'The Bystander Effect'- pt1-Exploring The realms of Neuroscience my way.

 

The Bystander Effect refers to a phenomenon where the presence of other people discourages an individual from intervening during an emergency, such as bullying or a crime. The more people there are, the less likely it is that any one of them will provide help to a person in distress. Although it may seem like just a concept, Neuroscience has identified this as a significant phenomenon. In this blog, we will explore the concept of the Bystander Effect and its impact on our lives. 

Did you know that the Bystander Effect is a fascinating concept? Essentially, it shows how our brains tend to react when we're in a group of people and we witness something happening. We might feel like we have less responsibility to help out (because there are more people around), or we might be worried about what others will think if we do help (evaluation apprehension). And sometimes, we might even think that because no one else is doing anything, it must not be an emergency (pluralistic ignorance). It's like our brains are saying "Take it easy, someone else will handle this". Pretty smart. Brain, Pretty Smart!

Let's explore the science behind this phenomenon. Sympathy is a response that involves feelings of compassion and care for another person, while personal distress is an automatic reaction that relates to the observer's self-oriented discomfort and distress. Unlike personal distress, helping behaviour driven by sympathy is not influenced by social factors such as social evaluation or reward. Your brain tends to choose comfort over empathy and gratification because it can see that people are there to support you, and you're not going to be blamed. It chooses to play it safe autonomously.

Understanding the psychological phenomenon of bystander apathy can help us learn how to respond constructively in emergencies. The serotonin neurotransmitter system, which modulates our behavioural inhibition, plays a crucial role in this phenomenon. Helping behaviour is affected by this variation, and dispositional levels of social inhibition mediate this relation. During bystander situations, individuals go through a five-step process: (a) capturing the potential emergency's attention, (b) evaluating the emergency, (c) deciding on responsibility, (d) believing in competence, and ultimately (e) deciding to help or not. However, these calculations in the decision-making process do not necessarily have to occur at a reflective, cognitive level and can also reflect the outcome of reflexive or intermediate processes.

Higher levels of personal distress decrease helping behaviour when the possibility of escaping the situation is easy. Therefore, bystander apathy occurs as an inhibitory response, leading people to try to avoid the situation, but this is not a conscious decision. It comes reflexively. However, it can be altered according to the demands of the situation. Understanding the bystander apathy phenomenon can help us learn to respond constructively in emergencies. By being aware of our reflexive responses and actively cultivating a willingness to help, we can overcome the inhibitory reflexes and act positively in emergencies.

Where else we can apply the concept of the Bystander effect in our lives?

Imagine our Brain can deprioritize an emergency because it might cause discomfort to you, so it can also ignore your required involvement in little things of daily life and social relationships which in reality are of great significance. Sometimes, it can be difficult to initiate a conversation with someone because our brain may think that the person is already engaged in another conversation. But the reality could be that the person is waiting for us to strike up a conversation and not doing so might lead them to misunderstand our intentions. It's important to understand that the impressions we leave on others can shape their perception of us. 

In situations where we need to take action, such as social gatherings, our brain might hold us back because we are not the centre of attention and there are many other people present. This can certainly be an obstacle to growth. Take this one, A magician amidst a magic show calls upon any one of the huge audience on the stage, for a moment no one will get up from their seat assuming there are lots of people who are willing or even if not there are many among the audience and I am no required the to volunteer. But if you don’t alter your brain with this default action, you will probably never experience the magic that the magician was talking about!

Our brain tends to make things appear mere when it senses their larger quantity. It's fascinating how our brains work. Sometimes, when we're in a discussion with many opinions, our brain goes on standby and suppresses the urge to express our thoughts. It's easy to give in to this, but we should remember that we have the power to alter our actions. Let's strive to be more aware of our default reactions and push ourselves to make a difference, even when it seems like our efforts won't matter. Remember, our brains are capable of incredible things, including conveying important messages like this one! If you are sure your efforts, your opinions, your thoughts, and your actions have the potential to change the scenario, you definitely need not be the ‘Bystander’.

Congratulations on reading this you are now a step closer on becoming socially smarter!

 

-Shrutika V. Patankar ©️