Scene & Heard: Nap Attack!

“Don’t write an article about this,” a representative of the Happiness Project told me, handing me a free extra-large t-shirt. It was a bribe. I took it.

It all started when I heard that the Harvard Happiness Project was throwing a school-wide “Nap Attack” in the Science Center Plaza. What exactly is a Nap Attack? I had no idea, but judging from the title, I assumed it involved a mix of sleeping in public spaces and mild violence. As a journalist, it was my duty to find out and inform the people. I also wanted free stuff.

According to the information on the Facebook event page, napping improves health, alertness, and performance. A whopping crowd of 29 people were confirmed on the Facebook page, potentially 38 if all nine “maybe’s” attended. And seeing as the Happiness Project only guaranteed pillows to the first 20 people, I got to the Science Center Plaza early to beat the crowd.

It had been sunny all week, yet from the hours of one to two on Friday, the sky was overcast, clouds full of the impending sense of rain: perfect weather for a nap outside. However, when I got there at one, no one was napping in the plaza. One girl looked like she was sleeping, but then the Callbacks started performing in front of the giant chess board and she left.

I was about to give up on the event and go for my seventh coffee of the day, but then I saw them: four students holding pillows and quarter sheet fliers. “Nap Attack” had begun.

They handed one girl a flier with the list of unofficial napping spaces at Harvard. Surprisingly, the Science Center Plaza was not one of them. Nor was the space below the Bon Me Food Truck, which I also thought might be well insulated.

“Wow, Annenberg has a basement?” one girl asked, reading the guide.

“Yeah, but you should come nap outside,” a rep from the Happiness Project urged.

“Naw,” she said pointing to Weld, “I’ll just go nap in my room.”

As students stormed past “Nap Attack,” eager to get to section on time or not drool publicly, I started to think that trying to get Harvard students to nap outside was hopeless. But I was happy. This meant that I had more beanbags to myself, and if I hadnt been so hyper from all the coffee, I might have even tried to sleep on them.

Despite my attempts to blend in with the crowd, I stood out. My open laptop and eagerness to announce that I was writing an article gave me away. It also didn’t help that the crowd was four people.

“The event’s cancelled,” a rep said, trying to dissuade me from fulfilling my journalist duties. “Don’t write an article.” Yet as she said it, a group of three ended up on the beanbag chairs. The event was picking up. Perhaps I was wrong to be so skeptical; maybe Harvard student(s) could nap. “Nap Attack” would go on.

And then it started pouring.