SYSK Gets Weird Playlist: What is Collective Hysteria? | STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW

Hey everybody and welcome to the stuff. you should know gets weird playlist. This is another one of our quarterly. playlist everyone that we compile. because uh we found that people like us. sort of grouping things and bucketing. things and cataloging things into groups. of 10 to 12 and I think we have 11 of. them this time out and we're getting. started this week with the inaugural. episode of the stuff you should know. gets weird playlist with our episode. what is collective hysteria. So, please. give a listen and enjoy.

>> Welcome to Stuff You Should Know from. how stuffuffs.com. >> Hey, and welcome to the podcast. I'm. Josh Clark. With me as always is Charles. W. Chuck Bryant and Jerry's over there. to the left. And uh that makes this. stuff you should know. >> Got the A team. >> Yeah. in the hizzy. >> I call face.

>> What? >> Oh, I'm face. >> Oh, of course you're face. Look at you. I would be a combination of uh Murdoch. and Mr. T, I think. >> Yeah. Well, your hair is kind of spiky. in the middle today. >> Yeah. Jerry, I don't know what she'd be. >> Uh, >> I guess she'd be the leader. She'd be. Hannibal. >> Oh, yeah. >> You know, >> she is smoking a cigar right now. >> and wearing a black glove. >> When did you start smoking cigars, Jerry? >> That's weird. >> Very timely. I said A team. I don't want to slag off. guest producer null. He's not exactly B.

team. >> No, >> we'll just call ourselves the OG's. >> Okay, now that we have that established, we are the OGs. >> That's right. >> We need bowling shirts that say as much. on the back. >> You feeling good? >> I'm feeling uh nauseous and uh dizzy. >> Oh, well, Chuck, did you happen to see. somebody else who is nauseous and dizzy? Well, Jerry was last week and then a few. more people in the office. So, I just. figured we all had the same thing. >> All right. I'm gonna diagnose this. >> Okay. >> It's called collective hysteria,

>> also known, I think more appropriately, as mass psychoggenic disorder. >> Yeah. >> I think when you add the word hysteria. to this, it takes on certain dimensions. that a lot of people could find very. objectionable. >> Sure. >> You know, hysterics. Hysteria. It's like. um. >> dogs and cats living together. Yeah, but. I think it has it has a definite um uh. gender specific connotation to it from. over the years. Like women were.

supposedly very hysterical. So the the. idea of diagnosing somebody as. hysterical under any circumstances is. kind of tadamount to patting patting. them on the head. >> Yeah. Here nice lady, you're you're just. a little hysterical. You just go calm. down and bake something, >> right? Yeah. >> Stop being crazy. >> Yeah. >> Uh no. Mass psychoggenic disorder. instead is just kind of like, whoa, your. brain just did something pretty neat. >> Yeah. >> And that is the case for mass. psychoggenic disorder if you ask me. Um,

in this article, Chuck, uh, written by. Jacob Silverman, >> Jeopardy champion. >> Yeah. Well, he Yeah. Yeah. He won on. Jeopardy. That makes him a champion, right? >> Yeah, I think so. He wasn't like the the. ultimate champion, but he won a couple. of episodes, >> right? Which is why they should have a. word for a I guess like the champion is. like the one who won it all. >> Ken Jennings. >> Yeah. Or um Watson. >> Who's that? >> The IBM computer. >> Oh, yeah. Sure. So, Jeopardy winner. Jacob Silverman wrote this article years.

back and he did a pretty great job of. citing a uh contemporary. outbreak of mass psychoggenic disorder. that had been going on around that time. down in Mexico down Mexico way in Choco, Mexico at a a boarding school there. Uh. it apparently was a girls boarding. school. >> and the girls that went to school there. were ages 12 to 17 and all of a sudden. they started well there was an outbreak. >> Yeah. >> A weird outbreak. There was vomiting I.

believe trouble walking. Um there was. fever. >> Yeah. >> That's weird. >> Nausea. >> And so the the people running this. boarding school were like um what's. going on? This is not good. >> Yeah. >> Uh and they had no idea. The girls went. on Christmas break for 10 days, came. back, and the thing just took off again. like wildfire. >> Yeah. 600 of the 3,600 girls um showed. these symptoms and nobody could figure. it out. Um they did a lot of tests. They.

brought in people to like check out the. facilities and cuz as you'll see, there's a trend there. Um. >> you know, here in the West, they start. to blame it usually on um like. environmental poisoning of some kind, >> right? um you know there's some sort of. toxin present that has poisoned. everybody. >> but they didn't find anything there and. eventually um they said this is uh what. do you call it psychosmatic uh. >> mass psychoggenic disorder. >> okay mass psychoggenic disorder.

