Fun fact of the day: Why are we coughing at a concert

Among the main causes of stress concert musicians call coughing listeners. They - a target for the anger of music lovers. How do you explain this phenomenon?
 
The record of the concert situation causes a subconscious need to cough - scientist / AP
Many tests sometimes falls on the shoulders of music fans: uncomfortable seats in the concert hall, the heavy scent of perfume lady sitting next, drafts or poor acoustics can considerably spoil the fun, even from the best performance. But the ultimate test - a coughing neighbor. Why would he even came to the concert if a cold ?! Why not brought even cough lozenges ?!

The phenomenon of coughing at a concert devoted to the case study, authored by a professor of the University of Hannover Andreas Wagener (Andreas Wagener).

Ritual and epidemic

Wagener has come to results that seem improbable: it turns out, during a concert person coughs on average two times more likely than, so to speak, in ordinary life. The reasons for this - both physiological and psychological. With more or physiology mnee clear: because of the long silence throat dries up. Interesting to psychology: according to Andreas Wagener, the situation itself is a concert subconscious need to cough. "Cough - only for the listener the opportunity to participate in an event" - explains Wagener.

The concert has a ritual, and ritual is a man evolved over thousands of years the need to participate in it. Unable to stamp one's foot or sing along to the music (or at least, concerts of classical music), the listener begins to cough.

Psychological nature "concert coughs" and emphasizes this indisputable fact: cough is one listener, followed by cough and others are accepted. This epidemic! The hall rocked a wave of coughing, and after it - a wave of giggles about it. "Honestly, the dogs in the village!" - Outraged famous pianist Alfred Brendel (Alfred Brendel). In its written in blank verse pamphlet "Cologne kashelschiki» («Die Huster von K? Ln») - a Brendel, as it is known, is also a poet - musician is angry: "And because they are well aware of the music, these scoundrels - only for to start coughing in the wrong place, for example, in the tragic silence ringing general silence ».

Among the irreconcilable opponents of coughing in the concert include some conductors - such as Christian Tieleman (Christian Thielemann). Maestro repeatedly interrupted the concerts, if an unexpected coughing in the audience showed how he believes "an unacceptable lack of respect for the music."