From Zeus To April Fool's: The Social Purpose Of Pranking

The Legal Consequences Of Pranking

Most pranksters have the intention to make others, including the target, laugh after a brief moment of surprise and even shock. Think before you prank, though, as you may find yourself facing scary-sounding criminal charges including assault (which, by the way, doesn't even have to involve physical contact), reckless endangerment, destruction of property, criminal conspiracy, kidnapping or false imprisonment, or stalking. 

The legal system isn't set up to let people committing acts that scare the living daylight out of fellow citizens off the hook just because they have a camera and are planning to publish their mischief on YouTube — and for good reason. No matter your initial intentions, pranks can and do cause real harm to real people, leaving lasting psychological or physical damage. 

Why Do People Prank?

Despite the fact that the modern prank often goes far too far, anthropologists have found that pranks are an integral part of the social gel that binds humans together. They date back at least to the time Greek Mythology evolved; remember how Prometheus pulled a prank on Zeus? Then you've got the role of court jesters, who were able to influence rulers through humor, and of course April Fool's Day, some version of which goes right back to the Middle Ages and perhaps even to the Roman Empire. 

Coming-of-age rituals in Africa often involve a man dressed in a creepy mask knocking boys who are about to become men right off their "adult pedestals", before welcoming them into the group as equal members of their societies with open arms. Modern sorority and fraternity initiations feature similar rituals, in which prospective members are torn down and humiliated before being built up again, this time as members of a new group. 

Pranks done right serve a wider purpose, that of creating a feeling of belonging. There's nothing that binds us together in quite the same way as humor does, and pranks have the fascinating quality of simultaneously suspending the normal daily order and getting us to think about what is and isn't accepted in the society we live in. What's more, humans find inherent value in being shaken out of the boredom of ordinary routines. Humor plays an important sociological role across societies — it diffuses tension, relieves stress, gets us to think about who we are, and helps establish groups.

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Tricking your partner into thinking that your kid is dead, though, terrifying a stranger to the point he thinks he is going to lose his life, or doing something that leads someone to commit suicide? Not funny, not responsible, and also often illegal.