Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC
Learning English. I’m Sam.
And I’m Neil.
There was a huge crowd of people waiting
at the train station this morning, Neil.
When the train finally arrived, everyone
rushed in and I couldn’t find a seat!
I hate crowds!
But you love going to the football
match on Saturday...
Ah, that’s different – more like a big
group of friends...
Well, whether it’s sporting events, train
stations or political protests, crowds –
that's large groups of people who
gather together for a shared activity,
are a feature of life. For some,
crowds create feelings of excitement
and a sense of community, while
for others they feel uncomfortable,
confusing, or even dangerous.
So why is that?
In this programme, we’ll be
discussing the role of crowds in
modern life, asking why they evoke
different reactions in people.
And, as usual, we’ll be learning
some new vocabulary as well.
But first, I have a question
for you, Neil. The biggest crowd
in history happened in 2019 when
over 200 million people gathered in
the northern Indian city of Allahabad.
But what did so many people
come together for? Was it:
a) a cricket match
b) a religious festival or
c) an election?
Well, I know Indians love cricket, but
I doubt 200 million people would
fit into a stadium! I’ll guess
it’s c) an election.
OK, Neil. We’ll find out the answer later
in the programme. People gathering for
a cricket match, or a music concert
are usually happy events. But crowds
can have a darker side as well – they
can become out of control and
sometimes even violent. Here’s,
psychologist, Professor John Drury,
discussing this idea with, Anand Jagatia,
presenter of the BBC World Service
programme, appropriately
named, CrowdScience.
When people get together in a crowd,
they regress psychologically, their
thinking is more primitive, they
become more gullible, and that's
also associated with the supposed
tendency towards violence as well.
But according to John, the idea of
mob mentality, that people in crowds
are irrational and prone to destructive
behaviour, just isn't backed up by research.
One view is that when people
get together in a crowd, they
become irrational. Psychologically speaking,
they regress – they return to a less
advanced, more primitive way of behaving.
They may also become more gullible,
an adjective meaning easily tricked
or willing to believe everything someone says.
Connected to this is the phrase mob
mentality - the tendency of people in a
group to behave in the same way as
others in the group rather than as
individuals. In crowds, people may
do things they would never do alone,
like steal or use violence.
But according to Professor Drury,
in reality it’s not mob mentality and
violence, but rather feelings of safety
and togetherness that actually
characterise crowds. And according
to Dr Anne Templeton, another expert
on crowd psychology from the University
of Edinburgh, that’s especially true when
you identify with the other people in a crowd.
Here is Dr Templeton explaining more to
BBC World Service programme, CrowdScience.
The more people feel like they are part
of a group with others in the crowd,
the more enjoyable experience they have.
There's a correlation between having that
social identification and feeling safer.
So, often if we feel like we are in a group
with others, we expect them to
look after us. The flip side of that is when
you don't feel as much part of the group,
and you're not having a positive experience.
Dr Templeton thinks there is
a correlation – that’s a connection,
or a link – between being among people
who share your values, and feeling safe.
Football fans cheer their team on by wearing
the same colours, and singing the same songs,
and this works as a kind of glue, bonding
the crowd together and
making them feel safe.
The disadvantage of this, however, is when
you don’t feel part of the crowd you’re with.
Dr Templeton calls this the flip side - the
opposite, less good or
less pleasant aspects of something.
In today’s world, crowds are important
because of the feeling of power
they give us. It’s one thing sitting alone
shouting at the news on television, but
it’s something else altogether to march
on a political protest with hundreds
of demonstrators, feeling that together
you could change the world. Maybe
that’s what everyone
was doing in 2019, Sam?
Right, in my quiz question I asked you
why 200 million people gathered
in the Indian city of Allahabad in 2019.
I guessed it was to vote in an election.
Was I right?
You were wrong, I’m afraid, Neil!
In fact, the biggest crowd in history had
gathered for a Hindu religious festival,
the Kumbh Mela, which 220 million
people attended over fifty days.
OK, let’s recap the vocabulary we’ve
learned from this programme
on crowds – large numbers of people
who gather together for a shared reason.
To regress means return to less advanced,
more primitive behaviours.
Regress is the opposite of ‘progress’.
Someone who is gullible is easily tricked,
and will believe anything people say.
The phrase, mob mentality describes
the tendency of people in a group to
behave in ways that conform with
others in the group rather
than as individuals.
A correlation is a connection or
a link between two things.
And finally, the flip side of something
means those aspects of it which are
less obvious, good, or pleasant.
The flip side of this programme is that,
once again, our six minutes are up!
Bye for now!
Bye bye!