>> but no that is one of the one of the. names of mass psychoggenic disorder. collective hysteria mass hysteria or. mass psychossematic reaction. >> yeah they're all saying the same thing. they are. >> which is you're not well I was about to. say you're not really sick But that is. not exactly true because that's one. thing that differentiates this from. something that's just in your head is. you actually do manifest physical. symptoms, >> right? Yeah. There's this article. written by a MD named Timothy F. Jones. from the Tennessee Department of Health. way back in the heady days of 2000, the.

year 2000, the future. >> Wow. >> Um, and he writes that you, if you are. experiencing mass psychoggenic disorder, it is not just in your head. that the. symptoms that you have are actually very. real. Even though there's no toxic cause. that they couldn't find some sort of. environmental poisoning or anything like. that, the symptoms are extremely real. >> Yeah. >> It's just psychossematic. It's just. basically the brain has been tricked. into causing this response.

>> Yeah. And this has happened um they've. documented about 80 cases throughout. history and apparently the National. Institutes of Health uh gets about two. cases per week uh reported but um. >> which is I mean like that's that's way. more. >> common than than you would think you. know. >> Yeah I would think there'd be more than. 80 cuz I mean these have happened if you. go back and look at I mean there's all. sorts of crazy lists on the internet. about these cases that date back to like. the 14th century. >> Medieval dancing mania was one of them.

Yeah. The dancing plague. >> Yeah. >> Yeah. That's in there. >> Uh the Salem witchcraft trials. Sure. Or. the Salem witchcraft I guess what led to. the trials was um supposedly attributed. to this kind of thing. >> Yeah. Uh one weird thing about this. condition is. more times than not it is uh affects. females. >> Yeah. and young females, even more. specifically teenagers or even younger, >> which is as far as it goes right now.

inexplicable. Um, and it's kind of a. prickly issue. You know, like again, we. kind of come back to the idea of calling. it hysteria. >> Yeah. >> You know, the fact that it does tend to. afflict women or girls more than than. boys um is apparently one means of. diagnosing um psychoggenic disorder, mass psychoggenic. Yeah. That's like one. of the first things they'll say is like. all this the sickness is happening in. this place, the school, wherever. And. the doctor will say, "Is it a bunch of.

girls?". >> Yeah. >> And then that will clue them in that, hey, this might be what we're dealing. with here. >> And the but the problem is is no one has. any idea why. And there have been. explanations of things like um. I guess girls this is this is girls. culturally acceptable outlet for raging. against the patriarchy. >> Sure. >> Even if they don't necessarily feel that. that's what they're doing. This is their. their uh this is the symptoms of that.

That's one. >> Yeah. Uh I thought this is a pretty. interesting part. What article was that. from Slate? >> Uh there was Yeah. one called um. Masseseria in upstate New York by Ruth. Graham was on Slate. That was a good. one. It. >> was a really good one. We'll get to that. case in a sec, but um I thought it was. pretty interesting in one part. It says. um and this is a quote from someone. writing about something and said, "In. form, if not in conscious intent, it is. to protest the sexual repressiveness. rigid double standard of female teen. culture." Um but they were writing about.

Beetle Mania. >> Yeah. which is interesting because it's. sort of has a similar vibe of uh young. ladies being repressed um not having an. outlet and so they see the Beatles and. they go berserk right. >> and faint and cry and scream. >> Yeah. >> Uh collectively whereas boys they're. more prone to just act out if they're. not feeling good. Girls are trained to. keep things inward. And they also point. out that uh ladies and and young ladies. are more prone to seek a doctor's help.

for something. Uh they say that may. account for the bias right there, >> right? >> Like guys just won't go to the doctor. >> Exactly. You have to be careful though. in just diagnosing mass psychoggenic. disorder. You physicians out there who. are listening that encounter a case like. this. um it just by basing it on the. fact that it is affecting more girls. than boys because there's at least one. case in Great Britain where uh I think. girls were afflicted by more than half. more than double the number of girls.

were afflicted by this and it turned out. that there were tainted cucumbers being. served in in the lunchroom. >> Yeah. And and everyone knows boys hate. cucumbers. So I mean this they didn't. need any. >> right but this is one of the issues with. dealing with um mass psychoggenic. disorder and that it looks and acts a. lot like some sort of weird epidemic. that basically it looks like uh either a. um something like bioteterrorism. >> Yeah. >> Uh a rapidly spreading affection.

infection or affection if it's fetal. mania. >> and then acute toxic exposure. That's. what it looks like. It's like one person. gets sick. This is your index case. Yeah. And all of a sudden, everyone. around them suddenly has the same. symptoms. >> Yeah. And it's like you said, it's super. dangerous to just dismiss that as, oh, it's all in your head, silly little. ladies. Uh, you can't do that cuz what. if it is something for real? Uh, but it. it's also a double-edged sword as that. doctor pointed out. Um, you start.

