I went to
Most of the lines for the rides these days are quite near, and sometimes under, the ride you’re waiting to get on. No matter how long you’re in line, and often you don’t have to be in line, you can hear the roar of the roller coaster and the sound of screaming of its passengers. Its passengers who are choosing to get on this ride. Its passengers who paid big money to get in ($60 for a full day!). Its passengers who are having fun, regardless of what you hear coming out of their mouths on the ride.
It struck me that amusement parks have an interesting set of sounds and noises that emanate from the park. First off, you have simply the roller coasters, some of which have gotten so big, fast and powerful, that you can hear them from far away. Superman, a ride in which passengers get into a car that accelerates to 100 mph and then drives up a ramp to 40 stories up, sounds like a plane is taking off. It is that loud and intense. The sounds of other rides aren’t simply “whoosh,” they are a roar.
At the same time, you have the screams of the riders. A long time ago, I remember being told that the reason the Indians would yell as they descended to attack a group was that by screaming, they would not be able to think of their fears. Screaming would allow them to be in the moment, often times on instinct. Fear may cause them to be more timid in battle and might simply distract them. Screaming and yelling would not allow that fear to enter, at least not the conscious mind. I think something similar happens on roller coasters. While screaming makes it more intense, it also does something to put people in a place where they are enjoying the ride rather than fearing it.
But while these folks may then be enjoying themselves, those not on the ride – whether in line or walking by – get to hear these screams. In more “normal” circumstances, we would be concerned for the welfare of those yelling so loudly they lose their voices. But not so at an amusement park. In fact, the more and louder we hear riders scream, the more excited we get, as that means it’s that good of a ride. And it causes our anticipation to increase to another level.
It’s fairly common for our experience of an event to be affected, positively or negatively, by what we perceive as the experience of others who have just experienced it. We see this everywhere – at the doctor’s office, in church, or in a movie theater. The difference here is that the reaction not typically associated with fun and pleasure (yelling and screaming as if in fear) actually increases others’ enjoyment of the experience.
And so as I walked around Magic Mountain, I couldn’t helping noticing the roar of the rides and the cries of their riders.
And then I looked for that line as I knew that it must be a great ride if people were yelling that loud.
