Well, I bet that title scared you. Fortunately for you, I’m not going to talk about VD. It’s been a while since I provided a completely-useless-who-really-cares article that means absolutely nothing to you and has nothing to do with growing oneself or enhancing wisdom of any kind.
My question stemmed from a company conference call. Or Church. Or any other sort of presentation: When it’s over, people clap. They applaud to show respect and thanks for what was just presented to them.
But why? Why do we clap?! It’s actually a very annoying sound. No rythm. Just a series of sounds compiled by the ruthless slapping of hands against each other.
There are several theories behind this. I’ll start from the most general to the the most probable explanations:
1) In Greek and Roman empirical times, clapping was actually a sound made out of disrespect to drown out actors who really sucked ass.
2) Ancient Rome would slap their champions on the back for a job well done. When the champion wasn’t close enough to touch, people would clap their hands together to ensure their champion knew they were being recognized. This grew to everyone clapping and eventually became common practice for all types of presentations.
3) Kings and Queens of ancient times could not speak to commoners, so when they approved of something, they clapped so that people would know of royal approval. Honestly, this is the stupidest explanation I’ve heard.
4) Clapping originated from tribal groups. As we all know, tribes – whether African, South American, or a bum on the corner of 5th & Main trying to earn a nickel – are famous for playing drums. When there was no way to show recognition, people would mimic the sound of the drums by clapping their hands together in approval. A sign of “I like you… I would like to be like you”. Of course, unless you are of African decent, you have no rhythm, so this mimicking of the drums became a random banging of palms together, but still recognized as an expression of approval.
5) Going back to our primal days as cavemen, people would jump around and slap various parts of their bodies to show excitement for, let’s say, the successful hunt-and-kill of a mammoth. As people became more civilized and realized they looked like a bunch of f***ing idiots, this action evolved to simple hand clapping, and thus became the sign of recognition for all time.
6) This theory makes the most sense as we have visual proof: It is simply a primal instinct. Take a look at a happy baby. As soon as the baby has developed motor skills and something excites them, they clap. Or, how about you look at a monkey. They also instinctively clap to show happiness, excitement, or approval. Then again, they also throw poop.
So, there is your useless information. If you feel like this post was a complete waste of your time, then my work here is done.
Got your own theory? Leave a comment and humor me.