ordering batteries of tests and it it it. can go both ways. It can um what the old. saying is if you order enough tests, you're going to find something, >> right? >> So, it can fuel that fire, but you also. can't not run any tests and just dismiss. it. Uh so, it's a very fine line that. physicians walk uh when dealing with. stuff like this. For sure. >> Indeed. Apparently, um study of mass. psychoggenic disorder has found that. it's more prevalent in isolated.

communities. Yeah. And in situations. where um there are highly rigid. formalized structured rules. >> like a Catholic school in Mexico. >> Exactly. Yeah. >> Um or again um Salem, Massachusetts in. the 17th century. >> Yeah. >> You know um and apparently between 1973. and 1993, half of all the outbreaks of. psychoggenic or psychoggenic illness. took place in schools. >> Oh yeah. So that that's possibly in part.

by due to kids being s susceptible to it. more, >> right? >> Um but also because of that that rigid. formalized structure. >> Yeah. And there's also usually a top. down effect like it'll start with a. teacher or an older student and then the. younger students follow suit which if. you're talking influence uh would make. sense for sure. There was one very. famous case um apparently there's not. very many actual academic studies on.

this. Yeah. But there's one that came. out of the New England Journal of. Medicine. >> Yeah. >> Um that that described a case in 1998 in. Tennessee where a teacher noticed um. some weird gas odor. A gassy odor. >> Yeah. >> Uh like the chemical kind. >> Yeah. Not like the guy on the front row. tooted. >> Right. Exactly. Um, and she apparently. started suffering symptoms. >> Uh, and all of a sudden like 180.

students and teachers had to go to the. emergency room. The school was shut down. for two weeks. They did all this. environmental testing, couldn't find. anything. Yeah. >> And finally traced it back to um. psychoggenic a mass psychoggenic. disorder. That's what did it. And then. everyone in most of these cases we. should point out everyone starts feeling. better. >> Yes. >> Like in Mexico and then the school in. Tennessee it's that it's not like they. went on to die or anything.

>> Yeah. So in the school in Mexico the. these girls were at a boarding school. Yeah. >> They were only allowed to see their. parents I think like three times a year. >> Yeah. They couldn't even call. It's like. it sounds more like a prison, >> right? No phone calls. They were allowed. letters. When they went home immediately. their symptoms cleared up. Yeah. >> The problem is that doesn't. automatically say, "Oh, well, it's. obviously mass psychoggenic disorder.". It could be an environmental toxin that. they being exposed to still, >> right, >> at the school and we're we're removed.

from, but I think the the um definite. prognosis is. >> mass psychoggenic disorder in this case. >> That's right. What we're talking about. is a sort of version of the noibo. effect, which we've talked about before, and we will get uh into that right after. this break. So, the noibo effect, we talked about. that in what? >> The placebo effect. >> Oh, well, that makes sense. >> Yeah, >> I was trying to be more clever. Thought.

we were more clever than that. >> No. >> Uh, nobo, I think we said in that other. podcast, too, is Latin for I shall harm. And that's basically, >> uh, whereas you take a placebo thinking. it's going to help you out, and it does. help you out, >> uh, because the mind is powerful. The no. SIBO effect is thinking something bad. will result. Like, my teacher's getting. sick. I think I feel a little sick, too. >> And then, oh wait, my neighbor's feeling. a little sick. I think I'm feeling a. little sick, too. >> Or this this drug trial that I'm on, I I. was told that I could possibly get some.

sort of gastrointestinal distress. >> Yeah. And even though I've been given a. sugar pill, right, >> I'm now going. >> Yeah. because of my mind, because of the. noibo effect. Uh there was a famous uh. experiment or case from 1886 where there. was a woman who had a rose allergy and. they showed her an artificial rose and. she began to I guess it was convincing. and she began to have her allergic. reaction and they said, "Aha, it's fake.

and you're faking." And uh she said, "Oh. well, I think I'm feeling better now.". And supposedly that cured her of her. real allergy to roses, >> right? >> I couldn't find a lot to back that up, but is it it is a story. >> Yeah. Well, no, it's a I mean, it was in. uh I can't remember the journal, but it. was Yeah, it was a real deal thing. And. um I don't I didn't get to the bottom of. why they presented this woman with a. fake rose or whatever, but they.

definitely did. And this definitely. happened. >> Yeah. And um the the even the the author. of the study was saying like this woman. she wasn't faking, >> right? >> It was like she she had real symptoms. >> Sure. Hives are hives. >> Exactly. >> You can see those. >> Um I think they call it like a rose cold. or something like that. >> You can get, you know, stuffy. Yeah. Your eyes are watering, your um your. nose is running, that kind of thing. And. what's interesting is some researchers.

