Selects: What Is Collective Hysteria?

In this episode, Josh and Chuck explore the bizarre phenomenon of collective hysteria, also known as mass psychogenic disorder—a real medical condition where groups of people experience genuine physical symptoms with no identifiable physical cause. They dig into fascinating historical and contemporary cases, from a Mexican boarding school where hundreds of girls suddenly became ill to a New York high school where students inexplicably developed Tourette Syndrome symptoms, examining how stress, media coverage, and the power of suggestion can trigger very real physical reactions in otherwise healthy people. The guys also investigate the nocebo effect, showing that our beliefs and fears can literally make us sick, and discuss the tricky ethical dilemma doctors face when deciding how much to tell patients about potential side effects.