Ever felt the need to do something just because everyone else is? This can be described as mob mentality. 

Mob mentality is a phenomenon that occurs when people are influenced by a large group of peers, by following their actions and behaviors according to WebMD. 

One early examples of mob mentality can be in the Salem Witch trials, where innocent people in the 1600’s were put to death due to large groupthink that others were committing witchcraft. Since it became a popular belief by crowds, others followed along. 

Today, mob mentality can still be seen with trends from social media as well as school social settings. 

In a survey taken by students at Timberland, 132 said yes to doing something just because someone else did. Some replied saying they did things in order not to feel excluded and fit in.

Having this mentality can diminish your sense of individuality, so by learning what it is and how to prevent it is better earlier.

Some tips to avoid mob mentality include according to WebMD include:

1. Emphasize including people and their points of view
2. Try not to get angry at others who are honest and disagree with you
3. Identify assumptions within your group
4. Practice decision-making