Is the human brain life’s biggest mystery? Panic at Heathrow over an imagined chemical spill shows that social contagion can still cause harm.
Airport shutdown case of ‘mass hysteria’
Public paranoia: Mass hysteria, as seen in the medieval dancing plague of Strasbourg, the convulsive fits of biting nuns, and the paranoia of the Salem witch trials, can also manifest in modern times, as seen in the recent panicked evacuations at Heathrow Airport (top left). Glossary
Noxious - Poisonous or very unpleasant.
Psychogenic - Originating from or caused by a mental state or condition, rather than a physical one.
Delusions - Believing something even though it is clearly not true.
Hysteria - A state of uncontrollable emotional excess, such as overwhelming fear or excitement, leading to irrational behaviour or a loss of control.
Toxin - A poisonous substance that is produced by a living organism, such as a plant, animal, or bacterium.
Positive Feedback Loop - A process where the result of an action amplifies or reinforces that same action, causing a cycle of increasing change in the same direction.