Culture-Bound Syndromes Run Amok - Freakonomics Freakonomics Culture-Bound Syndromes Run Amok by Freakonomics A recent Slate article by Jesse Bering outlines the strange and true world of culture-bound syndromes — mental illnesses that occur in certain geo-specific populations or “sociocultural milieus.” Perhaps the most famous is “amok,” the root of “run amok,” and a problem in Malaysia, Polynesia, Puerto Rico and the Navajo Nation. The syndrome affects males 20–45, who become homicidally violent after a perceived insult. After which, of course, the subject remembers very little. Sound like a good cover? It gets weirder. In China, we find Koro: “in which the patient is convinced that protruding bodily organs, such as the male genitalia or female nipples, are retracting or disappearing into his or her body.” Koro, however, has a habit of jumping all over the globe, and has been well documented in Thailand, India and Africa.

Koro’s internationalism, like that of other culture-bound diseases, throws the specificity of “culture” into question, and the genre of these illnesses remains murky, nearly impossible to define, and fertile ground for wild postulating. Mythology in particular permeates the “culture-bound” discussion. Perhaps it is the particular oral traditions of a people who jump beyond the campfire into the lives – and bodies – of their listeners. (iStockphoto) And as for what America has to add? Muscle dysmorphia! Bering writes: “The condition is limited to Western males, who suffer the delusion that they are insufficiently ripped.” Citing a recent article in the Harvard Review of Psychiatry by Gen Kanayama and Harrison Pope, Bering ties together the American male body, and the American male hero: Unlike hypermasculine Western heroes such as Hercules, Thor, and the chiseled Arnold of yesteryear , the Japanese and Chinese have tended to prefer their heroes fully clothed, mentally acute, and lithe, argue Kanayama and Pope.

In fact, they say anabolic steroid use is virtually nonexistent in Asian countries, even though the drugs are considerably easier to obtain, being available without a prescription at most neighborhood drugstores.” July 27, 2011 @ 6:20pm How about Japanese tourists suffering "Paris Syndrome"? "Paris syndrome is a transient psychological disorder encountered by some people visiting or vacationing in Paris and more generally France and Spain... Japanese visitors are observed to be especially susceptible...From the estimated six million yearly visitors, the number of reported cases is significant: according to an administrator at the Japanese embassy in France, around twenty Japanese tourists a year are affected by the syndrome. The susceptilibity of Japanese people may be linked to the popularity of Paris in Japanese culture, notably the idealized image of Paris prevalent in Japanese advertising, which does not correspond to reality." Source: Don’t forget the China Syndrome. AaronS July 27, 2011 @ 6:39pm It gets sicker in the muscle dysmorphia world of body building. In fact, the MORE repugnant and sickening a muscle head looks to normal folks, the more satisfaction they take.

I've heard--no lie--of body builders who put tampons up their tail to keep from blowing their guts or feces out their backsides due to the tremendous strain the place on their bodies when doing squats, etc. I finally concluded that there was some sort of mental illness going on. But I attribute it more to being part of a small, weird community. I'm not talking about body sculpting. I'm talking about the guys who can't hardly touch their heads because of the muscles in their arms, of guys who dress in bikinis and compete in body building...OK, wait, I was wrong, that is actually women, apparently. You and I would say, "Oh, man, that is sick!" The aspiring body-builder will say, "Oh, yeah! Dude, that is awesomely sick!" They live on steroids. They aren't bad people...but when it comes to their bodies, they have lost touch with reality. Read more...

BrianW July 29, 2011 @ 11:00pm As a bodybuilding economist, I will certainly agree that the bodybuilding world is a "small, weird community." However, the stereotyping of bodybuilders as steroid-induced freaks who only care about the gym is unfortunate. The natural (drug-free) bodybuilding movement has made tremendous strides in the past 10 years. In these organizations, a typical stage weight is 170 lbs, pretty scrawny compared to the 270 lbs on the Olympia stage. Being a successful competitive bodybuilder requires a level of commitment and motivation similar to what is required in other 'extreme' sports such as endurance bicycle racing or marathons. Lots of people might consider running 26.2 miles at one time "sick." There is little money in the natural organizations, so ALL competitors have real-world jobs and are relatively well-adjusted. Some of us even publish peer-reviewed articles and teach college classes. I push myself hard to be the best that I can in my chosen hobby (bodybuilding), and I always want to improve.

However, I don't think I suffer from muscle dysmorphia, and I don't think I'm out of touch with reality either. Read more... Miley Cyrax July 27, 2011 @ 7:55pm When it comes to Western males and muscles, it's an arms-race (pun noted). If all young males are jacked, you have to be jacked as well or be at a disadvantage when it comes to garnering female attraction. Being significantly more muscular and athletic-looking than the local men is a huge advantage as an American traveling abroad, looking to sample the local "cuisine." Eric M Jones July 27, 2011 @ 10:36pm How about Harley-Davidson-o-philia syndrome? You don't actually need a motorcycle, just the leather jacket and some helmet-but-not-a-helmet will get you laid in most bars. How about tattoed contrameritocratic syndrome? Why is it that badasses have all the fun? frankenduf Brian Salerni July 28, 2011 @ 1:22pm There's also Ghost Sickness which is found in Native American Cultures.

The person believes that dead ancestors are the reason they are getting sick. July 28, 2011 @ 1:27pm I think there are thousands of such cultural syndromes. E.g.: I have known many guys whose sexual preferences were frozen at some early age, and now can't possibly appreciate (e.g.) the sexuality of women in their 40's-50's-60's (e.g.). This has always struck me as sad. These guys want their school cheerleader girlfriend.... I have known women with the same syndrome. They consider a guy as attractive with numerous grave faults as long as he has a full head of hair (e.g.). It took me a while to figure this out. Another: I saw a psychiatrist at a wedding who looked as much as it was possible like Sigmund Freud; down to the pipe, beard and wire-rimmed glasses. I'll bet he stood in front of a mirror und practiced hiss Austrian accent at night. "Und now, what zzzzeems to be ze problem, hmmmmm?" AaronS July 28, 2011 @ 2:13pm Eric, I totally agree with the frozen preferences in women.

I have friends who, in their 60s, still pine away for some young thing that would bore them crazy outside the bedroom. I also have noticed that some men who married early on, later divorcing, have frozen notions of dating. I've seen 50+ year-old men still playing the little "games" that we played as teens. That is, they matured...but their understanding of attracting women did not. Speaking of the psychiatrist, there is a whole "professor-thing" that goes on with many professors. It's almost pretentiously unpretentious in some cases...and unpretentiously pretentious in others. I can't really pinpoint it precisely, but you can almost always tell a professor from, say, a tax collector, etc. Eric M. Jones And let's not forget "Shrinking-Bird Disease". Shane July 28, 2011 @ 2:56pm In Japan there is a phenomenon called "hikikomori", where young individuals become so scared of reality that they hide in their bedrooms and refuse to engage with the world. This seems to have gotten a lot of media attention. So, why Japan?

