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Mass hysteria, also called collective hysteria, mass psychogenic illness, or collective obsessional behavior, is the sociopsychological phenomenon of the manifestation of the same or similar hysterical symptoms by more than one person. A common manifestation of mass hysteria occurs when people believe they are suffering from a similar disease or ailment.^[1]

British historian and Fortean researcher Mike Dash^[2] notes that studies have identified six elements that are required for a case of mass hysteria to afflict a population:

1. "Regional conditions must be conducive" to the mass hysteria's plausibility.
2. "Channels of communication must be available for the reports to spread."
3. "Social and economic stress, as well as a lack of faith in the authorities, predispose people to embrace unconventional interpretations."
4. "[E]very culture has marginal traditions that offer alternative explanations."
5. "A triggering episode often serves as the pebble that commences an avalanche of reports."
6. "[O]utbreaks of unusual manifestations are aided by breakdowns in official control."

Mass hysteria typically begins when an individual becomes ill or hysterical during a period of stress.^[3] After this initial individual shows symptoms, others begin to manifest similar symptoms, typically nausea, muscle weakness fits or headache.^[4]

Sightings of religious miracles are often attributed to mass hysteria.^[5]

Cases of moral panic, such as Satanic Ritual Abuse scares, often have symptoms that overlap with mass hysteria.^{[citation needed]}

Dash writes that while mass hysteria is widely accepted as genuine, many important details of the phenomenon are of unknown etiology, and mass hysteria can often seek to "explain a mystery with a mystery. Much more work needs to be done on the causes and consequences of hysterical contagion before we can be certain what it is and why it occurs." Similarly, American paranormal and UFO researcher Jerome Clark^[6] argues that mass hysteria is often a flimsy post hoc explanation and "a classic blame-the-victim strategy" in cases where authorities or experts can find no explanation for puzzling or frightening events.

In the 18th episode of House season 3, a mass hysteria triggered by the symptoms of a sick passenger, took place on an air plane. The six elements required to set off a mass hysteria can be observed somewhat in the episode.

• Bandwagon effect
• Bacchanalia
• Bear market
• Collective consciousness
• Collective behavior
• Collective Effervescence
• Collective intelligence
• Conversion syndrome
• Craze
• Crowd psychology
• Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds by Charles Mackay
• Folie à deux
• Group behaviour
• Groupthink
• Herd behavior
• Herd instinct
• Hysteria
• London Monster
• The Mad Gasser of Mattoon
• Mean world syndrome
• Meme
• Mob mentality
• Mob rule
• Moral panic
• Morangos com Açúcar
• Morgellons
• New Delhi monkeyman
• Photosensitive epilepsy
• Penis panic
• Reign of Terror
• Sheeple
• Spring Heeled Jack
• Stampede
• Stock market bubble
• Stock market crash
• Tanganyika Laughter Epidemic
• Witch-hunt

• "Mass Hysteria." SelfhelpMagazine.com November 3, 2000.
• Mass hysteria hits Malaysian school
• Six hundered girls in Mexico suffer from collective hysteria