Millions of people will be seeking totality for Monday’s solar eclipse. Some warn of a “zombie apocalypse,” as hordes strain the resources of towns more accustomed to hosting pancake breakfasts than Coachella-size events.
Don’t worry. Here are three reasons human-behavior researchers say that you made the right decision to experience the eclipse in a crowd – even if the portable toilets overflow.
Emotional Intensity
Why is it that excitement can feel so much more intense when we’re in a group with others feeling the same emotion? Fergus Neville, a social psychologist at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland, believes this results from seeing our emotions reflected in the faces of others, which validates our own experience and amplifies the intensity of our feelings.
Using surveys and heart-rate measures, he has measured this magnification process.