Cosy Science event on the psychology of crowd behaviour

Everyone’s familiar with that classic Dad’s Army quote: “Don’t Panic!”

Of course, when the phrase is applied to real-life situations, it invariably invokes imagery of stampeding crowds hysterically trampling over terrified members of the public – frankly, a polar opposite to normal behaviour. But does this underlying psychological assumption of panic-stricken stampeding crowds hold any truth? In this sense, are mass emergencies mind altering?

Graihagh Jackson tagged along to a Cosy Science event, a monthly meeting organised by volunteers to discuss the latest scientific theories. In the cosy location she caught up with Dr Chris Cocking from the University of Brighton to ask him a few questions on the topic.