Collective Effervescence

Let me begin by stating that the term collective effervescence has nothing to do with the soft drink industry or human, cow, or any other creature’s flatulence. Just thought I’d clear the air here, so to speak. Collective effervescence is the energy that radiates from a crowd and the sense that sometimes a crowd can seem like more than the sum of its parts. I've felt this surging across the streets of downtown Chicago snugly encased shoulder to shoulder among others in crowds of busy pedestrians. No need to look at the light, just go with the crowd, a crowd with a unified purpose. I've driven in Chicago’s crazy traffic too and I know I was safer with the crowd. Some think that to be part of a crowd equals conformity and means giving up one’s individual identity. The other school of thought says that crowds are critical to society and help us form our sense of identity and relationships toward others. Can collective effervescence even positively influence our physical well-being? Psychologists think it can because shared identity (with the rest of the crowd) can lead to support and cooperation and positive emotions that make you more resilient and healthier. The downside of crowds has also been considered, crowd violence. There again you have a crowd with purpose, though this time a negative one. Sometimes a crowd of bystanders (with a different purpose) can produce a calming effect and extinguish violence. We can find many instances of this kind of crowd behavior too. Then there are with social media and the rise of the internet, the virtual crowds, I am thinking crowd sourcing. I wonder what psychologists will conclude about them in the future.