Mind Field (2017) s02e05 Episode Script

[Michael.]
Stanford University, 1973.
Professor Philip Zimbardo conducts one of the most infamous experiments in the history of psychology.
Known as the Stanford Prison Experiment, this dark study of human behavior had student volunteers acting out the roles of prison guards and inmates.
But the role-playing soon became all too real.
[man shouting.]
Subjects in the role of prison guards became domineering and hostile.
[participants shouting.]
Those in the role of inmates felt humiliation and fear.
The experiment was scheduled to last two weeks, but after spiraling out of control, this controversial study was abruptly stopped after just six days.
Why? Because someone was heroic enough to stand up against what they thought was wrong.
That person convinced Zimbardo to end the experiment.
The experience affected Dr.
Zimbardo so powerfully that he has since turned his energy away from the study of evil and onto the study of heroism.
According to Zimbardo, being a hero doesn't mean you have to rescue someone from a burning building.
A hero is just someone who acts selflessly, out of concern for others, at personal risk and without the expectation of reward.
It took a hero to empathize with the subjects in the Stanford Prison Experiment and stand up to Dr.
Zimbardo.
But where do heroes like that come from? Is heroism a personality type you are born with, or can you be taught to be a hero? And do you really need a cape? [theme music playing.]
[Michael.]
I sat down with Philip Zimbardo and his wife, Christine Maslach, to hear about the Stanford Prison Experiment and how it brought them together as a couple.
The Stanford prison study was supposed to go for two weeks, and we had to terminate it early because of some unexpected turbulence in the study.
I was just really upset at what I was seeing, and, um, just the sort of dehumanization and-and people are watching, and nobody's bothered by it.
And it wasn't just Phil, it was everybody else.
People were sort of teasing me, some of the other grad students were just saying, "Hey, you just got your PhD in Psychology.
This is human behavior, right?" But it's upsetting in two ways: one, that this shouldn't be human behavior.
This is so mean.
But also-- -It's inhuman behavior.
-It's inhuman behavior.
And also, is it also inhuman to just watch it and not intervene? Of course.
In retrospect.
No, but when you're in it, you're part of the evil.
I was looking at it through a different lens.
Everybody is saying, the graduates, "Wow, this is really interesting.
" playing back the videos during the night, and she's just saying [sharp whistle.]
"I'm blowing the whistle on this, you know?" I could not understand how we were not seeing things in the same way.
But then the key thing she says about our relationship is [chuckles.]
Yeah.
"If this is the real you, then we're done.
This is over.
" And at that moment, that was the slap in the fa-- That was the wakeup call.
"Hello.
Wake up.
" She said, "I don't think I want to continue my relationship with you," and that's-that's heroic.
Heroes take action, which involves a personal risk.
She said, "Come to your senses," and, parentheses, "Make the right decision.
And if you don't, I'm out of here.
" Did you make the decision to end the experiment that night? -Oh, sure.
-Yeah.
Being a hero means putting yourself on the line to help others.
But in the real world, ethics can get murky, and those who are celebrated as heroes by some can be denounced as villains by others.
In 1971, former military analyst Daniel Ellsberg leaked secret documents he had access to regarding the Vietnam War.
The so-called Pentagon Papers showed that the Johnson administration was lying to both the media and Congress regarding the scope of U.
S.
actions in Vietnam.
Ellsberg faced 115 years in prison for espionage, But his case was dismissed due to illegal handling of evidence on the part of the government.
More recently, both Chelsea Manning and Edward Snowden released classified government information.
All three whistle-blowers are now seen as heroes by some and traitors by others.
What these individuals have in common is that they all risked their reputations and safety to expose what they saw as wrongdoing.
Would you be willing to risk your job, your friends, your reputation, to do what you thought was right? Well, to find out, let's observe the whistleblower and the bystander in their natural habitat.
In a 2012 survey conducted by Dr.
Zimbardo and Dr.
Piero Bocchiaro, participants were asked what they would do if they were put into an unethical situation at work.
