ne of the many pleasures in life is humor. It brings people together and is good for one’s well being. Yet, pranks are different, and  tend to do more harm than good. 

While joking is intended to be harmless for all parties, pranking aims to humiliate and frighten a person, while the person pulling the pranks gains power over the recipient because they’ve managed to embarrass them. 

Pranks have been around for a long time with April Fools day dating back to 1582, but in recent years people have taken them a step further with pranks that end up leaving the recipient traumatized. 

Challenges like the “Tide Pod Challenge”, where participants will eat a laundry detergent pod because of its colorful packaging, and the “Fire Challenge” where participants pour rubbing alcohol on themselves and then lighting themselves on fire, are both dangerous pranks that have led to poisoning and death. According to Lindsey Bever of washingtonpost.com, “Children who have been exposed to the capsules have been hospitalized with vomiting, breathing difficulties and loss of consciousness.”

Not only are pranks like this inappropriate, but they can also be costly to a person’s mental health. The person being pranked can be left with emotional damage such as post traumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders, frequent nightmares and depression. According to Stephanie A. Sarkis Ph.D. of psychologytoday.com “Pranks may qualify as a form of emotional or psychological abuse.” Before one pulls a prank, they do not often think of the emotional damage that can come from it . 

Senior pranks are regarded as a school tradition, but oftentimes they leave a huge mess for custodians and other staff to clean up. Plainfield schools have had their share of pranks over the years. For example , students at Central put oil on the hallway floors, making it slippery, which not only posed a safety hazard, but it was a mess that took  hours to clean.

Property damage is also sometimes written off as just a prank. Ex- NFL star Brian Holloway’s house was broken into by hundreds of teenagers , who then proceeded to throw a party causing over $20 thousand worth of damage. 

“The place was absolutely trashed almost three weeks ago during a Labor Day party attended by 300 to 400 teenagers,” said Eric Glasser of wtsp.com.

Although many people like to see their friends get fooled, often they would not want the same to happen to them. 

“I think some pranks are funny, but I feel like if I were to get pranked I would just be embarrassed,” said senior Hannah Laube.

While pranks and jokes can be fun, before one pulls a prank, they should think about the emotional and physical consequences that could result from the prank.