have studied the noibo effect and they. basically is have isolated this this. chemical that gets released when the. noibo effects going on. And again, we. should say it's not just um making your. nose runny or releasing histamines or. anything like that. It's pain too. Like. you can you can experience pain even. though nothing's there to give you pain, right? >> Just because of the noibo effect. What. they found was a um a I guess a a.

hormone I believe. Are you ready? I'm. gonna try this one. Uh cholysistokin. >> That sounds great. >> Thanks, man. >> I haven't looked at the word, but it. sounds right. >> Cholecystokin. >> Yeah. >> Um. do you see it now? >> Oh, yeah. That's totally right. >> I totally did. So, it's a hormone, right? And it gets released and it. actually. um it helps you experience pain. >> Uhhuh. So it's a nasty little hormone. >> Yeah. >> But they found in testing with the the. noibo effect that if you block this, you.

can also block the noibo effect. So that. proves two things. >> Does that block pain though? Like your. pain receptors? >> Yes. >> So does that mean if you slam your hand. in a door, you won't feel it? >> If you can block this. >> Wow. >> Yes. So um if you can block. choleaccistokin, >> right? >> Uh it Yes. It will keep you from um. hyper sensitivity to pain, I believe. Yeah. And this guy named Fabrizio. Benadetti who I think was also in the. strokes back in 1997. >> There was a Fabriio, right?

>> Yeah. He uh he was testing out the noibo. effect and found that if he told people. that he was giving them an injection, which is it's a pretty cruel test but. effective. >> Yeah. >> These posttop people who had just come. out of surgery, >> uh were given an injection and told this. injection is going to increase your pain. in 30 minutes. I'm sorry, we have to. give it to you. It's part of the. procedure. >> Right. >> He gave uh some people an injection of. saline. >> and they reported an increase in pain.

>> and they all went behind the the two-way. mirror and laughed, >> right? They're like, "What a chump.". >> Watch him. Yeah. And then they gave. somebody like the other group, the. control group, uh a chemical, an. injection that blocks that pain, but. they were told that it was going to. increase their pain, right? But they. were given a chemical that blocks uh. cola cystokin. >> and the noibo effect didn't take place. They didn't report an increase in pain. >> even though they were told they would. >> Yes. >> Wow. >> So there so this guy is saying like.

>> the noibo effect is real like when when. they say it's not just in your head. Sure. >> It's you are experiencing the same thing. as if you were experiencing somebody. stabbing you. >> Well what is real? You know, that's when. you have to start asking yourself those. deep philosophical questions, >> right? >> Interesting. Um, there's uh another case. that's Have you ever seen the movie. Safe? The Todd Haynes movie with. Julianne Moore? >> No. It's from like uh the mid 90s and.

she played a lady that um started to. have environmental sickness um just in. the air and she got sort of like. increasingly um crazy as the movie went. on as far as scrubbing things and. locking herself in her house and making. her house a clean environment. >> Sounds great. >> Yeah, it was good. And um there's. there's a a true story though of a lady. in London um named Debbie Bird. She's a. health spa manager. >> Mhm. >> That says that she's allergic to uh EMF,

electromagnetic fields. And it's an. actual thing now. You know, there's more. than her claiming it's called ES, electromagnetic. sensitivity, where she has basically. transformed her house. She painted it. black. Uh she said she's allergic to. computers, cell phones, microwaves. She. had her house rewired. uh to make it basically EMF free. Uh she. and her husband sleep under a. silverplated mosquito net to keep out. radio waves and covered all her windows.

with protective films. And uh she said. she's feeling a lot better now. >> So I saw that ES electromagnetic. sensitivity that if you expose somebody. to a an electromagnetic field and then. just tell them that you are and don't. Yeah. they have the same reaction which. would suggest that it's it's no SIBO. >> Well, it's super fascinating because you. see cases like this from that to like. gluten sensitivity. >> becoming a big thing now. And people.

some people contend that well it's maybe. a collective hysteria going on. And if. you think you're going to be sensitive. to gluten, then you're going to be. sensitive to things that contain gluten. And I'm not saying that people because. that's a very hot topic. >> Sure it is. But um. some people have claimed that. >> Well, we'll talk a little bit more about. things that exacerbate the mass. psychoggenic disorder and the nobo. effect right after this. Stuff you should know.

Stuff you should know. >> So Chuck, back in 2007 in New Zealand, >> Yeah. >> uh a drug called uh elroxen, it was a. pretty widespread drug in in New. Zealand. It's a hormone replacement drug. and it was the only one that the. government would pay for. So most people. who were on this hormone replacement. therapy were using elroxen. And it had. been that way for like decades. Yeah. >> It was just an established drug. Glacos. Smith Klein. >> What was it for though?

