The Surprising Science Behind Mosh Pits

Professor Politics (Peter Licari, PhD), an experienced participant in the mosh pit scene for many years, decided to look at the history and the science behind these unruly mobs of people who are surprisingly kind and organized.

Mosh pits may look chaotic, but how people act in them are anything but.

Licari describes the unspoken code of conduct to which everyone participating abides. This includes no spiky clothes, no angry clashes, and if someone falls down, the implicit agreement is to pick them up again. Those who violate these rules are ejected from the group post-haste. It’s a contradictory place of trust that allows people to get out their aggressions at the same time

Mosh pits appear animal, violent, and unruly. But beneath all the swinging arms and smashing bodies is one of the most welcoming and gregarious atmospheres I’ve ever witnessed. And I would know– I’ve been an avid mosher since my early teens.

via Boing Boing