You’ve probably already walked by a stranger spreadeagled on the ground. Chances are that if you saw several people already offering assistance, you carried on walking by. That’s due to what is known as the bystander effect.

The bystander effect is a psychosocial phenomenon which typically crops up in emergency situations. It shows that the more other people are already intervening to help, the less likely we are to do so ourselves. On the other hand, the likelihood of stepping in increases when you’re the only person present.

How does psychology explain this phenomenon? What are some well-known examples? In under 3 minutes, we answer your questions!

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A Bababam Originals podcast written and realised by Joseph Chance.

First broadcast: 16/10/2022

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