Bystander Effect

The Bystander Effect

     Have you ever hesitated to help someone before out in public? Why do you think you hesitated? 

    

     Humanity is rather strange. We are involved in a vast amount of everyday activities such as working, studying, hanging out with friends etc. Under these situations, there’s always a moment where someone that we don’t know is doing something that needs helping with. Imagine walking down a busy road. Then a student who fell or tripped and got their stuff messed up. Normally you would help right away. But then, you feel something like you don’t have to. These thoughts might come into your mind; ‘someone’s going to help anyway’, ‘there’s a lot of people. I’ll just let them be.’ This is called the Bystander effect

     The Bystander Effect is experienced when you hesitate to help someone in need out in public because one might think that someone’s about to help. One will hesitate because there are a lot of people. This is not because of anxiety or peer pressure. This is because one is holding onto that hope that someone else will help. I’d describe this as laziness, not anxiety. 

     In our stranger and wonderful world, nothing’s perfect. Everyone is sure to experience the Bystander Effect every once in a while. But, too much of this isn’t the Bystander Effect anymore. It would be called ignorance. As stated, no one is perfect. But we can always be a better version of ourselves than others in our own thoughtful way.