Some commentators pointed to the stresses of a collectivist culture or of high expectations in education and work. But it occurred to me also that this phenomenon might exist in other developed countries, but that only in Japan had some social commentator decided to give it a name, and thus start a conversation about it. Discussing it in public might make it more prevalent as troubled teenagers see it as an option and embrace hikikomori as an identity. I've no idea if this is true, but it seems plausible that the observation and discussion of a social phenomenon could change its prevalence. So perceived differences in prevalence of such syndromes might be coincidental and not particularly rooted in or explained by the wider culture. Read more... Brian Salerni July 28, 2011 @ 8:26pm From your description is seems that Hikikomori is similar to agoraphobia. Agoraphobia is present in the US, as well as other places in the world. I would imagine that high expectations plays a role in both of these to some extent. BL1Y July 28, 2011 @ 3:32pm How about all the people who suffered from depression after having watched Avatar?

I got depressed realizing how many people didn't comprehend how terrible the plot was, but I'm referring to the people who got depressed over the thought of not being able to live on Pandora. Also, during the 2008 Presidential elections, I knew several people who became very distraught at the idea John McCain might become President. Not just your typical concerned voter, but having panic attacks about the whole thing. What was really bizarre is that they would show little knowledge about the platforms of either candidate, and after Obama won, they showed no interest in what he actually did. It was like they were simply suffering from McCainphobia. (There may be corresponding Obamaphobia, I just didn't see it because I was living in the ultra-blue Manhattan.) Nikki July 28, 2011 @ 9:42pm Since there's no universally accepted standard of sufficient ripped-ness, it is questionable whether muscle dysmorphia qualifies as a mental illness. Here is a more interesting story: the multiple personality disorder is almost exclusively an American phenomenon. Nobody seems to know why. Collins July 29, 2011 @ 2:34am Isn't all psychology just a placebo?

(See, e.g., Daniel E. Moerman, Meaning, Medicine, and the Placebo Effect, Chapter 7.)Doesn't that mean its diagnoses are just as culture-bound as the foreign ones? Irusan August 4, 2011 @ 12:50am As frankenduf said, anorexia and bulimia are culture syndromes and research needs to be pursued in this direction. And what about Jerusalem Syndrome: . Ringo August 17, 2011 @ 5:59pm I would hesitate to call these syndromes "mental illnesses". Culturally accepted mental states like Koro are typically considered exempt from that label. Paris Syndrome hos stackars japaner… | Japan Paris Syndrome hos stackars japaner… mars 29, 2010 kl. 3:54 e m | Publicerat i Uncategorized | 3 kommentarer Haha, jag fann detta på Wikipedia: Paris syndrome ( French : Syndrome de Paris) is a transient psychological disorder encountered by some people visiting or vacationing in Paris, France .

It is similar in nature to Jerusalem syndrome and Stendhal syndrome , which are all classified as forms of Voyager syndrome (Syndrome du voyageur). Japanese visitors are observed to be especially susceptible. [1] [2] It was first noted in Nervure, the French journal of psychiatry in 2004. [3] From the estimated six million yearly visitors the number of reported cases is significant: according to an administrator at the Japanese embassy in France, about 20 Japanese tourists a year are affected by the syndrome. [4] Language barrier – few Japanese speak French and vice versa. This is believed to be the principal cause and is thought to engender the remainder. Apart from the obvious differences between French and Japanese many everyday phrases and idioms are shorn of meaning and substance when translated, adding to the confusion of some who have not previously encountered such. Cultural difference – the large difference between not only the languages but the manner in which Latin populations communicate on an interpersonal level in comparison to the rigidly formal Japanese culture proves too great a difficulty for some Japanese visitors. It is thought that it is the rapid and frequent fluctuations in mood, tense and attitude, especially in the delivery of humour, which cause the most difficulty.

Additionally, the lack of customer service in France is a huge shock to the uninitiated tourist. [6] Idealised image of Paris – it is also speculated as manifesting from an individual’s inability to reconcile a disparity between the Japanese popular image and the reality of Paris. Exhaustion – finally, it is thought that the over-booking of one’s time and energy, whether on a business trip or on holiday, in attempting to cram too much into every moment of a stay in Paris, along with the effects of jet lag , all contribute to the psychological destabilization of some visitors. //// Punkt nummer tre stämmer otroligt mycket in. Japaner har en otroligt romantiserad och klichéefylld bild av Paris. Flera japaner jag har pratat med tycker inte att deras bild av Paris stämde inte överens med vad de trodde innan. Så Bara i Japan… RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI I’m not that much of a online reader to be honest but your sites really nice, keep it up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your website to come back down the road.

Many thanks Comment by SAMP — december 21, 2012 # This website was… how do I say it? Relevant! ! Finally I’ve found something that helped me. Cheers! Comment by Byron — mars 5, 2013 # I love reading through an article that can make people think. Also, many thanks for permitting me to comment! Comment by website solutions — april 23, 2013 # Kommentera Paris Syndrome: Shocking Reality « Dr Deborah Swallow – Global Cultural Diversity.. Deborah Swallow | July 11th, 2011 in : cross-cultural differences , culture shock & stuff , East Asia , Europe , General The British often say the only trouble with France is it’s full of French people! But, it’s not only the British who have trouble with the French it seems. There is a condition called “Paris Syndrome” which is a type of Culture Shock especially experienced by the Japanese when visiting Paris – born out of unmet expectations of an idealised, romantic view of Paris and the reality of their experiences and encounters with the ‘rude’ French.

This syndrome was brought to my attention recently by a delegate on my course – I thought he was ‘pulling my leg’ (joking with me) – but, no, he was deadly serious. So after a bit of research I discovered that Professor Hiroaki Ota, a Japanese psychiatrist living in France, was the first to identify the condition “Paris Syndrome” – concerning psychological breakdowns experienced by Japanese citizens travelling to Paris. Shocking reality! Japanese travellers often hold idealistic views of Paris, mostly concerning culturally specific expectations of service industry customs, societal manners, and urban hygiene. When Paris doesn’t live up to these expectations, a small group of travellers may descend into depression. Often, depression turns into psychosis, and leads to medical treatment. The Japanese are used to a polite and helpful society where voices, raised in anger, are rarely heard, so coming up against the volatile French was a shock. According to a BBC article by Caroline Wyatt , “An encounter with a rude taxi driver, or a Parisian waiter who shouts at customers who cannot speak fluent French, might be laughed off by those from other Western cultures. But for the Japanese, the experience of their dream city turning into a nightmare can simply be too much.

