I have just come from the kitchen, where I found myself fighting with a roll of cling film. The cling film was fighting back. I was losing. After a while my frustration reached breaking point and I let out a cry of anguish, followed by a short burst of expletives, directed at the cling film.
Earlier in the day, another happenstance occurred (oddly, I have forgotten what!) which could have been equally frustrating. On that occasion, though, my reaction had been to laugh.
Is it just me, or does this happen to you too? A small mishap, a moment where something does not quite go according to plan, can induce a feeling of either frustration or humour. And which of these arises depends not on the particular little mishap itself. The reaction is showing something about oneself, one’s inner state of stress, in the case of frustration, or one’s inner state of relaxation, in the case of humour.
Having seen this, I am almost looking forward to the next time I drop an egg or stub a toe. Will I laugh or will I cry?
