Cognitive Shifts, served with Shish

Have you ever been in a situation in which you entered thinking you were about to undertake in a mundane activity but left having a life-altering experience instead? Well, that’s what happened to me this week. Okay, maybe it wasn’t “life-altering,” but it was certainly an experience I would never forget. It was an experience that left me laughing—and most certainly laughing uncontrollably.

This week, my aunt is visiting from California. She’s my mom’s youngest sister and somewhat closer to my age, so we have more of a sister/best friend relationship rather than an aunt/niece relationship. Whenever she comes to visit, we always plan a date; and most of the time (actually, all the time) it involves our favorite activity—eating.

Naturally, we decided to eat at a fantabulous Mediterranean restaurant called Istanbul Grill in Arlington, a place that serves meat so tender you can cut it with a bread knife. We ordered the usual—falafel, babaghanoush, beef shish, gyro—and everything was just fantastic. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and had an overall pleasant time catching up over great food.

It had been a wonderful evening so far. We were just about finished with our entrees and waiting for the waiter to come by so we could order baklava for dessert.

Then it began.

BOOM-da-da-BOOM-da-da-BOOM-da-da-BOOM!

A sudden, obnoxiously loud sound of pounding drums exploded throughout the restaurant. I jerked my head around to find out where the music was coming from. Apparently, it was just a recording playing at a significantly high volume.

Then, all of a sudden, a random belly dancer came out of nowhere! Her dance was literally “the works,” complete with tiny cymbals in her hands and a sword balancing on her head. She made an effort to stop by every table to wiggle and jiggle before you.

I couldn’t help but burst out laughing. The moment was so unexpected. In a split second, a peaceful evening had turned into a flamboyant party.

I believe I had experienced something like a cognitive shift that night. The “cognitive shift” is said to be one of the basic patterns of humor. In his book Comic Relief, John Morreal states that “the greater the contrast between the two states in the cognitive shift, the greater the possible amusement.” That evening, I was in a perfectly relaxed and composed state, enjoying my meal and engaging in conversation. I was not expecting to be suddenly jolted by loud music or visited by a belly dancer.

That evening was certainly an experience I can put in my memory book. Food, dancing, laughter—what more could you ask for? So if you ever want to go out to dinner on a Saturday night, I know where I’m taking you.