Money, Mind And Meaning

Let me ask you a question, “Do you like laugh tracks?” Didn’t think so. If laugh tracks are so universally disliked, why do Hollywood executives continue to include them? These executives understand something that we may not; however irksome canned laughter may be, it provides valuable social cues to viewers. Research has repeatedly shown that laugh tracks cause viewers to laugh longer and harder and to rate the viewing experience as more enjoyable. In fact, laugh tracks have been shown to be most effective at improving the appraisals of jokes that are especially bad! We are programmed to do what others are doing, even when those others only exist on tape. Social mimicry is ubiquitous. Panhandlers often salt their tip jars with money from the day before to show that giving is proper behavior and that other people have deemed them worthy of a handout. A beggar with no money in his cup is perhaps more deserving of a dollar, but also far less likely to get that dollar than the beggar who already has three. One