Following the Crowd

In Solomon Asch's famous 1951 experiment, subjects had to match line lengths — an absurdly easy task. But when planted actors all gave the same wrong answer, 75% of participants conformed at least once.

The bandwagon effect is not stupidity. It is an evolved survival mechanism. For most of human history, going along with the group was genuinely the safer bet. Breaking from the tribe risked being pushed out, and isolation was dangerous.