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African children laughing contagiously in a local field.

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 Tanganyika (which, once united with Zanzibar, became the modern nation of Tanzania) near the border with Uganda.

History of Tanganyika Laughter Epidemic

The laughter epidemic began on January 31, 1962, at a mission-run boarding school for girls in Kashasha. It started with three girls and spread throughout the school, affecting 95 of the 159 pupils, aged 12–18. Symptoms lasted from a few hours to 16 days. The teaching staff were unaffected and reported that students were unable to concentrate on their lessons. The school closed on March 18.

The epidemic spread to Nshamba, a village where several of the girls lived. In April and May, 217 mostly young villagers had laughing attacks. The Kashasha school reopened on May 21 and reclosed at the end of June. Earlier that month, the laughing epidemic spread to Ramashenye girls' middle school, near Bukoba, affecting 48 girls.

The Kashasha school was sued for allowing the children and their parents to transmit it to the surrounding area. Other schools, Kashasha itself, and another village were affected to some degree. The phenomenon died off 18 months after it started. The laughter reports were widely accompanied by descriptions of pain, fainting, respiratory problems, rashes, and crying. In all, 14 schools were shut down and 1000 people were affected.

Mass Hysteria and Mass Psychogenic Illness Defined

- define mass hysteria/psychogenic illness

Mass hysteria, also known as mass psychogenic illness, is when a group of people experience an onset of symptoms as a result of high levels of anxiety and other factors. Outbreaks consist of erratic behavior and causes random thoughts and feelings in those who are affected. The psychological tension or worry that a group of individuals are experiencing during a mass hysteria can appear as physical symptoms including nausea, headaches, dizziness, and even convulsions or paralysis.

Events caused by mass hysteria don't always have a known starting origin but usually sprout from one individual. Reports of mass hysteria have been been tracked over many years in many different settings. Throughout history, schools have been a primary location for mass hysteria events to occur due to high stress induced environments. Today, mass hysteria events are less common but still occur on some occasions.

Causes and Symptoms

Linguist Christian F. Hempelmann [Wikidata] has theorized that the episode was stress-induced. In 1962, Tanganyika had just won its independence, he said, and students had reported feeling stressed because of higher expectations by teachers and parents. MPI, he says, usually occurs in people without a lot of power. "MPI is a last resort for people of a low status. It's an easy way for them to express that something is wrong."

Sociologist Robert Bartholomew and psychiatrist Simon Wessely both put forward a culture-specific epidemic hysteria hypothesis, pointing out that the occurrences in 1960s Africa were prevalent in missionary schools and Tanganyikan society was ruled by strict traditional elders, so the likelihood is the hysteria was a manifestation of the cultural dissonance between the "traditional conservatism" at home and the new ideas challenging those beliefs in school, which they termed 'conversion reactions'.

Similar Mass Hysteria Events

Salem Witch Trials

In the year 1692, the small town of Salem, Massachusetts witnessed one of the most well known mass hysteria events known today. Widely known as the Salem Witch Hunt or Salem Witch Trials, this historical event cost the lives of around 20 people, all of which were hung for witchcraft.

It all started when one girl, known as Abigail Williams, became troubled and stressed with the religious beliefs regarding relationships. This stress led to outbursts and false accusations of fellow townspeople conducting witchcraft, which was punishable by death if found guilty. Understandably, these events not only caused stress on Abigail, but also the entire town of Salem. This resulted in multiple girls accusing numerous people of witchcraft in order to protect themselves from being accused as well.

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