Farting....explain to me

Only because I don't want what was in someone else's rectum in my nose. I find MY farts hilarious.

Really? Nothing better to talk about?

quick! pull my finger

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh: :drinker:

I'm going to geek out here and propose my theories of the natural history of farts

We are a bit odd among mammals in not liking the smell of feces. Your dog loves to smell another dog's droppings and that is true of many mammals because there is often socially useful information in those feces. Humans don't use scent communication and instead have a strong attentiveness but aversion to feces odors, probably because of selection based on feces association with disease transmission risks. No disease has probably killed more humans in all of history than dysentery. So if we smell feces we respond instinctively negatively to the person who did it and it doesn't take long for people to learn to hide their farts and the sound of their farts, particularly among people they are less secure in their social or familial bond.

The reason farts sounds are funny is because we know they signify that someone just failed to keep their fart a secret and we go through a rapid instinctual startle response/aversion and then our sentient mind cotton's on that our mini panic is not needed and the brief instant of cognitive dissonance makes us laugh.

Some exceptions prove the rule, as we are not averse to all farts/feces smells. We smell our own with gusto as a way, I suspect, to assess our own health. This supports the farts / health risks association. The other exception is very transitory. We are almost completely compelled to sniff if we suspect a fart or feces is in the vicinity. Think about it. You know you do it. You get a hint of something like a fart and you don't initially close down your ability to smell, you instead take a deeper whiff to confirm it! It's at that point that your self protection kicks in and you develop a temporary aversion to the person who farted.

I'm going to geek out here and propose my theories of the natural history of farts

We are a bit odd among mammals in not liking the smell of feces. Your dog loves to smell another dog's droppings and that is true of many mammals because there is often socially useful information in those feces. Humans don't use scent communication and instead have a strong attentiveness but aversion to feces odors, probably because of selection based on feces association with disease transmission risks. No disease has probably killed more humans in all of history than dysentery. So if we smell feces we respond instinctively negatively to the person who did it and it doesn't take long for people to learn to hide their farts and the sound of their farts, particularly among people they are less secure in their social or familial bond.

The reason farts sounds are funny is because we know they signify that someone just failed to keep their fart a secret and we go through a rapid instinctual startle response/aversion and then our sentient mind cotton's on that our mini panic is not needed and the brief instant of cognitive dissonance makes us laugh.

Some exceptions prove the rule, as we are not averse to all farts/feces smells. We smell our own with gusto as a way, I suspect, to assess our own health. This supports the farts / health risks association. The other exception is very transitory. We are almost completely compelled to sniff if we suspect a fart or feces is in the vicinity. Think about it. You know you do it. You get a hint of something like a fart and you don't initially close down your ability to smell, you instead take a deeper whiff to confirm it! It's at that point that your self protection kicks in and you develop a temporary aversion to the person who farted.

You smell funny!

I'm going to geek out here and propose my theories of the natural history of farts

We are a bit odd among mammals in not liking the smell of feces. Your dog loves to smell another dog's droppings and that is true of many mammals because there is often socially useful information in those feces. Humans don't use scent communication and instead have a strong attentiveness but aversion to feces odors, probably because of selection based on feces association with disease transmission risks. No disease has probably killed more humans in all of history than dysentery. So if we smell feces we respond instinctively negatively to the person who did it and it doesn't take long for people to learn to hide their farts and the sound of their farts, particularly among people they are less secure in their social or familial bond.

The reason farts sounds are funny is because we know they signify that someone just failed to keep their fart a secret and we go through a rapid instinctual startle response/aversion and then our sentient mind cotton's on that our mini panic is not needed and the brief instant of cognitive dissonance makes us laugh.

Some exceptions prove the rule, as we are not averse to all farts/feces smells. We smell our own with gusto as a way, I suspect, to assess our own health. This supports the farts / health risks association. The other exception is very transitory. We are almost completely compelled to sniff if we suspect a fart or feces is in the vicinity. Think about it. You know you do it. You get a hint of something like a fart and you don't initially close down your ability to smell, you instead take a deeper whiff to confirm it! It's at that point that your self protection kicks in and you develop a temporary aversion to the person who farted.

Way to take all the fun out of it, Poindexter!

"Hey... I gambled and lost. It happens."