Residents of San Pedro Manrique, Spain, recently participated in an extraordinary cultural ritual that involved walking across a bed of hot coals. This annual event, held in June, drew thousands of onlookers who cheered on the participants, who often carried others on their backs. Observers and participants alike reported feelings of profound togetherness, a phenomenon that cognitive anthropologist Dimitris Xygalatas attributes to what he describes as “collective effervescence.”
Xygalatas, who is associated with the University of Connecticut, experienced similar emotions while cheering for his hometown soccer team in front of a crowd of 30,000 fans. He explains that collective effervescence occurs when individuals engage in meaningful activities that evoke positive emotions, creating a sense of unity. This emotional phenomenon can manifest in various settings, from concerts to group exercise classes and religious festivals.
The concept has recently been termed “we mode,” a term popularized by Kelly McGonigal, a health psychologist at Stanford University. According to McGonigal, “When you are connected through shared positive emotion, expressions often act as this aerosolized joy, where you catch other people’s smiles, laughter, their physical expressions. It becomes contagious.”
Understanding Collective Joy
The idea of “we mode” also aligns with what McGonigal refers to as physiological synchrony. This concept, rooted in the work of French sociologist Emile Durkheim, describes how individuals experience collective joy during shared activities. Durkheim’s studies of aboriginal Australian societies highlighted cultural effervescence, and Xygalatas has since expanded on this, measuring physiological responses during group activities.
In his research, Xygalatas has utilized heart monitors and electrodes to quantify autonomic responses among participants. He discovered that during exciting events, such as sports games, the heart rates of attendees synchronize. In contrast, fans watching the same event on television do not exhibit this level of physiological connection. Furthermore, those who attend live events tend to have elevated levels of endorphins, which foster bonding among individuals.
Xygalatas emphasizes that engaging in collective rituals is crucial for psychological well-being. He states, “If we all dress alike and we move alike and we feel alike, we express the same emotions that trigger mechanisms in our brain. There’s a fundamental need for synchrony.”
Activities to Foster ‘We Mode’
To cultivate “we mode,” McGonigal suggests seeking out specific types of activities. She underscores the importance of in-person interactions, noting that during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, attempts to replicate positive social interactions online proved less effective than face-to-face encounters. “If you’re not physically present with people, a lot of the signals that create the shared state, they just aren’t there,” she explains.
Engaging in activities that involve movement and vocal expression—such as cheering, dancing, or singing—heightens the likelihood of experiencing collective joy. McGonigal points out that participating in a dance with others will foster a greater sense of connection than simply observing a performance from a distance. She encourages individuals to let go of self-consciousness and actively engage in these social experiences.
“Passive observers don’t get the same effect,” she warns. “You’ve got to do the wave at the sporting event. If you’re at a group exercise class, and your instructor is like, ‘Can I get a whoop, whoop?’ You gotta whoop, whoop.”
As individuals continue to navigate the complexities of social interactions and emotional connections, embracing activities that foster “we mode” could play a pivotal role in enhancing both individual and collective well-being. By participating in shared experiences, people can unlock a deeper sense of joy and unity, enriching their lives and the lives of those around them.
