Categories History

7 days 30 days All time Recent Popular
Look at some historical examples of mass psychogenic illnesses: dancing plagues, laughing plagues, meowing nuns,

Here's a video on them:

They are interesting, but what is more interesting to me is Culture Bound Syndrome.
https://t.co/hMKaApUMZn

Basically: mass psychogenic illness, and presentation of various mental illnesses, do not occur in a vacuum. Cultures shape them.

For instance, Koro.

There have been several mass outbreaks of men completely convinced their penises are shrinking, anchoring them with string at night so they don't get sucked back inside.

Almost all in Southeast

Here's a description of one outbreak in Hainan in 1984: