Psychology
Bystander Effect and the Diffusion of Responsibility in Urban Settings
Quick fact
The 1964 murder of Kitty Genovese, where 38 witnesses reportedly did nothing, prompted psychologists John Darley and Bibb Latané to create experiments showing that the more people present, the less likely any single person is to help—a phenomenon now called the bystander effect.
Why this is interesting
Imagine you collapse on a busy city street—do you think you'd receive help? Would the number of people around make you safer or, paradoxically, less likely to be helped?