two theories and a partridge in a pair tree
I was working with people and watching TV some time ago when I noticed two phenomena. The first one deals with people, time, and laughing while the second grapples with commentators and their innate ability to influence a game.
My first theory is that people will either smile and/or laugh when under the influence. I call this theory L.U.I. or Laughing Under the Influence for short. This theory states that most people, not all, will succumb to smiling and or laughing when told they have 10 seconds to do so. I work with new people on a daily basis and so I would randomly select a few individuals and tell them something to the effect of, “You will laugh in ten seconds starting in …” and countdown from there. Most people will not laugh as soon as you start counting but will around the 5, 6, 7 mark. Why they do this I’m not sure of yet. One explanation could be that I make funny faces or say things such as, “Its only been 1 second…” in a way that is humorous to the individual. Another thing to note is the only constant variable in my “Trial by gaining experience” (Another article you might want to check out) is time. 10 seconds. That’s it. Sometimes I go 15 seconds but it is rare. Try it out and see for yourself.
The other phenomena is what I’ve come to call the “Commentators Curse.” This theory holds that the outcome of a game is altered due to a statistic given by a commentator or announcer. Next time you watch a sport, listen to the announcer as he or she will toss out a fact like “Bob is 9 for 9 at the free throw line,” or “Randy 0 for his last 18 plate appearances.” This theory works for anything an announcer says. Someone player might be on a “Hot Streak” only to abruptly stop after the announcer calls the stat. Not only will the exact opposite happen but the outcome has now been altered or significantly influenced in a way you may or may not like. There is no concrete evidence to support this but I will get back with you as soon as I finish my own studies.
Tags: 10, announcers, commentators, Commentators Curse, countdown, game, Hot Streak, humor, influence, L.U.I., laughing, people, psychology, smiling, sports, ten, theories, time, watch, work