What factors induce “Paris Syndrome”: Language difference: few Japanese speak French and vice versa. This is believed to be the principal cause and is thought to engender the remainder. Apart from the obvious differences between French and Japanese, many everyday phrases and idioms have a cultural context, meaning and substance which, when translated, add to the confusion – as they can’t be translated properly. Also, some Japanese speak English (as a universal language) and naively try to use English on French territory… which is not always a good idea! Cultural Differences: the large difference between not only the languages but the manner. The Japanese are deemed to be too polite for France. Also, the French can communicate on an informal level in comparison to the rigidly formal Japanese culture, which proves too great a difficulty for some Japanese visitors. It is thought that it is the rapid and frequent fluctuations in mood, tense and attitude, especially in the delivery of humour, which cause the most difficulty. Idealised image: the Japanese have a popular romantic image of Paris which doesn’t match up to its reality. It’s the inability to reconcile the disparity which causes the problem.

Exhaustion: added to the above, many visitors try to cram too much into their trip, especially after such a long haul flight and the jet lag. So, how common is this? On average, up to 12 Japanese tourists a year fall victim to it, mainly women in their 30s with high expectations of what may be their first trip abroad. To address this, the Japanese embassy now has a 24-hour hotline for those suffering from severe culture shock, and can help find hospital treatment for anyone in need. Definition: “Paris syndrome” is a transient psychological disorder encountered by some people visiting or vacationing in Paris. It is characterized by acute delusional states, hallucinations, feelings of persecution (delusions of being a victim of prejudice, aggression, or hostility from others), derealization, depersonalization, anxiety, and also psychosomatic manifestations such as dizziness, tachycardia, sweating, etc. Japanese visitors are observed to be especially susceptible, and twelve to twenty Japanese tourists a year are affected. It was first noted in Nervure, the French journal of psychiatry in 2004.

Tags: cross-cultural differences , culture shock , Paris Syndrome , Professor Hiroaki Ota This entry was posted on Monday, July 11th, 2011 at 2:32 pm and is filed under cross-cultural differences , culture shock & stuff , East Asia , Europe , General . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed. AYE OKAY AYE OKAY via vivavenacava Stendhal Syndrome is a psychosomatic illness that causes rapid heartbeat, dizziness, fainting, confusion and even hallucinations when an individual is exposed to art, usually when the art is particularly beautiful or a large amount of art is in a single place. The term can also be used to describe a similar reaction to a surfeit of choice in other circumstances, e.g. when confronted with immense beauty in the natural world. The illness is named after the famous 19th century French author Stendhal (pseudonym of Henri-Marie Beyle), who described his experience with the phenomenon during his 1817 visit to Florence, Italy in his book Naples and Florence: A Journey from Milan to Reggio.

Although there are many descriptions of people becoming dizzy and fainting while taking in Florentine art, especially when it was described by Italian psychiatrist Graziella Magherini, who observed and described more than 100 similar cases among tourists and visitors in Florence. Paris Syndrome is a transient psychological disorder encountered by some people visiting or vacationing in Paris. It is similar in Nature to Jerusalem syndrome and Stendhal syndrome, which are all classified as forms of Voyager syndrome (Syndrome du voyageur). Japanese visitors are observed to be especially susceptible. It was first noted in Nervure, the French journal of psychiatry in 2004. From the estimated six million yearly visitors the number of reported cases is significant: according to an administrator at the Japanese embassy in France, around twenty Japanese tourists a year are affected by the syndrome.

Paris syndrome is characterized by a number of psychiatric symptoms such as acute delusional states, hallucinations, feelings of persecution (delusions of being a victim of prejudice, aggression, or hostility from others), derealization, depersonalization, anxiety, and also psychosomatic manifestations such as dizziness, tachycardia, sweating, etc Principal to the diagnosis is that the experience symptoms did not exist before the trip and disappear following a return to the sufferer’s familiar surroundings. This differs from a ‘pathological voyage’, in which psychiatric disorders are preexisting. Language barrier- few Japanese speak French and vice versa. This is believed to be the principal cause and is thought to engender the remainder. Apart from the obvious differences between French and Japanese many everyday phrases and idioms are shorn of meaning and substance when translated, adding to the confusion of some who have not previously encountered such. Cultural difference- the large difference between not only the languages but the manner the French communicate on an interpersonal level in comparison to the rigidity formal Japanese culture proves too great a difficulty for some Japanese visitors. It is thought that it is the rapid and frequent fluctuations in mood, tense and attitude, especially in the delivery of humor, which cause the most difficulty.

Idealized image of Paris – it is also speculated as manifesting from an individual’s inability to reconcile a disparity between the Japanese popular image and the reality of Paris. Voyager Syndrome: Travel Madness | Cogitz Voyager Syndrome: Travel Madness 05Sep09 Voyager Syndrome is the term given to a group of mental disorders relating to travel. The three most famous (which will be explained in more detail below) are Paris Syndrome, Jerusalem Syndrome, and Florence Syndrome. Voyager syndromes are a kind of culture shock, which refers to the anxiety and feelings (of surprise, disorientation, uncertainty, confusion, etc.) felt when people have to operate within a different and unknown cultural or social environment, such as a foreign country. It grows out of the difficulties in assimilating the new culture, causing difficulty in knowing what is appropriate and what is not. This is often combined with a dislike for or even disgust (moral or aesthetic) with certain aspects of the new or different culture. The Disorders Jerusalem Syndrome The Jerusalem syndrome is a group of mental phenomena involving the presence of either religiously themed obsessive ideas, delusions or other psychosis-like experiences that are triggered by, or lead to, a visit to the city of Jerusalem.

It is not endemic to one single religion or denomination but has affected Jews and Christians of many different backgrounds. The best known, although not the most prevalent, manifestation of the Jerusalem syndrome is the phenomenon whereby a person who seems previously balanced and devoid of any signs of psychopathology becomes psychotic after arriving in Jerusalem. The psychosis is characterised by an intense religious theme and typically resolves to full recovery after a few weeks or after being removed from the area. During a period of 13 years (1980-1993) for which admissions to the Kfar Shaul Mental Health Centre in Jerusalem were analysed, it was reported that 1,200 tourists with severe, Jerusalem-themed mental problems were referred to this clinic. Of these, 470 were admitted to hospital. On average, 100 such tourists have been seen annually, 40 of them requiring admission to hospital. Paris Syndrome Paris syndrome is a transient psychological disorder encountered by some people visiting or vacationing in Paris, France. Japanese visitors are observed to be especially susceptible. From the estimated six million yearly visitors the number of reported cases is significant.

