Ep. 42: Hysterias!

Throughout the many years humans have been on this Earth, we've always been prone to one problem (among many): mass hysterias.Mass hysterias are sociological and psychological phenomena that transmit collective illusions of threats (whether real or imaginary) through a population and society as a result of rumors and fear. Basically--a shared bout of insanity, usually centered around one thing.In this episode Carrie takes us through 4 of the most confounding historical hysteria cases around the world, including:...The 1518 Dancing Plague, where 400+ townsfolk danced, danced, danced until they died (?)...The Spring-Heeled Jack Paranoia, when 1800s London was haunted by a supernatural attacker...The Mad Gasser of Mattoon Panic, a conspiracy from the 1940s where residents of the town of Mattoon IL were convinced they were being anesthetized by a phantom trickster...And the 2016 Clown Sightings Craze, when people around America and the globe started seeing creepy clowns everywhere they looked!What causes a mass hysteria? Why and how do they spread even in such bizarre cases as these? And what madness will be next? Dive into these hysterias throughout history to find out!________________________________________Connect with us on social media:Facebook: www.facebook.com/aintitscaryTwitter: @aintitscaryInstagram: @aintitscaryPatreon: www.patreon.com/aintitscary___________________________________________Thank you to our sponsors:BetterHelp - Special offer for Ain’t it Scary? listeners: Get 10% off your first month at www.betterhelp.com/aintitscaryAudible - Get a FREE audiobook and 30-Day Free Trial at www.audibletrial.com/aintitscaryBarkBox - Enjoy a FREE month of BarkBox on us when you sign up for a 6 or 12-month BarkBox subscription! Visit www.barkbox.com/aintitscary for more detailsHunt a Killer - Receive 20% off your first Hunt a Killer subscription box at www.huntakiller.com with the code SCARYSQUAD at checkout!--- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/aintitscary/support Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices