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Large gatherings are usually peaceful but sometimes turn unruly with deadly consequences. Last year’s stampede during the Hajj in Saudi Arabia, for example, left more than 2,000 people dead. Psychologists say understanding how and why crowds sometimes behave as they do, and controlling them, involves recognizing people's capacity for self-regulation.
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Students who shared the common identity, such as wearing the same black baseball caps, stayed together, keeping a close formation. Students who did not belong to a group just rushed past each other.
Using the videos, social psychologists at the University of Applied Sciences in Munich created a computer simulation which showed that individuals sharing a common identity move slower and seem to be less susceptible to panic attacks. They may be easier to control because they feel safer when they belong to the same group.
“We got an explanation for that, which is the more that people identify with the crowd, the more they expect social support,” said Dr. John Drury, University of Sussex.
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