The Divide in the Comment Section of Pain
The “Try Not To Laugh” challenge is a staple of internet culture. Millions of views accumulate on compilations of people falling off skateboards, slipping on ice, or crashing bikes. Ouch! The pain! Yet if you scroll down to the comments section you will find a distinct split in the audience. Half the viewers are wiping tears of laughter from their eyes while the other half are expressing genuine horror or concern for the safety of the person in the video.
This phenomenon highlights a fascinating divergence in human psychology. It raises the question of why some brains default to amusement while others default to distress when witnessing the same event. The answer lies in the complex battle between two powerful psychological mechanisms: Schadenfreude and the mirror neuron system.
Pain – The Mechanism of Amusement: Benign Violation
For those who laugh, the reaction is rarely rooted in true malice. It is often explained by the Benign Violation Theory. This theory suggests that humor occurs when a situation violates our expectations or social norms but does so in a way that is perceived as harmless or “benign” to the observer. When a person trips but stands up immediately, the brain processes the violation of walking upright alongside the benign outcome. The result is laughter.
This reaction creates a psychological distance. The viewer subconsciously separates themselves from the victim. This separation allows the brain to process the event as entertainment rather than a threat. Friedrich Nietzsche once described Schadenfreude as the joy one feels at the misfortune of others, but in the context of viral videos, it is often less about joy in suffering and more about the relief that the suffering is not happening to oneself.
Source: McGraw, A. P., & Warren, C. (2010). Benign violations: Making immoral behavior funny. Psychological Science.
Pain – The Mechanism of Empathy: Mirror Neurons
For the viewers who cannot bring themselves to laugh, a different biological process takes precedence. These individuals likely have a highly active mirror neuron system. Discovered originally in primates, mirror neurons are brain cells that fire both when an individual performs an action and when they observe someone else performing the same action.
When an empathetic viewer sees a skater slam onto the concrete, their brain simulates that physical sensation. They do not just see the fall; they feel a shadow of the pain. This is known as “personal distress,” a self focused emotional reaction to the suffering of another. Instead of psychological distance, there is psychological resonance. The barrier between “self” and “other” is thinner, making the act of laughing feel impossible or even cruel.
Source: Rizzolatti, G., & Craighero, L. (2004). The mirror-neuron system. Annual Review of Neuroscience.
The Context Factor
The difference between laughing and rushing to help is also defined by context and severity. Studies in social psychology indicate that the mood of the observer and their relationship to the victim play massive roles. We are far more likely to experience empathy for someone we view as part of our “in group” or someone who resembles us. Conversely, we are more likely to laugh at the misfortune of a stranger or someone with high status, as it feels like a leveling of the playing field.
Ultimately, both reactions are natural human responses to the chaotic nature of physical reality. One uses laughter as a defense mechanism to process shock, while the other uses empathy to facilitate social bonding and care. Neither is inherently wrong, but understanding why we react the way we do can tell us a great deal about our current state of mind and our capacity for connection.
Source: Cikara, M., & Fiske, S. T. (2012). Stereotypes and Schadenfreude: Affective and physiological markers of pleasure at outgroup misfortunes. Social Psychological and Personality Science.