We're Smart, We're Smart... Woops, Now We're Stupid

If our intelligence increases in small groups, at what point does it decrease as the group enlarges?

If one person can make a difference, and two people can collaborate even better than one… If a few people can inspire and encourage one another to figure out how to move mountains… at what point do the numbers turn against us? At what point does an intelligent, sensitive group of people become a group of mob mentality causing chaos, destruction and grief?

When I worked one summer in a national park in Maine, I learned a bit about vacation mentality. Not the kind of vacation mentality I prefer that has to do with rest, relaxation and renewed inspiration… but the kind that causes seemingly good people to think they are not accountable for their actions because they are away from home or are in some way disguised. These actions continuously included being slobs, being rude, being clueless and not caring that their negligence was doing harm.

But there are worse things that a large group can do than trash their environment, disrespect their neighbors and play stupid. They can make someone innocent pay with their life.

It’s probably not that everyone in a large group is going to lose all sense of decency, but some do. And some instigate it. Others, are just swept up in the current, trying to get out as an undertow of mindless, reckless human behavior nearly obliterates their own will.

I’ve been in large groups where someone from the back begins pushing. A few more join in. And the rest are stuck, forced – just by presence and lack of opening for escape – to add to the mass of the movement. It’s a frightening feeling, but I’ve obviously escaped from these situations. Sometimes, however, there are casualties. Like those trampled to death last week in a Walmart Black Friday sale.

In the end, would anyone in the group admit to pushing? Of course not. The instigators are selfish beings refusing to ever acknowledge the consequences of their actions. But they’re also cowards… hiding within the darkness of a large group.

But again I ask: At what point does a good group become a bad one? The point at which one bad guy begins a chain reaction, coercing those on the fence to join him… while the rest are overpowered by the brute force.

Some people try to compensate for a lack of control in their lives by exerting control over others. And there are certain circumstances where they manage to succeed. I don’t know what the solution is, since we’re talking about a psychological abnormality that afflicts countless people. But I can tell you one thing: After having my own mob-mentality experiences, I’m no longer comfortable in confining crowds, and so I steer clear for my own health. But in not adding to the mass of the chaos, I might be introducing an ounce of prevention that could make all the difference in the world regarding how far and hard that group swings.