You can catch a disease if it's contagious, but surprisingly, you can catch a behavior
too.
Suicides, homicides and mass shootings are ALSO contagious…
😬
We're all familiar with the idea that the flu is contagious.
I sneeze on you, you get the virus, and you get sick.
But behaviors can also be contagious, and for a number of reasons.
Yawning is agreat example.
Simply SAYING yawn can trigger yawning -- did you yawn yet?
*YAWN* That's a contagious behavior, if an innocuous one.
Scientists THINK it has to do with the empathy, the understanding and sharing the feelings
of another, but after a major study in 2014 they're still scratching their heads.
Speaking of scratching, me talking about itches might make you itch… do you have one?
Itching behavior is ALSO contagious, and so is laughter; especially when things are awkward!
Laugh tracks are Hollywood's way of triggering that empathetic humor response!
In one study, researchers from the University of Hawaii showed videos of people describing
a positive or negative memory and when showing that video they found people FELT more akin
to the nonverbal emotion the person was feeling, not the things they were saying.
Basically, if you feel emotion when talking to a person, it's possible the person is feeling
the same emotion!
Our brain's contain mirror neurons which are specifically for mimicking the behavior of
our social peers.
When people watch sports and see a player throw the ball, their brain sends signals
to their arm that mimic that movement; it's both psychological AND physiological.
Unfortunately, this can go well beyond sports or movies.
Research on "suicide contagion" is as old as recorded history.
As much as five percent of all suicides may be a result of contagious behavior.
When suicides happen in school, or when celebrities commit suicide, suicide clusters begin usually
in teens and young adults.
Gladwell wrote extensively about contagious behavior in his book, The Tipping Point.
We're social animals, so when we see behavior happening, we emulate it; physiologically,
emotionally and, apparently, violently.
Since 1991, the rates of murder, robbery, rape, assault are all down…
In fact, these crimes are lower today than at any time in the last 50 years.
The number of mass shootings, however, has sharply increased since 2000 according to
the FBI.
There are now an average of around 16 mass shootings a year in the U.S.; or perhaps as
many as one every 12.5 days depending how you count them.
Using this data, a paper in PlosONE found on average, one school shooting inspires point-22
more school shootings; and a mass shooting inspires point-3 more mass shootings peaking
every 13 days.
Mathematically, if you have 4 mass shootings in a short period, chances are one of those
was inspired by one of the others.
When shootings include more than three people, it was more sensational, had increased media
coverage, and could then be considered a contagious behavior.
Combating the negativity of contagious behavior may be as simple as holding each other accountable
for our actions before we get there- Being open, clear and honest about the negative
effects.
For example, after Kurt Cobain's suicide in 1991 the media focused on the effect on his
surviving family, and the sadness of his friends and fans -- LOWERING the suicide rate.
This was shocking, but made sense.
A positive behavioral contagion beat the negative one.
Health researchers have long studied peers positive motivation being contagious in exercise
and healthy habits.
Perhaps these darker behaviors are susceptible as well.
There hasn't been a ton of research on gun violence in the U.S., in part because Congress
banned federal funding for gun violence research in 1997; that ban remains in place today,
however, if more research can uncover HOW violent behavior like suicide and mass killing
is contagious; the implications are huge!
As usual, more research is definitely needed.
One of my other shows, TestTube News has talked a lot about gun violence and mass shootings
in the past, so make sure you check that video
out here.
But on a happier note, NASA is about to fly-by Pluto and we're doing a live Google Hangout
with our space producer Ian O'Neill and a special guest INSIDE MISSION CONTROL.
It's going to be awesome.
Come join on July 14 at 1pm Pacific 4pm Eastern and RSVP on the event page for a reminder!
There's a link in the description too!