>> Hormone replacement. >> Oh. Oh, okay. >> A Glacos Smith Klein. I think just those. there's no welcome involved. >> Um changed just the like the outer the. inner qualities of it like the shape of. the pill, the color. >> Yeah. >> Um and I think that's about it. But the. the active ingredient was exactly the. same in 2007. Uh, and when they released. it, all of a sudden some reports of bad. side effects were starting to trickle in.

and the government was like, "Wait, what's going on here?" It got a little. bit of media attention and more reports. started trickling in. Yeah. And then the. media attention grew and the reports. grew and grew and apparently the. reporting of adverse effects of elroxin. >> increased 2,000fold. in a year and a half. >> because of the look of the pill. >> Because of the look of the pill. Yeah. They they went back and studied this and. they found that in areas where there was.

more reporting about these adverse. effects being reported for elroxin, the. more adverse effects were being reported. in that area. And that kind of reveals. one of the um risk factors for mass. psychoggenic disorder is the media. It's. actually spread through the media most. easily. >> Yeah. It's they have a point though. I. mean um I know in this article too it. points out that uh pills that are blue. and green are usually associated with. drowsiness. Yeah. >> Uh pills that are orange or yellow are.

not. And uh I don't know if that's why. they market it that way or if it's the. opposite is we just see it that way. because of products like Nyquil and. Dayquil, >> right? >> But the one that makes you sleepy is. green and blue and the one that keeps. you awake or not keep you awake but. doesn't make you drowsy is orange. >> I thought about it. I think I mean what. do you associate with like daytime. sunrise, yellow, orange makes sense. >> What do you associate with nighttime? Like something tranquil like blue. >> Yeah. Scotch Scotch amber.

>> Uh yeah. you I mean you think of I. that's what I I I think it came from I. think the pills came after the. association rather than the other way. around. >> Yeah. I think I even like when I get a. prescription for something when I see. the pill I make a judgment on it before. I've even had it just by saying wow look. at that thing or that's yeah that's a. horse pill or that's a capsule with uh. you know powdery stuff inside that's. different than. >> the chalky one. It's you I think you.

just make an association. I don't think. I have any preconceived notions on what. a larger pill will do to me, right? >> Or a capsule will do to me uh other than. a tablet. But uh I think it's. interesting though how you make these. judgment calls, >> but without even thinking about it. >> Yeah, totally. >> You know, I mean like you're you're you. probably don't sit there and look at a. pill in your hand. You just take it and. just make some sort of um almost. unconscious judgments about it. >> Yeah. It may remind you of another pill. that helped you that you're not even. remembering. >> Exactly. So that would be placebo.

>> Yeah. >> That's great. >> Yeah. >> No SIBO effect. >> Not great. >> Poses No. And it poses a lot of. problems. For instance, >> there was a study, I think, in the '9s. that found that women who believed that. they were prone to heart disease were. four times likelier to die of heart. disease than women who didn't believe. they were prone to it, even though they. had all the exact same risk factors. basically the same risk risk factors. There was nothing differentiating these. women aside from a belief that they were.

going to die from heart disease or a a. belief that they weren't. >> Yeah. >> And that led to a four time four-fold. increase in in deaths. >> from that just basically from a belief. is what it suggests. >> Yeah. We Well, it's sort of like the the. I know it's kind of cheesy, but the PMA, the positive mental attitude. >> I think we've all know someone who walks. around, oh, so and so sick. Oh, I know. I'm going to get it. I just know I'm. going to get sick or, you know, I just. know I'm going to get cancer because it.

runs in my family. That I think that has. an effect on things. >> I I have to agree. I know some of our. more skeptical listeners will are. pulling their hair out right now, but I. totally agree with you. Yeah. >> When we did our show in Toronto, uh on. the way back, uh Yumi and I flew out of. Buffalo. >> and I was feeling a little down, but. like at the point where. >> I feel like you can talk yourself into. staying healthy. >> Yeah. Yeah. positive mental attitude, I. guess, is what you call it. >> BMA. >> But we were leaving right at about dusk. and the sun was just beaming through the.

windows and illuminating every single. >> Oh, no. >> microbe, visible microbe in the air. And. I could see them like just going into my. nose and my mouth. And I'm like, >> "Oh no.". >> I couldn't stop. Like I couldn't I was. like, "I'm not going to get sick. I'm. not going to get sick." And man, did I. ever get sick. Yeah. But I noticed that. right when we took off and No, you know. what it was? Somebody shut one of their. um their uh window covers. >> Yeah. Yeah. The shade.