It is characterized by a number of psychiatric symptoms as acute delusional states, hallucinations, feelings of persecution (delusional belief of being a victim of prejudice, aggression, hostility to others), a derealization, a depersonalization, anxiety, and also psychosomatic manifestations such as dizziness, tachycardia, sweating, etc.. The four main factors to cause the disorder are: 1. Language barrier – few Japanese speak French and vice versa. This is believed to be the principal difficulty and is thought to engender the remainder. Apart from the obvious differences between French and Japanese many everyday phrases and idioms are shorn of meaning and substance when translated adding to the confusion of some who haven’t previously encountered such. 2. Cultural difference – the authors state that the large difference between not only the languages but the manner in which Latin populations communicate on an interpersonal level in comparison to the rigidly formal Japanese culture proves too great a difficulty for some Japanese visitors. It is thought that it is the rapid and frequent fluctuations in mood, tense and attitude especially in the delivery of humor that cause the most difficulty. 3.

Idealized image of Paris – it is also speculated as manifesting from an individual’s inability to reconcile a disparity between the Japanese popular image and the reality of Paris. 4. Exhaustion – finally, it is thought that the over-booking of one’s time and energy, whether on a business trip or on holiday, in attempting to cram too much into every moment of a stay in Paris along with the effects of jet lag all contribute to the psychological destabilization of some. Florence Syndrome Also sometimes referred to as Stendhal Syndrome, Florence syndrome is a psychosomatic illness that causes rapid heartbeat, dizziness, confusion and even hallucinations when an individual is exposed to art, usually when the art is particularly beautiful or a large amount of art is in a single place. The term can also be used to describe a similar reaction to a surfeit of choice in other circumstances, e.g. when confronted with immense beauty in the natural world. It is named after the famous 19th century French author Stendhal (pseudonym of Henri-Marie Beyle), who described his experience with the phenomenon during his 1817 visit to Florence, Italy in his book Naples and Florence: A Journey from Milan to Reggio.

Although there are many descriptions of people becoming dizzy and fainting while taking in Florentine art, especially at the Uffizi, dating from the early 19th century on, the syndrome was only named in 1979, when it was described by Italian psychiatrist Graziella Magherini, who observed and described more than 100 similar cases among tourists and visitors in Florence. The syndrome was first diagnosed in 1982. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. Text is derived from Wikipedia. Rate this: on September 5, 2009 said: Jerusalem Syndrome: My husband had the opposite reaction, he went as a Christian and came back feeling as if had seen a middle-ages theme park. Paris Syndrome: ” feelings of persecution (delusional belief of being a victim of prejudice, aggression, hostility to others”, No its real Stendahl Syndrome: I want to experience it for myself Astrid, concerning Paris Syndrome… You’re not American are you? Lol I’m sorry, but I had to ask. I find as a Canadian traveling around, people were quite rude until they find out you’re Canadian.

They assume I’m American. I lived in South Texas for a long time where the Mexican population is huge. They had a very strong dislike for white Americans, but when they discover you’re Canadian, you’re suddenly their best friend. I’m not sure why… on September 6, 2009 said: — Warning: wall-of-text from France — I think I remember this Paris Syndrome being mentionned on ListVerse (might have been Cracked – I’m reading too many list websites) – and the description emphasised that what triggers the shock is the discrepancy between the idealized ethereal/romantic, stuck-in-the-1920’s image of Paris that a lot of movies (or even travel agencies I bet) give of Paris, and the reality of a capital city. The hurried, rude, aggressive attitude of its inhabitants can very well be attributed to fast-paced life that can be found in any capital of the world. Now, I’m French myself and I hate Paris. People there are obnoxious even to their fellow countrymen, and pretty much everyone in the country despises parisians in return.

They tend to be self-centered, superficial and full of themselves compared to the rest of the population (AND they give the rest of us a bad rep). As for cultural shock, I’m very much willing to believe that it’s quite a violent experience. My boyfriend is from the Netherlands, where social interaction is also ruled by a certain amount of formal politeness, and a general respect and tolerance towards your fellow man (because of the weed, if you ask me). Everytime he comes here (in France), he has a hard time dealing with people bumping into eachother, yelling at eachother for no reason or just being plain rude. Even on a personnal level, he still sometimes has trouble dealing with my somewhat direct, loud and rude manners (from his point of view :P). And that’s only on a European scale, so I can only imagine how Japanese people can feel about that. Likewise, the language barrier is impenetrable. Even in Paris’ trainstations, help desk employees can at best babble a couple of words of English.

The French in general are distrustful of any foreign influence on their culture, and don’t see cultural exchange as enriching but rather as a risk of dissolution of their own heritage, which they consider valuable above all else’s. This might explain why we tend to be nicer to Canadians (who are to us, after all, almost French) than to other people. You just have to see the terrified look of waiters when they overhear you speaking in a foreign language, or the exhausted, vacant stare of tourists followed by incredible relief when they finally find a local who can speak English (happens to me every summer). Now I’ve noticed a lot of Americans actively taking the defense of France lately, probably to compensate for their guilt stemming from the France-bashing a few years back. But it shouldn’t keep you from being objective. I mean, I absolutely love my country and my culture, but I can see the bad sides as well. So yeah, we ain’t very nice. But I’m totally okay with that 😀 on October 17, 2009 said: These are real phenomena. The most recent mass example of the syndrome was observed by German Army Psychologists during the German onslaught upon The Soviet Union.

Young soldiers had been schooled for 10 years in the barbarity and animalistic nature of Soviet Citizens. Soldiers and school children alike believed that Stalin had but one ambition; to murder, pillage and rape the German Homeland; there were even prayers said in schools to “protect our Fatherland from the Devils of Communist Russia”! Upon encountering the impoverished and terrified Russian population therefore, and in a country with an impenetrable Slavic tongue, German soldiers set about murdering millions of civilised human beings with a glee driven by alienation and terror of Communism. There were no recorded marriages between German soldiers and Soviet woman, unlike in EVERY other occupied country. Further, the presence of women in the Red Army completely disoriented Germans educated in the traditional view that a womans place was at home with her family. The USA learned none of these lessons and Vietnam was a rolling saga of atrocity, civilian terror and mass rape. The same story is repeating itself in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Only the British, with their long history of conquest and empire building know how to handle the devastating psychological impact of policing foreign lands.

