The Effects of Herd Mentality on Behavior

Abstract

This study conducted a meta-analysis in order to determine the power that herd mentality has on the behavior of an individual. Most of the existing literature emphasizes on how herd mentality is effective for manipulating the masses, however, this study was designed to focus on the use of manipulation between gender and herd size. The methodology for this study was based off Loxton, et. al. (2020) procedures from their meta-analysis of panic buying, herd mentality, and media influencing. Analyzing the volume and timing of consumer spending patterns; the volumes of spending on specific, highly demanded consumer goods during the investigative period; and the implications of media use to influence the masses. Results suggested that the COVID-19 crisis appears to align with behaviors exhibited during historic shock events, in other words, herd mentality affected the behavior of individuals given a crisis. In conclusion, this study seeks to expand this body of research by exploring the effects of herd mentality on behavior.