The Bystander Effect

The Bystander effect is attributed to:

• The diffusion of responsibility: bystanders are less likely to intervene if there are other witnesses who seem likely to do so.
• Social influence: individuals observe the behavior of those around them to...

The more people who see someone in need, the less likely that person is to receive help.

Researchers call it a “confusion of responsibility,” where individuals feel less responsibility for the outcome of an event when others are around. In fact, the probability of help is inversely r...

We tend to believe that someone else will deal with a crisis. 

This developed for good reason: if a threatening wild animal is lurking at the edge of our hunter-gatherer group, it’s a waste of effort for every single member to spring into action. Today, however, this leads us to assu...