We all have heard of herd mentality, but few of us realize that we too "follow" the same herd.
I know some of you might be thinking, "Oh no! not me. I am different". Yes you are different from the rest of us in terms of looks, height, weight, color, and name. However, behavior-wise, whether you are aware of it or not, you are conforming to societal expectations. That is what herd mentality is.
If you ask someone, "Why are you doing it?" or "Why did you purchase it?" most likely, they might say, "Because, everyone is doing it?", or "Everyone has it".
Is that a sensible response?
Everyone is doing it, … so?
I want to do it too.
They are doing it….so?
I want to do it too.
There is nothing wrong with having a herd mentality; the majority of us exhibit this tendency in some form or another.
We engage in this behavior because we don't want to feel left out.
Left out from what? … society? friends?
This is one of the main reasons we never progress, either financially, physically, or spiritually. We choose to remain stuck with the masses.
This is also sometimes incorrectly referred to as the 'middle-class' mentality. Herd mentality exists among the rich, middle-class, or any other category, religion, color, or ethnicity.
In this article, I will explore:
- What herd mentality is?
- Why people exhibit herd mentality?
- How can we stay out of such situations?
Disclaimer: I am not a psychiatrist or a human mind reader, or a physician.
Herd Mentality
Let us explore this topic objectively.
A dictionary definition of herd mentality is:
"the tendency of a person to behave or follow a certain belief to conform to a group to which they belong, or a larger society."
This is a psychological process that most of us go through in life.
Herd mentality is not a disease or a psychological issue that requires any kind of treatment. As human beings, this is just one part of our behavior pattern.
Our minds are continually captivated by the opinions, choices, or behaviors of others in one form or another.
How do we get into this herd mentality?
Most humans always follow the trends of society in various aspects of their lives.
- One of the main reasons we embrace herd mentality is because we want to fit in with the crowd, meaning we are indirectly telling our minds that we want to remain 'mentally' stuck with our 'middle-class' brothers. This is why we never rise above the crowd; there is no independent thinking. We simply do what others do.
- We seek acceptance from our friends, families, and society.
- We want to feel included in discussions, conversations, and everything happening within our social circle.
- We fear being ridiculed for not following the trends of society or becoming the subject of mockery.
- Readers, please add your own reasons in the comments below….
The human mind is influenced with three things:
- Advertisements that appeal to the masses.
- Constant promotion of a product everywhere — repeated visual and audible methods are very effective.
- Visibility of that product being used by our role models, gurus, successful people, or by society at large. Many of us want to emulate what our role models, or those who are rich, successful, and established in life, do.
There is nothing wrong in copying or emulating or adopting positive things in life from other people who you consider as your role models.
If things benefit you positively, then just do it. It does not matter whether you are the only person in the world doing it. It does not matter even if the whole world is doing it. But whatever you do, do it only after you have a clear understanding of "why" you are doing it. Do it from your heart. Do it with some passion.
Otherwise, blind following leads to herd mentality.
When we get engaged in some of the herd mentality activities, most of us don't even realize we are doing that.
Example 1: iPhone
If you ask someone who own iPhone, why did they purchase an iPhone, they will respond with, "it is really cool", or "because my friends have it" or , "I saw it on tv", or "media praises it", or "it is trendy". I am sure they can still get their tasks done through another brand of cheaper smart phone. But they still choose to purchase expensive iPhone to be cool and fit in with their circle of friends.
Example 2: Bell-bottom Pants
When we attend any event, most of us tend to wear trendy dress because everyone else within your circle of friends, or media, or world wears it too. We want to make sure we are in agreement with everyone.
Would you wear a bell-bottom pant today, in 2023?
I don't think so. Why? Because you think
- It will look ridiculous on you today… Remember, it is your mind telling you that you will look ridiculous. Who knows, it might look great on you.
- What will society say? We are more worried about what society thinks about us. We do not want society to ridicule us. This is the main reason why we start following the herd mentality. We care more about what society thinks about us.
- Fit in with the crowd.
You and I may not wear bell-bottom pants today.
However, if a very famous celebrity wears bell-bottom pants tomorrow, and the media starts promoting it constantly, and you observe that many people in your neighborhood have also started wearing bell-bottom pants, surely you will also consider following that trend. Wouldn't you?
How ridiculous is that?
Until yesterday, you refused to wear bell-bottom pants. However, swayed by the outside world that influenced your mind, today you are reconsidering your decision to wear those pants.
What does this tell us?
Our minds are constantly hijacked by outside factors that influence our decisions. We base our choices on what society 'thinks' about us and not what we really want.
Honestly, society does not give a damn about us. Society may ridicule us for a while, and then after a while they will get tired and move on.
Society has the remote control on some of our lives decisions.
Example 3: Teenage behaviors
In colleges, many teenagers engage in binge drinking, smoking, and other bad activities mainly to get acceptance by their peers. Deep down, they probably know that these things are bad and can cause harm. Some say that it is a carefree attitude.
It is not a carefree attitude. It is a careless attitude.
This is the trend in most colleges. So they follow the trend just like previous batch of students had fun. This trend will continue into the future batch of students.
Example 4: Corporate Trends
Herd mentality is not restricted to humans alone; even corporations blindly follow trends.
For instance, most companies adopt policies successfully implemented elsewhere without testing their suitability to their business model or customers. Just because a policy was successful elsewhere does not mean it may be suitable to the current environment.
