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Mass hysteria isn't often discussed these days, but most of us are familiar with the term and have a basic understanding of its meaning. In the simplest terms, most of us would probably describe it as a state where everyone simultaneously goes a little crazy. In the past, for example, there have been outbreaks of "dancing sickness.".
Every year in the modern world, we revisit the myth of counterfeit candy on Halloween. It has virtually no basis, but it sparks extreme paranoia among parents and a flood of media articles about it, which are in fact untrue and, perhaps, just another example of the annual mass hysteria.
How is it that entire groups of people can simultaneously go a little crazy? There can't be any reason, right? Something has to be causing it, and, dammit, we're here to get to the bottom of it. Let's figure out how mass hysteria even happens.
What is mass hysteria?
Mass hysteria is a condition characterized by a group of people feeling ill or exhibiting similar symptoms, despite no apparent physical or environmental cause. The word "hysteria" comes from the Greek word meaning "womb," reflecting the fact that for generations, this condition was considered exclusively female. It also derives the word "hysterical," meaning "stop being hysterical!".
The fact is that it can affect both men and women, but women and girls appear to be more susceptible. For reasons that remain unclear, cheerleaders are particularly susceptible. The reasons for this are still unclear, but it may be related to women being better than men at managing stress, avoiding aggression, and avoiding rash behavior. It could also potentially manifest itself in other ways, such as so-called mass hysteria.
Due to entrenched sexism, this term is now more accurately known as mass psychogenic illness. It is defined as "a social phenomenon characterized by collective anxiety caused by a perceived threat and capable of leading to a cascade of symptoms indicative of an organic disorder with no established cause.".
Simply put, a psychogenic disorder occurs when you believe something has happened. You might believe you've been exposed to a disease or toxin, or that some event has occurred, even though it hasn't. We'll look at several examples that aren't related to illness at all, but rather to what groups of people believe they've seen or experienced, even though it hasn't actually happened.
One of the key components of psychogenic illness and how it manifests is that the people involved in it would not normally behave this way. From a psychological perspective, this is similar to the herd instinct. In large groups, people may behave differently than they would individually. This is partly because, when in a group, a person loses some connection to their individuality. There is also a loss of self-awareness and an intensification of emotions. In a crowd, these emotions are usually strong. A person will experience agitation, perhaps even anger or fear. The emotions of the crowd tend to fuel the crowd, and this can lead to negative consequences.
Examples of mass hysteria date back hundreds of years. They occur all over the world, and there seem to be no cultural or social barriers preventing their occurrence.
What causes mass psychogenic illness?
One of the most difficult tasks in explaining mass psychogenic illnesses is identifying their root cause. Since mass psychogenic illnesses can manifest as people believing they are ill or as the idea that a murderous ape-man is roaming the city, it's difficult to pinpoint a single, specific trigger.
For example, a group of people might smell an unusual odor and believe they're being contaminated with some kind of toxin, as happened at a school in Tennessee in 1998. As we mentioned in the previous definition, a perceived threat may be exactly what it actually is. This could be, for example, the idea that a virus has been released, or that aliens are on the loose, that a monster is in the city, or that the government is being illegally overthrown.
In 2014, Colombia experienced an epidemic among young and adolescent girls that lasted for several months. 240 girls were hospitalized with symptoms ranging from nausea and dizziness to fainting and seizures. Local residents assumed it must be a side effect of the Gardasil vaccine and protested. But the president assured people that this was not the case, as such a phenomenon had literally never happened anywhere else. The real culprit? A mass psychogenic illness.
These girls sincerely believed they were sick; it was in no way a pretense or a deception. Their symptoms were real, but the illness was purely psychological in nature and was transmitted psychologically.
Victims are typically found in close proximity to one another—in schools, workplaces, and other settings where they are often crowded. Physical symptoms typically include fainting or seizures, as well as nausea, dizziness, shortness of breath, headaches, and so on.
Evidence suggests that psychogenic illness begins with one person and then likely spreads to those who see them sick and know them well. If the initial sufferer is a high-status individual, such as a very popular student at school, the illness will affect even more people.
A thorough investigation was conducted at this Tennessee school, as was the case with those who fell ill. No toxic substance was ever found, but the investigation revealed that most of the victims witnessed someone else become ill and then began to feel ill themselves.
In May 2006, a group of hundreds of teenagers in Portugal reported illnesses including rashes, dizziness, and difficulty breathing. The cause was attributed to a worsening of the condition depicted in the popular teen drama series "Strawberries and Sugar," which featured a similar episode as part of the plot.
Anxiety appears to be a major factor in the development of mass psychogenic disorders. The more stress you experience and the more anxiety-provoking factors you have around you, the more susceptible you are to it. In fact, this condition is sometimes called "conversion disorder," as stress or trauma is converted into physical symptoms. Seeing others get sick, or experiencing a period of great upheaval or stress, such as the end of the school year and exams for those children in Portugal, can exacerbate the situation and make the disorder more easily developed.
