Why do we laugh if our friend falls and gets hurt in public but we have empathy if it is a stranger?

Answer 1

People want to laugh in both circumstances, but they only feel free to with friends because they know they don't mean any harm by it.

Answer 2

Hmmm; let me think. I wouldn't laugh if my friend fell over and got hurt; neither in public nor in private. I would laugh after I saw my friend did not get hurt ... had just fallen but was fine. Why? One reason would be relief, and another because my laughter would comfort my friend and he or she could laugh too which would dispel any severe embarrassment.
I have seen strangers fall in public, and along with some other people have aided them. Usually that person (the one who fell, but again, did not get hurt) is the one who starts laughing first, to relax all the other people, and we all laugh along with him or her politely.
The common denominator in both situations is dismissal. The laughter indicates that there is no serious situation here and all is well and everyone can just go back to doing what they were doing before.
If someone is hurt, especially a friend, I think the only reason you'd laugh was if you were hysterical with fear and worry.
But then again, maybe there is something wrong with me. I stick to my opinion though; for a cat, purring does the comforting and relaxing trick, and for humans laughing is sometimes our way of purring.

Answer 3

I laugh at everyone, but mostly myself. I do it a lot.
Fell over in front of a bus once and the walkman I was wearing skidded under the bus as I lay there waiting to be crushed and humiliated.
Luckily only my pride was wounded and a kind but laughing passer by went under the bus and got my walkman for me.

Now thats empathy and humiliation.

Answer 4

We know our friends and we know they would laugh at us. When a stranger falls down we are worried that this person who we don't know might be hurt. If it's our friend, you know you'll still be with them so if they're hurt you'll help them. A lot of people just want to help.

Answer 5

what a great question

my theory is because we know our friends - which is why we laugh, we hope they will laugh with us!

but a stranger might take it the wrong way x

Answer 6

hey,

i believe it is one of 2 reasons, 1: it is because we know them and can usually tell if they are badly hurt and so we would immediately stop laughing.

2: nervous laughter just in case they have truly hurt themselves and we don't really know what to do for the best.

i am guilty of laughing at my mates also, but conversely they have laughed when i have done something stupid in public

hope this helps

Answer 7

Because its a friend, you know them and it wouldnt seem wrong to laugh at them? You wouldn't like it if you fell over and then some stranger started to laugh at you, you would fell abit embrassed and angry and that someone is laughing at you and not trying to help you or even see if your ok? I know i would be rageing but then i would just laugh at myself unless i broke a bone i would be in tears and cursing! :)

Answer 8

Schadenfreude.
And get real, we laugh at strangers too!

Answer 9

you know that your friend who fell over is not thinking you want to intentionally laugh at him when fell over when a stranger has no trust in you and he will think you want to intentionally laugh at him if he fell over because there is no trust involved in you and the stranger who fell overs relationship.It's like in french when you say the word TU as the word you to your friend when you say vous to an adult as you are being polite.

Answer 10

there is something that we find innately amusing about seeing someone lose their dignity (eg fall over), when it happens to our friends we laugh, because they know us and we trust them not to be too offended. when it happens to a stranger we dont wish to give them a bad impression of us and so we supress our amusement and offer them sympathy instead.