Applause Spreads like an Infection, Study Finds

Applause is more closely related with peer pressure than with the actual performance, according to a new study.

A good applause after a performance is seen as a sign of appreciation. However, clapping is a sort of a natural contagion where people start clapping because everyone in the crowd is clapping too.

The study was conducted by researchers from Uppsala University in Sweden, who found that It usually takes just one or two people to start clapping before others join-in, according to BBC News. Interestingly, ending applause also takes just a few people to stop clapping.

Researchers found that during clapping, the noise is infectious and it doesn't matter where the starters of the applause are seated. An individual starts clapping as soon as he or she hears the noise in the room.

The study was based on analysis of video footage that had undergraduates attending a presentation. Researchers found that it took just one or two people to start clapping. The other members of the group simply joined-in after listening to the noise.

"Once someone has started clapping, it only takes a couple of seconds for the rest of the crowd to follow. Most people aren't making a conscious decision about whether they should applaud. As individuals, we don't want to be the only ones clapping, nor do we want to clap alone. It is a very instinctive form of peer pressure, it is incredibly powerful," said Dr Richard Mann, from Uppsala University in Sweden, lead author of the study, reports The Daily Mail.

The study could help understand how people react to peer-pressure and how changes occur in the society.

The study is published in the Journal of the Royal Society Interface.