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Mass hysteria

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Mass hysteria, also called collective hysteria, mass psychogenic illness, or collective obsessional behavior, is the sociopsychological phenomenon of the manifestation of the same or similar hysterical symptoms by more than one person. A common manifestation of mass hysteria occurs when people believe they are suffering from a similar disease or ailment.^[1]

1 Characteristics
2 Criticism
3 Popular culture
4 References
5 See also
6 External links

Characteristics

British historian and Fortean researcher Mike Dash^[2] notes that studies have identified six elements that are required for a case of mass hysteria to afflict a population:

"Regional conditions must be conducive" to the mass hysteria's plausibility.
"Channels of communication must be available for the reports to spread."
"Social and economic stress, as well as a lack of faith in the authorities, predispose people to embrace unconventional interpretations."
"[E]very culture has marginal traditions that offer alternative explanations."
"A triggering episode often serves as the pebble that commences an avalanche of reports."
"[O]utbreaks of unusual manifestations are aided by breakdowns in official control."

Mass hysteria typically begins when an individual becomes ill or hysterical during a period of stress.^[3] After this initial individual shows symptoms, others begin to manifest similar symptoms, typically nausea, muscle weakness fits or headache.^[4] Sightings of religious miracles are often attributed to mass hysteria.^[5] Cases of moral panic, such as Satanic Ritual Abuse scares, often have symptoms that overlap with mass hysteria.

Criticism

Dash writes that while mass hysteria is widely accepted as genuine, many important details of the phenomenon are of unknown etiology, and mass hysteria can often seek to "explain a mystery with a mystery. Much more work needs to be done on the causes and consequences of hysterical contagion before we can be certain what it is and why it occurs." Similarly, American paranormal and UFO researcher Jerome Clark^[6] argues that mass hysteria is often a flimsy post hoc explanation and "a classic blame-the-victim strategy" in cases where authorities or experts can find no explanation for puzzling or frightening events. Two notable cases where mass hysteria was controversially claimed as the cause of an incident are the toxic lady event and the 2007 Peruvian meteorite event.

Popular culture

In the 18th episode of House season 3, a mass hysteria triggered by the symptoms of a sick passenger, took place on an air plane. The six elements required to set off a mass hysteria can be observed somewhat in the episode.