The causes of anxiety can also have significant cultural significance. For example, in African countries, fear of the devil or evil spirits, which are believed to be the cause of anxiety, is more common. In the West, this may include fear of chemical spills, toxic fumes, and other similarly more tangible things.
Mass hysteria, mass suggestion and negative media
In today's world, mass indoctrination and mass hysteria spread much more easily than in the past. While many such cases previously occurred outside of schools, monasteries, and similar settings, now we can all be connected by the media, and the spread of a disease that may or may not even exist occurs much more quickly.
In 2021, German researchers discovered that social media actually fueled a massive psychogenic outbreak of Tourette syndrome, or at least what sufferers believed to be Tourette syndrome. Videos on Instagram, TikTok, and other social media platforms began spreading after the first video of a person appearing to exaggerate their symptoms, intentionally or not, went viral. This occurred in Germany, but another outbreak was also linked to a Canadian TikTok user with Tourette syndrome.
After the first video, there was a sharp increase in the number of people seeking medical attention with concerns about Tourette's syndrome, but many of them experienced tics identical to those depicted in the viral video, including the same vocal tics, which were completely unusual, such as "French fries" and "Heil Hitler." The tics only manifested when sufferers were asked to do something they didn't want to do. Since none of the symptoms matched the actual manifestations of Tourette's syndrome, that diagnosis was soon ruled out, and a new one was established: a mass disorder caused by social media.
Other disorders, such as dissociative identity disorder, have also become more commonly self-diagnosed thanks to TikTok trends that garner billions of views. Teens watch these videos, find something relatable in them, and may then begin to exhibit more symptoms based on what they see. Bipolar disorder and various autism spectrum disorders can also present in this way.
In 2016, the media fueled a story about a woman who hallucinated people trying to rip the roof off her car. A police officer arriving at the scene, as well as others who came into contact with the woman, reportedly also began experiencing hallucinations. The victims were hospitalized, and the local emergency room was quarantined. One article reported doctors baffled by a mysterious disease transmitted by touch. Another headline claimed that doctors had confirmed that the disease was transmitted by touch, but the article made no mention of this.
In reality, there was no quarantine. Everyone who went to the emergency room was quickly discharged. Only one person, not five, experienced hallucinations. Others experienced vague flu-like symptoms, including a person who had recently been in contact with someone with the flu. But the story quickly spread and was reported even in the Philippines. Much of the information came from the initial article, which reported it as sensational news, without any real citations from sources, and much of the information appears to have been exaggerated or simply made up.
Examples of mass hysteria in history
In recent history, one of the most well-known cases of psychogenic illness appears to be "Havana syndrome." Following the first outbreak in 2017, dozens of people, typically US government employees working in embassies around the world, reported similar symptoms: dizziness, tinnitus, confusion, fatigue, and so on. A physical cause has never been identified.
In 2016, parts of America and even beyond were gripped by a clown panic—the belief that sinister clowns were trying to lure children into the woods. Nothing was confirmed, but reports of clown sightings soon surfaced in several states. Compounding the situation was the sightings of people dressed as clowns and simply standing around in cities. They were doing nothing, but it fueled the belief that clowns were committing dangerous acts.
In 1999, mass hysteria over tainted Coca-Cola in Belgium forced the company to throw out hundreds of millions of dollars' worth of product, even though there was nothing wrong with it. The problem with psychogenic illnesses is that the symptoms are real, the people are perfectly sane, and it's hard to convince someone they're not sick when they really are. Tell someone they're making things up that they know are real, and they simply won't believe you.
«The "Satanic Panic" of the 1980s was a widespread mass hysteria that became so ubiquitous that it is still part of pop culture today, influencing films and TV shows such as «Stranger Things» . People were convinced that Satan worship was everywhere, there were serious allegations of violence, lives were destroyed, and innocent people were convicted of terrible crimes that did not actually happen, but were merely a figment of the imagination.
In 1837, Springfield Jack appeared in London, and he still exists as a cryptid today. Stories of a sinister creature with ferocious claws, capable of leaping from rooftop to rooftop, spread throughout the city. Women claimed to have been attacked, and one man was even arrested but ultimately not convicted because the victim claimed to be able to breathe fire, while the man in custody could not.
America had its own Salem witch trials, which were also the result of mass hysteria, albeit with a lesser dose of religion and, perhaps, a bit of good old-fashioned hatred. However, the end result was the same: innocent people were accused of horrific crimes and even executed for them.
Whenever a group of people gathers together under stress, whether it's simple academic stress or more complex stress from a pandemic, religious persecution, or other social issues, fertile ground is created for a potential mass psychogenic illness. If you're paying attention, that means any time and any place. And the fact is, such cases occur frequently all over the world. Often, they're small and isolated, and we don't hear about them, but if you ever encounter a situation where a mysterious illness is spreading for seemingly no reason, remember that it might not be more complicated than that.
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