagious at the zoo. Those I did see laughing spread their joy to those around them which I enjoyed watching.
Mary Grekstas
I think it's strange that you had trouble finding people laughing and smiling at the zoo. I would think that there would be a ton of little kids running around and laughing. If people are at the zoo I would assume they would be enjoying it because they chose to go there! I hope I can find some people when I go.
ReplyDeleteWhen I went and visited the zoo, I felt like it was much easier to find people smiling than laughing. Many of the animals were asleep when I visited during a hot afternoon. Therefore, they weren't entertaining the kids that were running around; they mainly just smiled when they saw a new animal. However, one of the videos I got was of a boy in the same stampede/wind machine. He looked somewhat terrified instead of excited like the photo that you captured. I think the interactive experiences tend to make children laugh more than just observing animals. I've been going to the Fort Worth Zoo ever since I was a little girl; it is nice to see the improvements that have been made to make the zoo experience even better.
ReplyDeleteYou must have chosen the wrong day to visit the zoo. The day I went to the zoo was the day that every single school decided to take a field trip there. Kids were running around everywhere laughing at pretty much anything. The part I did struggle with was actually finding out what they were laughing at. It was never clear what started the laughter, but it was clearly evident that their laughter was severely contagious.
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