What is mass hysteria?

Answer 1

Mass hysteria is a condition in which many people are simulataniously affected by anxiety that is often extreme and unfounded. This condition is also known as collective hysteria, epidemic anxiety, group hysteria, mass psychogenic illness, or collective obsssional behavior.

Mass hysteria was recognized during the latter part of the Middle Ages when whole groups of people were affected by similar anxieties- such as dance manias involving raving, jumping, and convulsions. Some thought they had been bitten by a tarantula and would jump up and dance in the street. This activity became known as tarantism in Italy and St. Vitus's Dance in the rest of Europe.

In the 1950's there was a mass hysteria incident in the state of Washington involving pitting of auto windshields. Groups of people feared that the normal phenomenon had actually developed from airborne radioactive material.

The American citizenry as a whole came very near mass hysteria in the days immediately following 9/11, but managed to restrain itself in the end.

Source: Doctor, Ronald M., Ph.D, and Kahn, Ada P., Ph.D. Phobias, Fears, and Anxieties, Second edition. Facts on File (New York, NY). 2000.

Answer 2

Mass hysteria is a phenomenon where a group of people experience a collective delusion or panic, often leading to irrational behaviors or symptoms. This can spread rapidly through a community or group, fueled by anxiety, fear, or shared beliefs. It is typically temporary and can be initiated by a real or perceived threat.