1962 laughter epidemic in Tanganyika
PsychologyComments
similar to the dancing plague of 1518.
Is it actually a failure of the nervous system... or maybe just an extreme overload? I wonder if the specific stressors at the boarding school played a bigger role than a biological "failure"...
Regarding the "overload" theory, are you referring to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (the body's central stress response system)? I am curious if you think the triggers were purely psychological or if an underlying nutritional deficiency could have lowered the threshold for such an episode.
It helps to remember the timing coincided with Tanganyika's transition to independence. The collective hope and social shifts of a new nation might have provided a grounding force that eventually helped the communities recover.
Mass psychogenic illness data suggests social grounding is secondary to the trigger. The involuntary nature of the laughter episodes supports the OP's point about a systemic breakdown.
Hypothetically, could the laughter have functioned as a maladaptive coping mechanism rather than a failure? It might have been a way to signal distress without violating the rigid social hierarchies of the schools.
I disagree that the independence movement provided a grounding force. The article mentions that the societal instability of the era likely increased the underlying anxiety that fueled the outbreak.