>> Shade. Exactly is the word that I was. looking for. Somebody shut their shade. and I couldn't see it anymore and I. immediately started to feel less. symptomatic. Wow. >> Immediately. It was like turning off a. light. Yeah. and I still got sick, but I. was just drowning in in basically what. my brain was interpreting is like being. assaulted by foreign invaders, which I. am all the time, but I normally can't. see them. >> Yeah. Well, I've done I do that all the. time when I'll open my uh the curtains. in in the bedroom and I'll see in the. morning I'll see that stuff in the air.

and I just think, "Oh man, that's what. I'm walking around breathing in.". >> Yeah. Dog hair and cat hair and. >> Emily hair. So your lungs are just chalk full of it. So one of the one of the problems this. poses, Chuck, for physicians is that we. expect doctors or we want doctors to be. transparent, to not lie to us. >> Yeah, we've talked a lot about this. lately. I feel like. >> Yeah, we've talked a lot about diseases. Some of our um hypocchondric listeners.

have been like, "Please stop talking. about diseases because now I've got. morgolons. I'm gonna have like some sort of toxic. exposure. >> Toxoplasmosis. >> Yep. Um and then very soon leprosy. >> Spoiler. So, uh the the problem is is if. you tell somebody that's going into. surgery, hey, by the way, um you know, you you might have trouble walking. Yeah. You might feel nauseous for the.

next six months. You like all this stuff. that could be associated with which we. demand from our doctors. Yeah, >> it's been shown that if you are fearful. or in despair going into surgery, that's. associated with longer healing times and. a higher risk of post-operative. infection. Yeah. >> Right. So, if you have the noibo effect. where doctors are saying, okay, if I. tell somebody and it's been proven time. after time, Yeah. that in drug trials, people who are still are given placebo. will drop out of drug trials because.

they're experiencing these negative side. effects. >> even though they're given the sugar. pill. Right? >> So, if you're a doctor and you you know. that you are telling somebody something. that ultimately may end up harming them. and yet you've sworn an oath to do no. harm, you've got a conundrum going on. right now. Yeah. >> And that's what the noibo effect poses. It's the problem the noibo effect poses. for modern physicians. Like how much. should they tell you? If you're going to. tell somebody that they're going to feel.

nauseous for 6 months, even though they. probably won't. >> Yeah. >> Should you tell them. >> and give them a chance to to basically. have the psychosmatic symptom. >> or tell them they're going to feel. great. >> Well, that's another one. Somebody says. the solution to this is just frame it. differently, right? >> Like don't say there's a chance you're. going to have um nausea for 6 months. Say half of a percent of patients who go. through the same procedure that you're. about to go through have nausea for six. months. 99.5%.

don't. >> Right. >> You're giving them the same information. It's just frame more positively. >> Yeah. And uh that one doctor who wrote. the article on collective hysteria said. um what he recommends is not naming. uh the illness. He said that can help. out. Um because as soon as you give. something a name, then. it just instantly, you know, you have. something you can call it and everyone's. calling it that or the media picks up on. it, >> right? >> And it's a thing. >> Yeah. And that's actually again one of. the one of the risk factors in the.

spread of mass psychoggenic illness is. the larger the response, the emergency. medical response to it. Yeah. And then. hence the larger the media response to. it, the larger the outbreak tends to be. It's called line of sight exposure. Yeah. Just knowing somebody is sick or. seeing somebody's sick can give you the. same symptoms. >> I'm sure if you see a news story that. all the other news agencies are running. that says uh there's been some weird. chemical leak in the air in Atlanta. >> Uh people are going to start walking.

around and coughing. >> right. >> and saying I'm not feeling so good. I. have a bitter taste in my mouth. >> There's microbes everywhere. >> Well, here's a case uh from that article. you sent that I think is super. fascinating. uh the one in upstate New. York. Yeah. Because it is not a rash or. >> um a cough or nausea. It is Tourett. syndrome. A 16-year-old um young lady. named Lorie Bronwell uh what year was. this? A couple years ago. >> Yeah, not too long ago. I think 2012.

>> Um in Corinth, New York um was at her. school's homecoming dance and lost. consciousness. Um this is after she had. banged at a concert. >> Sorry, man. I thought you were going to. leave out like the best part. Yeah, she. was headbanging at a concert. I wish I. knew what concert that was. So, >> me too. I didn't find it anywhere. >> Uh, apparently passed out there and had. passing outfits. Uh, involuntary. twitching and clapping started twisting. her hair, fluttering her fingers. Uh, hey, hey, hey. Starting stuff like that. Yeah. And the doctor said, "You know.

what? You've got Tourette's syndrome.". >> So, Tourette's syndrome is is we've had. a podcast on. It's a real thing. It's. not psychosmatic. Um but uh since that. time 14 other students along with her 13. girls and one boy started exhibiting at. Loy Junior High School I'm sorry junior. senior high school started coming down. with Tourette's. >> right which is not contagious. >> It is not contagious at all. Um Aaron. Brockovich got on the case um famous. environmental activist and she said no I.

think this is got to do with this train. derailment from 1970 that dumped cyanide. all over this town. Right. >> Um, and I didn't see where they found. any uh legitimate effects. >> Right. Again, that's the confounding. thing about mass psychoggenic disorder. is that it is still possible that there. is some weird toxin in the environment. that is causing this. Like maybe there. was exposure to cyanide that got in. these people's brains and all gave them.