In some companies, corporate structures, HR policies, bonus payments, employee assessments, and other metrics have fallen victim to this herd mentality. Corporations, run by upper management, should not only consider business outcomes but also the benefits of their employees.
If you ask any company representative why they have adopted this new policy, most likely they will give standard response such as, "it is better for the employee growth, improve efficiency and productivity, better engagement, etc.". And if you push further, they finally will say, "Well this is the industry trend."
Really? Is this their best response? Industry trend.
It is as if they want to assure us that they are doing what others are doing. They are not unique. My feeling is that they don't know what they are talking about. They are just passing the buck.
This is one of the reasons why most employees who are forced to adopt the corporate trend remain unhappy in their jobs.
Is this what we, supposedly intelligent human beings, come up with?
Now the obvious question that arises in our mind is, ….
Are Humans really applying their intelligence?
Although we consider humans to be intelligent, majority of us do not use our intelligence in making many of our life's decisions. In fact, almost all of our major decisions have been driven by some "influencers" in our life.
Human mind is tricky.
If you say, "I do things because others are doing it", then where is your intelligence or though process. Don't you think?
Is this the extent of what we, as humans, can offer? Can't we think for ourselves? How can we call humans intelligent? Where is the common sense?
When and where does the herd mentality begin?
Herd mentality or the inclination to follow trends starts way back in high school, then it evolves during our college years, and then it reaches new heights during our professional careers, whether in the corporate world or while running our own businesses. We become fully immersed in this herd mentality mindset, whether we like it or not.
We want to stay current …. with rest of the world, or rather with the herd.
Why do we want to stay current? Because of FOMO — Fear Of Missing Out.
Do all people follow herd mentality?
No. Although most of us engage in behaviors that fall under the category of herd mentality, there are some exceptions.
Some groups do not follow herd mentality, or trends.
People who do not follow herd mentality
The following groups of people do not follow herd mentality.
- Extremely independent but responsible individuals: This group engages their thoughts, actions, speech, and outlook on life independently of what others are doing. They are very open-minded and look at the world objectively, adopting a carefree yet responsible attitude towards society. They do what they want, regardless of whether the world is following a trend or not. They are indifferent to society's opinions because they operate within ethical and moral boundaries, avoiding harm to others. While participating in ordinary activities like any other person, they adhere to societal and corporate rules equally. They may or may not be leaders, but they are certainly not followers. We all aspire to be in this category.
- Most children below the ages of 8–10 years old or young adults who have not fully grasped the world through the teachings of their parents, teachers, and the media are not seeking competition. They are not attempting to fit into any particular group or crowd.
- Older people, who have experienced life and no longer concern themselves with the world, have somewhat given up on external influences. They are indifferent to trends or current events. They are simply passing their time. They may represent a wiser group of individuals.
- Outliers, meaning those who intentionally choose not to follow the rules or norms of the society, acting in a rebellious manner. No one wants to be in this group.
- Don't care attitude without being responsible. This group, which also includes some older people, do not care much for the society. They choose to live as they see fit, regardless of rules or laws. They may or may not adhere to societal norms. These are individuals with a careless approach, and it's a group we generally wouldn't want to be part of.
We all aspire to become independent, free-thinking individuals who are not trapped by trends.
To achieve that, we need to break away from the trend.
Breaking the trend
We come across few people and organizations that set an example by breaking the trend.
Example
Previously, in business meetings, people followed a formal dress code, wearing a formal shirt, suit, and black or brown shoes.
However, someone broke that trend by adopting a casual shirt and a jacket. Subsequently, other individuals pushed the boundaries further by wearing a jacket over a T-shirt.
Now, people even wear casual shoes with a jacket and jeans. In the past, wearing jeans in the corporate world was not allowed.
In rare instances, you may find that some progressive companies now permit shorts. While I believe this may be a bit unprofessional and could potentially reduce the seriousness at work, I acknowledge that this is just my opinion.
This shows that,
We, as humans, have the power to break the trend.
Unfortunately, only a few courageous ones take that step.
The rest of us tend to follow, … you know, like a herd.
Can we break this trend?
How can we break the herd mentality
Breaking trend is easy. You require two qualities:
- Independent thinking
- Courage or guts.
Both qualities are a must.
- You are an independent thinker, but if you do not have the courage to execute changes in your life, you cannot break out of herd mentality.
- You have the courage, but if you cannot think for yourself, you will remain chained to the whims of the society.
Steps to break the trend:
- Be honest with yourself. Start thinking independently. There is nothing selfish about this. Ask yourself, "what do you personally want in life?" Don't do things to satisfy your colleagues, friends, or society.
- Develop the courage to make changes in your life. Learn to say "no" to things that make you uncomfortable.
If something feels uncomfortable then have the courage to say no, even if the whole world is engaged in that activity.
Do things that you like to do.
Never engage in something just to satisfy others
Listen to your heart and your heart alone. Your mind may say something else. But listen to your heart.
People who engage in certain activities to keep with the trend, neither have the courage or the capability to think clearly where they stand.
If you can think on your feet independently, you will naturally come to the right conclusion.
In conclusion, all of us have followed this herd mentality mindset at some point in our lives.
There is nothing wrong with having this mindset, as long it does not significantly impact your personal life. However, remaining stuck in this mindset will utimately lead to a dependent lifestyle, leaving you unsatisfied and unhappy.
And the good news is that we can always break free from this herd mentality mindset by having the courage to make decisions independently without the fear of society.