To date, the British Army, whilst remaining one of the most mobile and fierce fighting forces in the world, have successfully concluded several operations without a single civilian casualty. There are lessons to be learned for America – look to your old allies for advice. on October 9, 2010 said: Ib Berlin there were “only” 200 known cases of raping by “sowjet-Russian” soldiers? – in Königsberg “they” managed to rape nearly any female person between 10-11years up to 80years, beginning when conquering the city, 8th of April 1945 and not yet having finished it until July of 1947 and later.

We had been there, my family knows only 2 women who had the luck to be never raped in those days, beeing extremely cautious and with great deal of luck, but the fear and horror didn’t finish lifelong – but people didn’t be able to speak about that more than a few words, they were strictly educucated never so speak about sexual intercourse, not the regular, not the irregular, and they felt, their husbands – IF still alive and IF ever coming back and IF ever find another again in the great devastated world without news for the captured – the husbands wouldn’t understand why they, their wifes, could be raped AND still alive and didn’t die by free will (we know cases of suicide) – and “letting” the enemy do such. Maybe a lot of wifes tried to escape and it wasn’t only the hunger and need, that in 2 years 9 from 10 of the conquered women, children and 10 of 10 of the elderly civilians were dead (more than 60y old and alive was 1 single couple in October of 1947, when reaching more the Western lands, I read).

– But this wasn”t a special-Sowjet problem, it was a special form of culture-shock, I assume. It was reported in 1914, when the zaristic army entered the Eastern Prussian borders (then it was my grandmother, running away, with my father the babe, hiding in the woods near Willenberg (Wielbark). several days later the nearby “Battle of Tannenberg” followed and the 2 great Russian armys wer imprisoned. – When looking in the Russian camps, the German army wondered, because they found a lot of female-underwear collected, heaps of white trousers, German-production – and our military people didn’t understand this and ask in remembering textes: Did the Russ.soldiers steal and buy that as souvernirs for their families? – But in 1945 we conquered Eastern Prussians learnt the meaning sadly and exactly – they took away the under-wear, the trousers from each raped woman as “proof” or so, for “done!” – it was deep and cold winter when beginning thus, 30th of Januar 1945, and the female maiden and wife refugees lost by and by each of them their last underwear.

It was no protection, yet to have lost this “proof” – a lot of women died by the repeatings with the next arriving russ.soldiers – 17 x in 1 day-and-night we know from our own family, until a helpful “Ukrrainian” soldier, an army cook, whispered to this deadly exhausted woman: “Point to me and cry “Moj panje!” (tell the next ones: He is my husband) – and stay always near me.” – she did so, and he never touched her, until he had to depart in July 1945 to follow the troops in the more westward regions. But we civilians were not allowed to leave the conquered city.

Since the end of war, in May 1945, other soldiers arrived when others departed, and the things were as bad as in the first time, each russ.soldian knew, it was strictly forbidden to rape the population’s wifes and maidens (only the first 2 weeks it was “tolerated” in sight of the Law-of-War, we heard of), but it went on, even when it became possible for us to cry for help – house by house all the women and children crying on together – when a raping started again between us, this “telegram” arose unto the Natschalniks housing near our street. Then might happen, that the military police arrived as quick, that the raper was still in action, and they fetched hin as half naked as he was, dragged him before the door and shot him dead, put him by a leg and threw him on their army-car, and drove away with him – this horror-scenario was nearly worse to cope with that, for the children and other standing bys.

They used to come in pairs in our houses, the one has the Kalashnikoff-rifle, the other does, and then the other takes the rifle and so on – outside the houses 1 drunken russ.man was enough to be endangered in each age, relatively fit or just starving, in each situation, but then a living little child in the arm or going hand-in-hand with a wife could be the rescue, but this was later – not in the beginning of that time – – the view of us – the conquered civilians was deeply depressed: “war is war”, may be it’s the same in each war of the world, blood awakes the “sleeping beast”, we thought – maybe a reflex? – but then, in 1946, 1947, 1948 the war stood still, no further reason to hurt us more – we could sadly understand that we all were to starve “For Leningrad and Stalingrad” – St.Petersburg, we now had heard of, the starved Russian city – we could imagine, this form of revenge were we, starving now, also – and we did, 9 of 10 civilians – – but Stalingrad?

– there were the German army-troops the starving people until captured, in both cases we never could have been thus permanently rapers. BUT – our topic is not war but visiting a foreign land and there becoming crazy, and the experience, that several places are the reason for very sopecial mental diseases, those “Syndromes”. – the wars are only special forms oft The Tourist-Syndromes, only more complicated by the daily worst things that happen in wars. I remember a lot of tales from former soldiers who didn’t remember the fights but the lands, and some of them didn’t believe in propaganda – they told of a poor but nice rural Russian population they met, one left the troops in 1945 and tried to go alone back – coming alone, a single man, people did help despite the fact Stalin forbid it – there was’t really a hatred between the people of this or that nation – as long as no fighting, police action or uprising changed the souls.

– Even in our sad situation in starving Koenigsberg we knew to make differences, we even made up little friendships to Russian couples, not fearing those men, – I think, there is a greater sample of “over-we” (not “over-I” as Freud postulates) this makes the problems, it is like a so-called “bad spirit” overwhelming the single character in some situations, not always – not totally without a free-will-power to say “stop”, but in foreign lands even the tourist may activate his “different spirits” or they activate themselves, if they had been always with special signals (p.e.Vodka). – And this is the “Tourist-Syndrom”, it is a real illness, changing behaviour and feeling. I visited Paris 3 times, some days, but nearly without money, me too, I lost my group once, but I knew a bit of French language, my pronounciation is very good, but my vocabulary is small.

We were told, that they wouldn’t speak German or English, then I managed to “speak” with hands, and a few words in French, not mentioning my Gerrman nationality because I knew they saw it, theit hearts were still hurt from the war – the minbne, too. But they loved me singing German songs – and I loved their Chansons (Francoise Hardy-style). They were not friendly or polite, but in hurry, I understand this. – ok, I went home an learnt. The 3rd time I visited Paris, now coming from Hamburg, with less money than before, and a friend, she was a huge young lady of 17years, I a little female student of 25years. When they looked at us, they grinned a bit “typical British looking tourists” – Some told me, my sound is similar to Toulouse or so, not the northern French. But then, they start to spaek quicly a lot at once – and I don’t understand the most of that, staying polite and “swim”.

