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What Caused the Laughter Epidemic of 1962? episode artwork

EPISODE · Jan 26, 2026 · 6 MIN

What Caused the Laughter Epidemic of 1962?

from BrainStuff · host iHeartPodcasts

At a girls' boarding school in what's now Tanzania, a fit of giggles expanded into a months-long epidemic of stressed-out laughter affecting hundreds of people. Learn what we know (and still don't know) about this mass psychogenic illness in today's episode of BrainStuff, based on this article: https://health.howstuffworks.com/mental-health/human-nature/behavior/1962-tanganyika-laughter-epidemic.htmSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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This episode is 6 minutes long.

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This episode was published on January 26, 2026.

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At a girls' boarding school in what's now Tanzania, a fit of giggles expanded into a months-long epidemic of stressed-out laughter affecting hundreds of people. Learn what we know (and still don't know) about this mass psychogenic illness in today's...

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