What Causes ‘Silence’ in a Crowd?

Sometimes, when a group is together, they can all decide to be quiet at the same time. It's like when you and your friends are playing a game and suddenly everyone stops talking, it feels magical, but it just takes one person to start being quiet, and then others follow.

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Examples

At the end of a concert, everyone suddenly stops talking when the lights go out.
During a classroom test, one student looks at their paper and starts being quiet, soon the whole class follows.
When you're playing hide-and-seek with your friends, they all freeze silent when someone finds you.

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Categories: Psychology · crowd behavior,psychology of silence,group dynamics