Inoculate Yourself Against Social Contagion | Arthur C. Brooks writing in The Atlantic

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12 July 2024

SOCIAL CONTAGION + Reverse Social Contagion: Understanding the energetic consequences of highly integrated social behavior.

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Inoculate Yourself Against Social Contagion
Immersion in a collective experience can be wonderful, but it can also come at a cost

Illustration by Jan Buchczik.

August 1, 2024, 7 AM ET

By Arthur C. Brooks 

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In May, I visited the Portuguese village of Fatima, which is famous for its 1917 apparitions of the Virgin Mary. Today, it is a major shrine and a pilgrimage destination for millions of Catholics from all over the world, as well as for tourists interested in witnessing the phenomenon of a mass religious experience. Every night of the year, after the sun sets, thousands of people—each holding a lighted candle—proceed slowly around the shrine complex, singing prayers of praise and supplication.
Although I am a practicing Catholic, I am not much one for big group activities or movements, so I was hesitant to join the procession. Nevertheless, I did so on my first night in Fatima. I expected that I would observe the ritual with a social scientist’s gimlet eye. Instead, I found myself swept up and along, entering an almost trancelike state. All of our voices seemed to become one; our candles appeared to be a single flame

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About the Author

Arthur Brooks is a contributing writer at The Atlantic and the host of the How to Build a Happy Life podcast.

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