Tourett. And if you stand back and look. at it, you're like, Tourett syndrome. isn't contagious. That doesn't mean that. you can't all come down with Tourette's. syndrome from exposure to a toxin. It's. just still it's this X factor that's out. there that you can't just necessarily. rule out with. >> comp. Yeah. And I believe in that case. too, the um those 14 students didn't end. up with Tourette's syndrome. >> That was a good episode, man. Love. Tourette's syndrome one. >> Yeah, that's an oldie. Yeah, >> oldie but a goodie.

And it all came from headbanging. >> That's how it started. >> That mess. >> at a Nickelback show. >> Yeah, because Corinth is near Canada. Canada doesn't let Nickelback out any. longer. >> Oh, really? Are they caged in there? >> Yeah. >> Nice. Uh there's another case of the. toxic lady. Did you hear this one? In. Riverside, California, a woman named. Gloria Ramirez. Um. >> yeah, >> she was dubbed the toxic lady in 1994. Uh she had cervical cancer and was being. treated and all the medical staff.

started to get sick that was treating. her. Um this sounds gross but they said. her body exuded a garicky fruity smell. >> and her blood had uh flexcks of what. looked like paper. >> Um which sounds kind of like morgolons. actually. >> Nice. >> You like that? >> Yeah. >> Um and they said that most of the people. that got sick while treating her were. women. uh more women than men and they. all took a blood test and came back. normal and the health department said. mass hysteria. >> So that's funny because I looked I.

remembered that story and I was like I. wonder if that was mass hysteria and I. looked it up and I found that no it was. an environmental toxin. >> Oh it was. >> that's what I found. So they called it. massary at the time and then later found. out. >> I think like a year or two later she was. using some sort of sav or something on. her skin and they think that it. interacted with her biochemistry and. really did produce tox a toxic gas. >> She said it may be this fruit garlic. sav. >> Right. Exactly. That's interacting badly. with my pancreas.

>> Oh well uh this list needs to be. updated. >> That that dude that is a fascinating. case. It is like people got really sick. from that. I think I remember hearing. about that too. >> Yeah. >> Well, I'm glad they found a real cause. in that case. >> from what I understand. But that's. that's that's the point. Like you can. say, well, obviously there's women were. more affected than men. Yeah. Right. Well, is that because there's more women. in the nursing profession and there were. more nurses in the room. >> Yeah. Maybe. >> there's a lot of different things you. have to take into account before you. just write it off. Sometimes it is real.

like sick building syndrome. Yeah, >> that's a tough one because in after the. uh OPEC oil embargo. >> Uhhuh. >> apparently people started designing. buildings to be more airtight. So your. ventilation ventilation system was. really important. >> Yeah. >> And these buildings haven't aged. necessarily very well. So the. ventilation system is not doing what. it's supposed to any longer. And so they. think possibly that's leading to what we. know as sick building syndrome, which is. malaise. >> It's when you don't feel good when you.

go to work. >> Exactly. which is everybody. >> But some studies have found like no that. is the better predictor of sick building. syndrome is job stress or job. dissatisfaction. >> Yeah. >> Um if you have a building full of people. who don't like their jobs, you're going. to have a building full of people with. sick building syndrome. But if you go on. to say like a a local government's. website or whatever and you look at sick. building syndrome, it's a it's treated. as a real thing. >> Yeah. Well, it definitely affects your. gastrointestinal like stress does. Also, apparently it can um set off bouts of.

asthma. >> Yeah. >> Um which is another reason why they. think it might have something to do with. like volatile organic compounds in the. ventilation system or new carpeting, that kind of stuff. >> Yeah. Offging, man. You you smell that. stuff when you open up a new product, right? >> Yeah. There's also the dancing plague, which we mentioned briefly. >> Tell me about it. uh Fra Trophia uh July 14th, 1518 went. out on the streets of Strasburg, France. and started dancing even though there. was no music and dancing like a maniac.

for three straight days and all these. people started dancing with her. Yeah. >> Saying this is a good time. um said. within a month a 100 people were uh. dancing with her and couldn't stop and. uh hyperventilating, hallucinating, some. dropped dead of heart attack and stroke. and exhaustion. And the uh authorities. said, "Let's just hire a band and let. them dance it out cuz they've got the. hot blood is what they called it.". >> All right. >> And so they did. And um a lot of people.