I always learn about a land I wish to visit, we were in Switzerland, Austria, Belgia, Northern Italia, Venedig, too, 3 times in Estonia, and 2x in Spain, and I was alone visituing Polonia. It’s always the same – speak at first a little in their own language, this sentence should be perfectly in sound: “Please – I’m not able to speak Your language, please help me – would You prefer English or German? I’m a German.” (No hablo Espagnol / Io no parlo Italiano / Je ne parle pas beaucoup de Francais / etc) – this is helpful in each land, as I saw. Once I visited with my Ma Jerusalem. My modern Hebrew sounds a bit like Abraham, may be, and, other than in Paris, the “spirit” in the air is to feel instantly when landing in Tel Aviv. I lost all fear for my life. ok, I’m a Bible-freak and knew each km of this land I had the chance to show it to my mother. Sometimes we went together, sometimes each another way. They always have some German Jewish or Jiddish-speaking people in the near to speak German.

Its nearly like in Tallinn, if there is no German speaker they’ll find an English speaker or each other language You could use to communicate. But the “frame” of my talking is always in their language. That opens the welcoming me. One of the problems with tourists in Holy Land Israel or in Jerusalem in special is really the tourist becoming changed in his behaviour and feeling. We came from Frankfurt /Germany by plane, and there we feared the massive German securtity – here al watchman – there a tank outside the window – wow! – and in the midst the people to check in: for Israel, for Iran, Irak, Turkya side by side we got our check and divided to our machines, entered the plane, sat down, had to leave it again (a bomb warning?) and to take another plane. . – uj. DARE NOT!!! was the virtual message to us all together – *g* typical German economical sense for orders. – In Israel, I know the security is omnipresent and much closer, the land needs it since about 4’000 years. But therefore it is a part of natural life, not of orders.

I could imagine that other people with an idea about Jesus, Moses, Elija or Petrus do not really know, what they think about them, but meet a clue to open closed gates, ideas from children’s education-times – not necessarily the own, but children meet children an dispute a lot of things and nobody of them knew this really. I remember such disputes in my childhood – the most of the others were not pious. Some of those tourists, pilgrims, visitors, then loose their self-identification inside themselves – You may meet one, dancing alone in the desert of Qumran, well, it is a free land, but with hidden dangers – another feels himself St.Paul and begins to preach to some Arabs – near Bethlehem, searching the sheeps – they must have sheeps, because David was a sheperd, and Jesus born in a stable – ok, they have some sheeps, they would have them even if they wouldn’t need a real sheep there.

Our visit was in the early 1980th and we could visit all parts of the land – our Hungarian Guide told us, that about 200 people each year must been brought to the doctors for “being” St.John the Bapt., or Jeremija the prophet, or Abraham, or Jesus himself – but it is not only an harmless idea, because they sometimes become very angry if a person doesn’t believe them, cry around, get feaver, run in the desert and starve if nobody brings them to the doctors. All the inhabitants, Israelis (only 6 of 10 are Jewish) from 37 language-groups, and Palestines (not all are Muslimin, but the most Arab speaking), in the Holy Land know this phenomena of the Jerusalem-Syndrome. Florence and Rome – my mother was there, alone, have mor “Spirit” of the place than modern Venecia, I assume. Maybe in Venedig, some people begin to feel themselves a Gondoliere and try to sing, but the modern times make it very expensive to drive with the water-taxi, and may be, the Venecian Carneval brings special day’s-“spirits”.

On the other hand – this cannot be a mass-phenomen. As for Florence, Mantua, Milano, Syracouse – some special professions are highly affectable, painting, sculpture, historia, opera oh yeah, I heard the story of a man – in DDR-time – who lomged for Mantua, the “city of Don Giovanni”, but it was impossible, nobody allowed him to visit Italia – then he prepared his “illegal leaving of the workers paradise” 20 years long – not telling his wife a single word – then managed to escape by sea, to Denmark and really – had his look on Mantua. All perfect. He only wished to have his foot on this same place of Mantua he saw in the opera film, and then to return to DDR and his wife. Then came the Mantua-Syndrome and overwhelmed him, he went to Sicilia, stayed there, began to work in a job, and nearly took another wife, then suddenly remembering that he wanted only to have a look on Mantua and then return.

He remembered his problem – the “special DDR” gouvernement – he really had forgotten all – his wife could have lost her home and sit in prison, because he sent no sign of life and quickly go back. So he retourned, it happened about 1988. The freedom was near. Well, this is a long text, but how should anybody understand the difference between a little spleen and a real psychiatric “Syndrom” as a real sad and sometimes dangerous illness when speaking about anything without some information, in telegram-style? Bye then 🙂 on April 26, 2010 said: I have experienced the Stendhal Syndrome myself. Once, while out in my grandmother’s backyard several years ago (I was a child then). She lives on a lake and one night I went outside and I looked up at the night sky and became so overwhelmed and almost frightened. I felt as if the sky would swallow me whole. But it was beautiful. It just made me realize right then that I was just a minute speck in the universe. And, most recently I saw the “Star Spangled Banner (the flag that flew during the Fort McHenry battle in Baltimore, Md back in 1814).

It’s currently on display at the Smithsonian in Washington, DC. It’s a huge flag and I became overwhelmed with emotion looking at it. on June 23, 2011 said: My mom had a strange reaction in Florence – she started speaking French. We are hispanic americans (awful term), and her first language is spanish, and she knew a small amount of both French and Italian, and for some reason lapsed into French, and pretty much couldn’t stop till we left Florence for Sienna and Rome. I myself experienced something – when I left Florence, it felt like I had been punched in the stomach, and felt acute desolation. I hadn’t thought I liked it THAT much until I left. It was very strange. I fully believe the Paris syndrome with the Japanese, I work with Japanese visitors to NYC, and they do have some shock. NYC gets demonized as much as Paris gets glamorized, so that might help as well. Phantoms and Monsters: Pulse of the Paranormal Things That Make Me Say 'Whoa' THE NORWEGIAN SPIRAL On December 9, 2009, a strange phenomenon was witnessed over Russia, and photographed in northern Norway and Sweden.

The event began when a blue light soared up from behind a mountain in the north end of Russia. The light stopped in mid-air, and then began to move in circles. Within seconds a giant spiral had covered the entire sky. Once expanded, a green-blue beam of light shot out from the center of the object, lasting for ten to twelve minutes before disappearing completely. Thousands of onlookers described the event. One account indicated that the object appeared as a giant fireball which traveled around in circles. It had a powerful light that surrounded its center, and some shooting star visuals. The pictures and video of the bizarre event quickly spread over the Internet, and were accompanied by many claims that the lights looked like a path to another dimension, similar to one that you would see in the movies. After the story was published all over the world, the Russian Defense Ministry acknowledged a failed test of a RSM-56 Bulava missile, on the day in question. It has been suggested that the phenomenon was the result of the failed missile test. Apparently, the missile failure caused the exhaust of the projectile to travel out sideways, sending the object into an uncontrolled spin.

