10 Bizarre Episodes of Mass Hysteria in World’s History
Meowing nuns, a laughter epidemic, Pokemon-induced epilepsy, and more
I was reading about the rise of teenagers suffering from muscle spasms and ‘tics’ on social media. This situation has been the center of the debate concerning the possibility of some of these teenagers mimicking the behavior of each other and influencers, like Billie Eilish, a star who recently opened up about her Tourette’s.
I am certainly not qualified to comment on the case, but it caused me to be intrigued. Something similar happened a few years ago: American schoolchildren started to unconsciously mimic the ‘tics’ of a colleague with Tourette’s in such a serious level that they were hospitalized. The reason? A bizarre case of mass hysteria.
Mass hysteria: when people manifest physiological symptoms in the absence of a physical cause of illness, and which may appear in reaction to psychological distress. — Definition by Medical News Today
Following this, I researched and discovered other remarkable episodes of hysteria epidemics across the ages, including meowing nuns, a laughter epidemic, Pokemon-induced epilepsy, and more. I was so mesmerized by some of the stories I had to share them.
1. The Meowing Nuns, Middle Ages