died as a result. It said 400 people in. the end were struck. uh I don't think. they died but were dancers. >> right. >> and then it just stopped and that's one. they blame a lot of people blame on. urgot poisoning which we've mentioned. before. >> always go with urgot poisoning like. those people are clearly tripping on. something. >> they got the hot blood. >> but what it sounds like you just. described is basically how Tom Hanks. invented jogging in the 70s. >> jogging. >> oh yeah he just started running and. people started following him I. >> I wish that part had been cut out of.

that movie. >> Oh really. >> yeah I thought that it was a weird thing. that should have been on the editing. room floor. It really kind of derailed. things for a while for me. >> Yeah. >> I don't think that movie's aged well. though. >> Other people say though that it was uh. Sidenham's Cora, a disorder linked to strep throat and. rheumatic fever that causes dance-like. twitches. Um and then of course modern. medical historians say it was mass. psychosis. >> I would go with that one. >> Yeah. I mean, back then it made more.

sense though when during the Salem witch. trials and before they knew anything. about medicine and you could just say. you got the hot blood. >> or you're having the fits like. >> these are the devils possessed you. >> Yeah, exactly. These modern cases are. the ones that really freak me out. because so much is explainable now. >> Well, here's the thing though, Chuck. We've always explained it with something. that comes easily to mind. So, back in. the day before science and medicine, Yeah. It was the devil possessing you. Yeah. And don't think that people.

weren't freaked out when they thought. that the devil was there in town. possessing people in the same way that. you know you're freaked out by the idea. that it's cyanide in the soil from a. train derailment from 1970 mania. Just. exactly which is the deadliest of all. the manas. >> But it's just as real. >> Yeah. >> To the experiencer. And it all comes. down to people just basically being sick. of the establishment and letting loose. for a while. don't want to go to work. >> Nice.

>> So, I'll dance. >> You got anything else? >> Uh, no, sir. >> Uh, if you want to know more about. collective hysteria, which is the name. of this article, type those words in the. search bar at house stuffworks.com and. it will bring it up. And I said search. bar, which means it's time for listener. mail. >> I'm going to call this um. episode on grief. We got a lot of great. feedback and that continue uh they. continue to roll in. >> Yeah. Hey guys, just stumbled upon your. podcast through my TuneIn Radio app. Uh,

I guess that's a mini plug. We're. available there now. >> Um, I've devoured almost all of uh the. 600 plus shows. I may be a new listener, but I'm already a lifelong fan. So, why. I'm writing in, guys, is I lost my twin. sister back in 2010. Uh, it was a rough. time because as a fraternal twin, me. being the boy, I looked at her not only. as a sister, but as a mother and friend, too. Long story short, I wanted to. comment on the grief show some time ago. I've dealt with my grief uh through my. artwork. Uh I'm a small town artist from.

Johnson City, Tennessee, and I rarely. can get noticed or any attention with my. art. I wanted to share my new piece I've. just finished uh after listening to how. comic books work. I'm a huge fan of. Marvel comics, and I hope you both enjoy. this. And he sent this really cool I. think it was like every member of the. Marvel universe had to be in this. picture that he did. I didn't see that. one. It's really, really neat. just. jam-packed full of Marvel comic heroes. and villains. Um, so Josh and Chuck, thanks for the inspiration, laughs, and. getting through every day at the office. Uh, PS, my twin Jessica passed away from.

epilepsy, actually, a condition called. SUEDP, sudden unexplained death of. epilepsy. My mother is trying to raise awareness. because November is epilepsy awareness. month. So, if you guys wouldn't mind. mentioning this on the show, she would. be so happy for that. >> Yeah. >> Also, an epilepsy show would be cool, too. Um, not a lot is discussed about. it. And that is Jason Flack. And Jason, uh, I wrote you back. That is. heartbreaking about your twin sister. >> Yeah, I did. >> Very sorry to hear that. Um, and we will.

definitely do a show on epilepsy. And. since this is November though, uh, people should go out and find out what. they can during National Epilepsy Month. >> Yeah. >> We'll follow up with the show. I don't. know if it'll be in November, but we'll. get to that one for sure. >> Yeah. >> And thanks for that piece of art. And if. anyone's interested in a great comic. book artist from Johnson City, Tennessee, do a lot worse than Jason Flack. >> Jason, thank you very much for sharing. that with everybody. That means a lot to. us. Uh, if you want to share with us and. all of our listeners out there, you can.

tweet to us at syskodcast. You can join us on facebook.com/stuffyou. should know. You can send us an email. with attached artwork to. stuffpodcast@ousstuffworks.com. And as always, join us at our home on. the web, stuff you should know.com. For more on this and thousands of other. topics, visit howstuffworks.com.