However, people have proclaimed that the event looks like a wormhole opening up, and that the occurrence has been linked with the recent high-energy experiments undertaken at the Large Hadron Collider, in Switzerland. Many Intellectuals have voiced a problem with the official explanation of a failed missile launch, stemming from the fact that the event was sustained for so long. Some have gone so far as to draw connections with the famous Project Blue Beam conspiracy theory, which involves a NASA plan to trick the world population into believing in extraterrestrial life, using high powered lasers that are often mistaken for UFOs. Others suggest a secret government weapons test involving the HAARP program or a Russian equivalent. - ListVerse JEREMY BENTHAM The 18th-and-19th-century social philosopher left the world a rather odd bequest in his will: his preserved, clothed body. No one’s quite sure what Bentham was getting at with this “gift,” but since his 1832 death his clothed skeleton – topped with a wax model of Bentham’s head – has been preserved in a wood-and-glass cabinet known as the Auto-Icon. It now resides at University College London and is occasionally moved so Bentham can “attend” meetings.

Bentham didn’t want for the Auto-Icon to feature a wax head; he actually carried around the glass eyes he wanted used in his preserved face for years before his death. However, the preservation process distorted his face, so the wax replica had to stand in. For many years Bentham’s real head sat between his feet in the Auto-Icon, but it was such a target for pranksters that it eventually had to be locked away. PARIS SYNDROME Paris syndrome is a transient psychological disorder encountered by some people visiting or vacationing in Paris, France. Japanese visitors are observed to be especially susceptible. From the estimated six million yearly visitors the number of reported cases is significant. It is characterized by a number of psychiatric symptoms as acute delusional states, hallucinations, feelings of persecution (delusional belief of being a victim of prejudice, aggression, hostility to others), a derealization, a depersonalization, anxiety, and also psychosomatic manifestations such as dizziness, tachycardia, sweating, etc.. The four main factors to cause the disorder are: 1. Language barrier – few Japanese speak French and vice versa. This is believed to be the principal difficulty and is thought to engender the remainder.

Apart from the obvious differences between French and Japanese many everyday phrases and idioms are shorn of meaning and substance when translated adding to the confusion of some who haven’t previously encountered such. 2. Cultural difference – the authors state that the large difference between not only the languages but the manner in which Latin populations communicate on an interpersonal level in comparison to the rigidly formal Japanese culture proves too great a difficulty for some Japanese visitors. It is thought that it is the rapid and frequent fluctuations in mood, tense and attitude especially in the delivery of humor that cause the most difficulty. 3. Idealized image of Paris – it is also speculated as manifesting from an individual’s inability to reconcile a disparity between the Japanese popular image and the reality of Paris. 4. Exhaustion – finally, it is thought that the over-booking of one’s time and energy, whether on a business trip or on holiday, in attempting to cram too much into every moment of a stay in Paris along with the effects of jet lag all contribute to the psychological destabilization of some. - cogitz THE GREAT BOSTON MOLASSES FLOOD OF 1919 The date was January 15, 1919, a Wednesday.

It was about half-past noon. In Boston's industrial North End, folks were going about their business as usual. Only one small detail seemed out of the ordinary, and that was the temperature — unseasonably warm, in the mid-40s, up from a frigid two degrees above zero just three days before. The sudden thaw had lifted everyone's spirits. To anyone who was out on the street that day, it scarcely seemed a harbinger of disaster. But trouble was brewing fifty feet above street level in the form of a cast-iron tank containing two-and-a-half million gallons of crude molasses. The molasses, owned by the United States Industrial Alcohol Company, was slated to be made into rum, but this particular batch would never make it to the distillery. Sweet, sticky, deadly goo At about 12:40 p.m. the giant tank ruptured, emptying its entire contents into Commercial Street in the space of a few seconds. The result was nothing less a flash flood consisting of millions of gallons of sweet, sticky, deadly goo.

The Boston Evening Globe published a description based on eyewitness accounts later that day: Fragments of the great tank were thrown into the air, buildings in the neighborhood began to crumple up as though the underpinnings had been pulled away from under them, and scores of people in the various buildings were buried in the ruins, some dead and others badly injured. The explosion came without the slightest warning. The workmen were at their noontime meal, some eating in the building or just outside, and many of the men in the Department of Public Works Buildings and stables, which are close by, and where many were injured badly, were away at lunch. Once the low, rumbling sound was heard no one had a chance to escape. The buildings seemed to cringe up as though they were made of pasteboard. The bulk of the devastation was caused by a "wall of molasses" at least eight feet high — 15, according to some bystanders — which rushed through the streets at a speed of 35 miles per hour. It demolished entire buildings, literally ripping them off their foundations. It upended vehicles and buried horses.

People tried to outrun the torrent, but were overtaken and either hurled against solid objects or drowned where they fell. More than 150 people were injured. 21 were killed. Negligence or sabotage? The clean-up took weeks. Once that was done, the filing of lawsuits began. More than a hundred plaintiffs lined up to seek damages from the United States Industrial Alcohol Company. Hearings went on for six years, during which 3,000 people testified, including several "expert witnesses" for the defense who were well paid to argue that the explosion had been the result of sabotage, not negligence on the part of the company. In the end, however, the court ruled for the plaintiffs, finding that the tank had been overfilled and inadequately reinforced. No evidence of sabotage was ever found. All told, the company was forced to pay out nearly a million dollars in damages — a bittersweet victory for survivors of one of the strangest disasters in American history. - About PUBLIC DISSECTIONS Thanks to advances in science and the relaxing of church and government laws, the dissection of human corpses came back into vogue in the 1300s.

At first these dissections were performed in small rooms or houses for the benefit of a handful for medical students. Then, almost overnight, a bored and apparently pretty morbid public started clamoring to attend them as well. Specially designed “anatomy theatres” were purpose-built in many of the major European cities; most could seat well over 1,000 people. Tickets were sold to the public and the prices often varied based on how “interesting” that particular corpse was. The most expensive tickets sold in Hanover were 24 Groschen to see a woman who died while pregnant. The audiences were so excited about what they were watching that as early as 1502 a surgeon recommended having guards present at each dissection to “restrain the public as it enters.” While most etchings from the period show only men at the viewings, women attended as well. In 1748, the crowds to see cadavers dissected at the theatre in Dresden, Germany were so large that they started having “ladies only” viewings, during which the women were invited to touch the corpses. In many countries, these viewings only happened three or four times a year due to a lack of available bodies.

