Have you ever felt chills ripple through your body as a stadium erupts in cheers, cried while singing along with strangers at a concert or been swept up in the energy of a protest? There’s an electric, bigger-than-yourself feeling that comes when emotions sync up in a group and ordinary moments start to feel extraordinary.
It turns out there’s a sociological term for this kind of experience: collective effervescence. And its impact is greater than people even realize.
So how exactly does collective effervescence work? Below, experts break down what you should know about it.
What is collective effervescence?
“Collective effervescence is an experience that we sometimes have when we’re in a crowd of people when there’s a strong feeling of connection to others and a feeling of sacredness, that something special is happening,” said Shira Gabriel, a psychology professor at SUNY University at Buffalo who is working on a book about the power of collective effervescence.
