Collective Behaviour and Why It Matters More Than We Think

I have been learning about collective behaviour as part of my NLP training, and it has really stayed with me because once you see it, you cannot unsee it.

The idea links closely to what is often called the morphogenic field.

In simple terms, this refers to the collective unconscious.

The shared patterns, expectations, emotional states and unspoken rules that shape how we think, feel and behave before we ever make a conscious choice.

We feel it all the time.

You can walk into a yard, a room or a group and instantly sense whether it feels calm or tense, supportive or critical. Nothing has been said yet, but your body already knows how to respond.

A powerful example of this comes from an unusual experiment in Washington, D.C. in 1993.

At the time, the city held the grim title of America’s murder capital. Violence felt constant. Fear was normal. That summer, a group led by John Hagelin, a Harvard-trained quantum physicist, proposed something that sounded unbelievable. Their hypothesis was that if enough people gathered together in a coherent, calm state through meditation, violent crime would reduce.

Hundreds of people began meeting quietly in gyms, dormitories and hotel ballrooms. By the end of the summer, nearly 4,000 participants had taken part. A review board made up of scientists, civic leaders and police monitored the data throughout.

According to police records, violent crime fell during that period.

Whether you see this as science, psychology or coincidence, the principle is fascinating.

When enough people hold a similar state, it appears to influence the wider system.

We see this closer to home too. Spend time around people who are positive, regulated and supportive, and you often feel calmer without trying. Spend time around constant negativity, tension or judgement, and confidence drains quickly.

We even experience collective emotion on a national scale. The shared grief after Princess Diana’s death was felt by millions, many of whom never met her. That is collective behaviour in action.

Confidence works the same way.

It is not just built in isolation.

It grows through repeated exposure to calm, supportive environments. Just showing up matters more than we realise.