The Depth Of A Prank

There's whole shows on MTV and Tru TV dedicated to the best pranks caught on film. The shows main purpose is to supply comedic relief by making people laugh. I personally love the shows and think they succeed quite well in make me laugh. What I also realized though is the really good pranks expose a certain sense of reality that illustrates the uncertainty of life. When face with a prank you get real time reactions from people. They have their fears exploited and shown to those who are pulling the prank. I believe their is a certain science and psychology behind pranks.

The most interesting part of a prank is when it is revealed that it is just a prank. We get to see an immediate shift in emotion that often leads to extreme relief and/or happiness. I think something as simple as the invention of prank therapy could be implemented in health facilities. It would serve as a method for stress relief but also a ways of extracting the inner most emotions of individuals. In the midst of pranks people often let it all out in a very organic matter. Practices in prank therapy could also serve a precautionary red lights for individuals with volatile tendencies. Simulating pranks on them in controlled environments could help in predetermining the degree of their reactions and hopefully curbing them.

I've never had a serious prank pulled on me, but I've orchestrated a few and the art of it is interesting. There are whole forms of art know as performance art that seek to capture real reaction. Some artist go as far as being shot on camera to capture their reaction. I personally believe that is to extreme and fails to capture the reality of reaction that a prank does.