Are you lonely in a crowd? ⏲️ 6 Minute English

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!