Notice how quickly and easily panic spreads through a crowd of people. Fear based motivation is the quickest and easiest way to manipulate others, and its often used in excess. The usual outcome after the fear subsides (in mentally healthy people) is that they poke their heads out of the sand and look around, quickly understanding there is nothing to be afraid of. In one sense, as emotionally driven social creatures, we're biologically conditioned to defensively adapt and respond to the panic and fear of others in our community, even if the widespread panic is entirely delusional. There are also symbolically created panics that involve entire nations who fear loss of cultural, moral, or existential identity. But sometimes you have to slow down for a minute, take a deep breath, look around you, and realize there is nothing to be scared of. Mass hysteria is sometimes unnecessarily caused by faulty information sources that literally act as a contagion, and often have misogynous roots deeply seated in the desperate desire to maintain control of our minds. So what's the lesson? Be a critical thinker. Be wary of informational sources that tap into your anxieties, because your fears will control you. Never evade the hard questions. Face the fears head-on. And nine times out of ten, you'll come to understand there was nothing to be spooked of after-all.