Social identity and health at mass gatherings

Abstract

Identifying with a group can bring benefits to physical and psychological health. These benefits can be found with both small‐scale and large‐scale social groups. However, groups can also be associated with health risks: A distinct branch of medicine (‘Mass Gathering Medicine’) has evolved to address the health risks posed by participating in events characterised by large crowds. We argue that emphasising either the positive or the negative health consequences of group life is one‐sided: Both positive and negative effects on health can occur (simultaneously). Moreover, both such effects can have their roots in the same social psychological transformations associated with a group‐based social identification. Reviewing evidence from across a range of mass gatherings, we offer a conceptual analysis of such mixed effects. Our account shows (i) how social identity analyses can enrich mass gathering medicine and (ii) how social identity analyses of health can be enriched by examining mass gatherings.

Risk and protective factors for mental health at a youth mass gathering

“…Indeed, neither study can conclusively rule out selection effects, whereby those young people who were most distressed were less likely to attend the mass gathering, less likely to complete the questionnaires, or more likely to leave early. Importantly though, our findings are consistent with a growing body of work that has found attendance at mass gatherings to have positive effects on wellbeing [19,56]. Indeed, the (small) evidence base on the psychology of mass gatherings suggests that a central reason why people take part in such events is that they represent collective celebrations of shared identity [16].…”

“…Although the social identity approach was developed and originally tested in the context of prejudice, stereotyping, and collective action, recently there has been a significant uptake of these ideas among health researchers [19,20], including in the context of mass gatherings.…”

Mass Gatherings, Health, and Well‐Being: From Risk Mitigation to Health Promotion

“…In contrast, other events’ norms may encourage healthier practices and discourage unhealthy practices. With regard to the encouragement of healthy practices, pilgrims at the Hindu Magh Mela must follow a simple low‐salt, low fat, vegetarian diet and must walk lengthy distances to bathe (Hopkins & Reicher, 2017). With regard to the discouragement of unhealthy practices, pilgrims at the hajj are expected to refrain from smoking.…”

Shared social identification in mass gatherings lowers health risk perceptions via lowered disgust

“…Still, the negative effects of norms and lowered health risk perceptions on health outcomes in mass gatherings have so far only been theorized. One factor other than norms believed to underpin negative health outcomes in mass gatherings, particularly health risk perceptions, is the disgust response (Hopkins & Reicher, , ). Disgust – a feeling of revulsion elicited by potential noxious stimuli – has been proposed to be an evolved defence mechanism to avoid others’ pathogens, especially strangers’ pathogens to which the immune system is likely ill‐prepared to fend off (Curtis, de Barra, & Aunger, ; Faulkner, Schaller, Park, & Duncan, ).…”