Evidence for a communal consciousness.
Robert S Bobrow
Explore July 1, 2011 DOI: 10.1016/j.explore.2011.04.001 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Keywords | Animals Humans Emotions Interpersonal relations Consciousness Telepathy Jungian theory Residence characteristics Social support Mind-body relations, metaphysical Unconscious, psychology |
| Key points | Argues that social network phenomena, such as the spread of obesity, happiness, and loneliness among emotionally connected people, occur without face-to-face contact and resemble other collective behaviors, suggesting a collective or communal consciousness akin to Jung's collective unconscious. |
Abstract
Recently described social network phenomena show that emotionally connected people come to share certain traits, including obesity, happiness, and loneliness. These do not appear to be mediated by face-to-face contact. Other examples of groups with a common connection that act in unison are mass hysteria, menstrual synchrony, and the ability of a group to guess the number of jelly beans in a jar. The animal kingdom abounds with examples of groups functioning as a single whole: fish school, birds flock, hoofed animals herd, ant and bee colonies work as a single organism. Try as they might, neuroscientists have been unable to find an anatomical seat of consciousness within the brain. C.G. Jung's realization of a collective unconscious began with an observation of a patient whose thoughts matched previous writings that the patient had never seen. The "emotional telepathy" of social network phenomena suggests a collective/communal consciousness as well.