The 10 Most Bizarre Cases of Collective Hysteria
You may have heard about collective hysteria, but if you don't know anything about it, get ready to know one of the most intriguing psychological situations that can develop in the human mind.
Outbreaks of collective hysteria (also known as psychogenic mass disease) occur when a group of people have similar symptoms, disorders, or reactions, sympathetically to any fact, imaginary or exaggerated.
In this list, we have put together the most impressive collective outbreaks in history, from panic situations to disproportionate reactions to any everyday occurrence. Check below all that the human mind can create with a little external influence.
1. The Laughter Epidemic in Tanzania
Laughing can be dangerous. At least that's what you'll find after learning the bizarre story of collective hysteria that occurred in Tanzania. Inexplicably, a joke told inside a boarding school caused the population of several cities in the Tanganyika region to have uncontrollable bouts of laughter.
The event occurred in 1962 and, incredible as it may seem, it only ended 18 months after it began. According to researchers, students went into fits of laughter after hearing the joke, passing on hysteria to their parents, who passed it on to nearby residents.
Laughter caused various symptoms derived from uncontrollable laughter itself, such as pain, fainting, breathing problems, rashes and even crying attacks.
2. The Cine Oberdan Tragedy
The story took place in April 1938 in Sao Paulo and had a frighteningly tragic ending, yet it began in a curious way. According to reports from those on site, a panic swept through one of the halls of Cine Oberdan over a scream of fire.
However, there was never any sign of fire. Many attributed the incident at one point in the movie in which two planes crashed, which would have motivated a viewer's scream. Even without smoke signals, the crowded children's room was invaded by collective hysteria, resulting in dozens of trampled people and more than 30 dead.
The official version of the police is a little different, but it does not change the disproportion between the fact and the reaction of the public. According to the investigators' conclusion, one of the children had a severe stomach ache during the movie and, after several desperate attempts to find the flashlight, the boy decided to go to the bathroom alone.
Although he was unable to reach his destination in time, the young man (who eventually met his needs on the way) made his way to the restroom, where the lights were off. Seeing a pile of newspapers, he decided to make a torch to visualize the environment. The ajar door allowed a bystander to see the light of the flame. He would then have screamed, which generated all the panic in the place. The fire never existed, but the consequences of hysteria annihilated entire families.
3. The freshwater river
Mahim Creek is one of India's most polluted saltwater rivers. It receives tons of sewage and industrial waste every day. However, in 2006 the news that their water had become sweet and drinkable spread without any explanation for the rumor.
Within hours, more rumors that other rivers had become potable in the region began to emerge. While officials feared outbreaks of disease and tried to warn people not to drink water, dozens of residents had already collected water from plastic bottles.
The next day, those who believed the rumor said that the waters had become salty again. Do not exist data on the damage caused after the episode.
4. The insect epidemic
In 1962, a mysterious disease arose in a US fabric factory. After rumors that insects in the shed would transmit an extremely resistant virus, dozens of workers began to show symptoms of the alleged disease, such as nausea, dizziness, vomiting and drowsiness.
However, no evidence has ever been found that these insects actually existed, not even bites on the bodies of infected individuals. Researchers believe the anxiety and tension caused by the rumors were responsible for the symptoms.
5. The War of the Worlds
This is possibly the best-known collective hysteria story in the world. In 1938, an adaptation of The War of the Worlds was broadcast on Columbia Broadcasting System, but was not received as expected.
Directed and narrated by Orson Welles, the episode aired amid the tension of the moments before World War II. Some listeners did not know that the narration was a reading of fiction, and when they turned on the radio in the middle of the broadcast, they believed it was a newsletter.
By the end of the afternoon, what was only fiction had come true: thousands of people took to the streets of cities like New York and New Jersey, panicked by the supposed war that had begun. Police took hours to end the confusion, which became news worldwide.
6. The killer monkey man
In 2001, rumors began to circulate throughout India that a strange creature half man and half monkey appeared at night attacking people. Dozens of inconsistent eye reports began to emerge, but even without any proof of the creature's existence, hysteria overwhelmed the region.
Police have reported three cases of people who died and 15 more who seriously injured jumping out of windows, believing they had seen the creature in their rooms at night. No evidence was found.
Eleven people and the devil
In Paris in 2010, a case of completely pointless collective hysteria shocked the world. One man, rising naked in the middle of the night to warm his son's bottle, was mistaken by his wife for the "Devil."
Seeing him, she began to scream for help, calling the man a devil. His sister, hearing the screams, wounded the boy's hand with a knife. Another 10 people in the family helped the women expel the man from the scene. Inexplicably, none of them recognized the individual to dispel the confusion.
The boy then tried to return to the apartment. As a result, everyone who lived there started jumping out of the window, trying to escape from what they believed to be the demon. In the confusion, several of them were injured and a four-month-old baby died. Police found no drugs at the scene, not even evidence of religious or obscure worship in the apartment.
8. The terrorist attack that never existed
In Melbourne, Australia, an employee of the region's international airport passed out on the escalator. For no apparent reason, this was mistaken by other officials for a terrorist attack. The air conditioning system was turned off to prevent the alleged gas from spreading through the room.
The investigation never uncovered any sequela of toxic substances at the scene, however, more than 50 people were taken to the hospital with symptoms similar to those of a fainting female employee - who in fact only had a sudden illness.
9. The spirit of Ceará
In 2010, a school in the interior of Ceará had its classes interrupted after a case of collective outbreak. Dozens of students between the ages of 12 and 19 said they saw the spirit of a student who had died.
Several teenagers were in a kind of trance when they were in school, which caused a rumor that the institution would be haunted. Psychologists, parapsychologists and even a priest were called in to talk with students and explain what was going on.
Even with the help of the professionals, cases of fainting and seizure-like symptoms only increased, which meant that the school had to be closed for a period. After the break, the case apparently resolved itself.
10. The dance of death
In 1518, a case of uncontrollable dance hysteria emerged in Strasbourg, France. Fao Troffea, a local resident, started dancing on the street, apparently for no reason and without any music playing.
Reports say his fervent steps lasted four to six days without interruption. In one week, 34 people had already joined the dancer and in less than a month there were over 400 people dancing frantically in the streets. Most of these people eventually died from exhaustion or from causes such as heart attacks and strokes.
* Originally posted on 18/09/2013.