In Bologna, Italy, dissections became fancy events, with women wearing their best clothes to the viewing, and balls or festivals followed in the evening. Then in England in 1751, Parliament passed the Murder Act, allowing for all executed criminals to be publicly dissected. The increase in the number of public dissections did not diminish their popularity, and thousands of people continued to attend them each year until they were finally outlawed in the 1800s. - MentalFloss The awful science of holidays | David Steele | Science | The Guardian Brain flapping The awful science of holidays It's the time of year people take holidays. Unfortunately there are many scientific reasons this can be an unpleasant experience A child on holiday, not learning about science so probably jeopardising her future career. One of the many downsides of holidays. Photograph: Alamy Share on Messenger Close It is reasonably well known that long-term stress with its associated raised cortisol levels can damage the immune system. As such anything that reduces stress might be seen as a good thing. There are many ways people choose to relax.

Some people enjoy sports; others sit in front of the television, while Frankie mainly seemed to enjoy telling others to "RELAX!" At this time of year many people will be looking to get away from it all and get closer to different bits of it all on a holiday. Is there any science to this and what should a scientist do on holiday? The answers are: sort of and whatever they like. Let's make a short list containing some facts loosely pertaining to holidays anyway. Vaccination The world is awful and full of death and disease so when you're heading to certain bits of it for a good time you might want to consider vaccinating yourself. Health experts advise preparing for a holiday four to six weeks before travelling, especially if you need vaccinations . Diseases you might catch depending on destination include but are not limited to hepatitis A, malaria, yellow fever, polio and a deep sense of regret that you didn't organise your travel vaccinations. Traveller's diarrhoea is the most common illness contracted in people travelling abroad from the UK. It's best to be careful with water and food that you consume lest you want a dispiriting case of "both ends". Jet Lag Travel itself can make you feel less than spritely.

Jet lag is a chronobiological problem. Before science fiction fans get excited this is not related to time travel. Such problems include the trauma of becoming your own grandparent and stepping on a prehistoric butterfly and finding out Hitler is now your librarian, but not jet lag. When you travel from east to west (or vice versa) across time zones, taking your body with you as one does, your body clock will not be synchronised with the time of your destination. Your holiday will subject your body to patterns of night and day in opposition to its normal rhythm. Biological processes dictating times for sleeping, eating and hormone regulation will no longer correspond to the usual time of day, resulting in jet lag. Symptoms include sleep disruption, worsened cognitive performance, fatigue, headache, irritability and a deep sense of regret you believed the Pet Shop boys and went west. Or east, but they don't have a song about that. Culture Once your immune system has been primed and your body agrees with its surroundings whether it's time to sleep, eat or wail mournfully at an unfamiliar sky, the location of the holiday can have unexpected psychological effects. In some cases too much culture can be damaging.

Stendhal syndrome is a psychosomatic disorder with symptoms including fainting, dizziness, tachycardia (rapid heart rate) and in some cases hallucinations, when the individual is exposed to particularly beautiful art or large amounts of art. It should be noted Stendhal syndrome is not included in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders IV, although this may change with the increasingly creative approach the DSM seems to be taking. Stendhal syndrome was named in 1979 when an Italian psychiatrist, Graziella Magherini , described over 100 cases among visitors to Florence, often rushed to the hospital as emergencies from local art galleries. Luckily the treatment appears to be relatively simple and involves a retreat from the sublime to a more mundane reality. Similarly, Paris syndrome is a transient psychological disorder encountered, as you might expect, by people visiting Paris, France. Symptoms include delusions, hallucinations, anxiety, and perceptions of persecution as well as psychosomatic symptoms including dizziness, tachycardia and perspiration. Japanese tourists appear to be particularly susceptible with over 12 Japanese tourists a year falling foul of the condition.

With Paris experiencing over six million visitors a year, the syndrome is hardly epidemic, although the Japanese embassy reportedly has an emergency hot-line for dealing with this problem. The cause is argued to be the shock of Paris not meeting unrealistic expectations of its idealised image of high culture. If this is the case then the lesson appears to be not to get your hopes up and expect perfection from a perfectly nice and beautiful city. Actually I guess in France it is Nice that is "perfectly nice". The Nice tourist board are welcome to use this. Helping Local Wildlife If you're going on holiday to observe wildlife, whether on safari or one of those places where you can watch fish through a glass floor, then you may be helping in unexpected ways. Social facilitation is the tendency for people to perform better at simple tasks when being observed by other people. For example cyclists' speed will increase if they are racing against other cyclists rather than alone against the clock. The phenomenon isn't restricted to humans. Psychologist, Robert Zajonc found cockroaches completed a maze quicker when they had an audience consisting of other cockroaches compared to when they were unobserved.

Biologist, Shisan Chen found ants will dig three times as much sand when working alongside (without cooperation) other ants than when working alone. Unfortunately it appears that social facilitation only occurs when observed by a member of one's own species. So if you want the tropical fish you're observing to be more productive then you may have to disguise yourself as a large, voyeuristic clownfish . You then need to question how fish can be more productive and whether the costume is worth it. Activities The various aggravations of going on holiday might turn you to drink. Perhaps this is why a refreshing cocktail by the pool is such a staple of many vacations. Additionally thirst and enjoyment. If you are committed to the idea of a science holiday then you could try a science-themed cocktail. These might include The Large Hadron Colada, Mitosis on the Beach, Long Island Environment Causing Speciation Ice Tea or a Haematology Mary. Alternatively you might turn your gin and tonic into a liquid laser. Basically lasers emit light because electromagnetic radiation has undergone stimulated emission and optical amplification i.e. electrons release energy as light.

If you subject your G&T to a blast from a 20-watt carbon dioxide laser, your drink will lase and its electrons will be stimulated to emit approximately 0.00001 watts of light. The laser may be dangerous , too much gin has health risks and the light of your drink is invisible to the naked eye, but you will be drinking a laser. So that's cool. Home Time So overall it seems a science holiday involves disease, fatigue, despair, dressing as an animal and consuming difficult to obtain laser gin. I might just stay at home. Dave can be found safely ensconced away from the horrors and delights of the outside world on Twitter as @hullodave Or, check out the podcast Dean and Dave's Science Webnoise, with friend and usual Brain Flapping science blogger Dean Burnett.

Question: What is a transient psychological disorder encountered by some people visiting or vacationing in Paris, to which Japanese visitors are observed to be especially susceptible?
Answer: Paris syndrome