How to control a herd of humans

[Adsos Letter]

Source: New Scientist

HITLER and Mussolini both had the ability to bend millions of people to their fascist will. Now evidence from psychology and neurology is emerging to explain how tactics like organised marching and propaganda can work to exert mass mind control.

Scott Wiltermuth of Stanford University in California and colleagues have found that activities performed in unison, such as marching or dancing, increase loyalty to the group. "It makes us feel as though we're part of a larger entity, so we see the group's welfare as being as important as our own," he says.

Wiltermuth's team separated 96 people into four groups who performed these tasks together: listening to a song while silently mouthing the words, singing along, singing and dancing, or listening to different versions of the song so that they sang and danced out of sync. In a later game, when asked to decide whether to stick with the group or strive for personal gain, those in the non-synchronised group behaved less loyally than the rest (Psychological Science, vol 20, p 1).

Psychologist Jonathan Haidt at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville thinks this research helps explain why fascist leaders, amongst others, use organised marching and chanting to whip crowds into a frenzy of devotion to their cause, though these tactics can be used just as well for peace, he stresses. Community dances and group singing can ease local tension, for example - a theory he plans to test experimentally (Journal of Legal Studies, DOI: 10.1086/529447).

http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20126945.300-how-to-control-a-herd-of-humans.html

[aquart]

1. Yes, we can!

Yep.

[ConsAreLiars]

5. Are you always on the "right" side on every issue?

Do you imagine that no one ever catches on to your game? Or that the mods will let you play your pointless game forever? Do you ever post anything resembling a humane or humanitarian perspective? Do you have no sense of shame. I guess your answer in "no" to all of those.

[Breeze54]

7. Yes !!!

:rofl:

:sarcasm:

[SmileyRose]

2. "Free Breakfast at Denny's" seems to work pretty good.

[ColbertWatcher]

4. LOL! n/t

[ColbertWatcher]

3. Fear? Terror color codes?

Propaganda?

Interesting article.

[Trajan]

6. I was thinking ....

posting a thread in DU would do the trick ....

Specially threads that tell everybody what to do ...

That ALWAYS works ...

In all seriousness: This is an excellent study, and ties into how religion is used as a unifying force in a population, and explains why Islam threw out the pagan idols from the Caaba and why Jerome (or Constantine, if you must) excised the 'apocrypha' from the new canon ....

It is all about FOCUS and regularity between members that organizes individuals to common goals ...

DU, on the other hand, is a riotous cacaphony at times, and rarely creates must orderly action ...

[Breeze54]

8. "I was thinking ...."....

That was your first mistake. :sarcasm:

:D

[silverojo]

9. File this in the DUH folder

Anyone who's ever been to a concert or protest could tell you that, for a fraction of the cost of this ridiculous "study".

[HillbillyBob]

10. religious cults do it too, not exactly the marching, but the syncronised

singing, recitation etc seems to seal a cult group into a whole. Working them up into a frenzy and getting their brain chemistry into endorphin overloads.

[H2O Man]

11. Very interesting.

Thank you for posting this.

It is hard-wiring that creates potentials: it is what allowed our human ancestors the ability to create social organization, and as such, has the potential for both "good" and "bad."

[conscious evolution]

12. No wonder I hate line dancing

[carlyhippy]

13. Now, would this be a herd of humans, or a flock of humans?

Carly

[juno jones]

14. In this case a 'murder' of humans. n/t