The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind - Crowd Psychology

Why people recommend it

The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind - Crowd Psychology by Gustav Le Bon is an 1895 sociological study that examines collective behavior, crowd mentality, and the psychological characteristics of masses. On an episode of Stuff They Don't Want You To Know titled Listener Mail: Propaganda, Body Brokers, and Letters From Home, released on July 6, 2023, the hosts discussed a submission regarding the book. A listener who went by the username suspended beliefs wrote into the podcast to suggest that the team dedicate an episode or two to exploring Le Bon's classic work from the late nineteenth century. The listener described the text as essentially patient zero for twentieth-century propaganda, noting that historical figures such as Teddy Roosevelt, Edward Bernays, and Joseph Goebbels had all read and quoted it extensively. Ben Bowlin read and addressed the listener mail segment on the show, highlighting the user's request for a deep dive into the psychological principles outlined by Le Bon. The discussion underscored the enduring influence of the book on the mechanisms of mass communication, political manipulation, and public influence throughout the modern era.