Over 95% said they would disobey their boss and blow the whistle.
But it's one thing to say you'd blow the whistle, and another thing to actually do it.
At a local community college, we set up a realistic whistleblower test with the help of Dr.
Zimbardo and Dr.
Bocchiaro.
Our subjects were temporary employees who believed they were hired to help set up a simple psychological experiment.
For authenticity, we've gained access to a local college's Psychology department, so, from the very moment our participants arrive, they will believe that our scientific experiment is real.
But the experiment is fake, and everyone they're about to meet is an actor.
You guys ready? -Absolutely.
-So ready.
Psychology professor Ron Mossler will be observing the subjects from our hidden control room, while I play the role of a researcher, a very unethical researcher.
First up is Sherry -Hello.
-Hello.
who's accompanied by an actor posing as another temp worker.
Let me explain what we're recruiting for.
I call it groundbreaking because it's it's a study that hasn't been done, at least at this scale.
The study is a study on isolation and sensory deprivation.
-Sensory deprivation? -Correct.
We are going to be putting people in isolation for ten days.
There won't be any windows, no clocks, nothing to read, nothing to write on.
The lights are going to be on the entire time, and there won't be anything in there but a camping toilet.
In three-day studies, we know that anxiety and delusions are quite common, but no one's ever tried ten days.
There's the potential for nervous breakdowns.
There's a lot of stress on the individual, and, uh, there can be some kind of cognitive regression, as well.
When will you tell them about the risks? They'll probably be told about the risks in a debrief after the experiment.
-After the experiment? -Yes.
Don't you think that's a little not so cool.
I-I understand.
But, again, I think that the greater good is served by this research.
So, you'll just be manning phones, calling people from our volunteer lists, and for every person you're able to confirm today, we're offering a $20 bonus.
At this point, Sherry looks skeptical.
but so far, she and our other subjects are going along with the assignment.
However, the stakes are about to get higher.
We have lists of people-- [telephone rings.]
Don't know why that's-- Hello? Hi, Michael, this is Tryn.
Hey, Tryn, how you doing? Well, unfortunately, I have some bad news.
The ethics review board has reviewed your isolation study, and we have decided to reject it.
You there, Tryn? [Tryn.]
Yes, the study is too dangerous, um, and potentially too harmful to participants, so, at this point, we can't approve it.
Okay, uh, so this is a shutdown.
Correct.
-All right, take care.
Bye.
-Bye-bye.
Uh, okay.
So, we're not paying attention to any of that.
[laughter.]
I-I appreciate what ethic boards stand for, but we're going ten days.
You call the numbers on this list and get them confirmed.
We've got a script for you, and we're not going to tell them about the negative side effects they could encounter, okay? All of the subjects now understood the possible dangerous side effects of the study and were instructed to fudge their description to potential recruits.
But more importantly, they knew the study was not approved by the academic review board.
Would they go ahead and tell the truth, lie, or blow the whistle? [cell phone rings.]
Hello.
Hi, Alex, my name is Celeste, and I am calling from the Psych Dynamics Research Lab.
We're looking for volunteers to participate in an upcoming experiment on isolation.
Anyone who joins this will be confined in isolation for ten days.
What's the accommodations like? You get your own personal room, it's all lit up -She's really selling this.
-Yeah.
She was not fazed by the ethical problems.
Can I bring, like, a book or something like that? Nnnno, it's like your own little mini vacation from all the distractions.
I mean, like, what are the risks of being in a box without a bed for ten days? Good question.
I mean, that's what the study's for.
You'd be helping us discover that.
Have they done it before? They haven't done it yet in California.
So, we're actually making history.
Oh, well, all right, I like making history.
Are there any, like, mental health risks? No.
There's no risks or anything like that? No.
No, flashing lights, no fear dynamic, not a horror movie in any way now.
He knows there are dangers.
They're on a piece of paper right in front of him.
But when asked if there are dangers, he labels other dangers that won't be there.
There's no endangerment.
There'll be no one in the room with you.
It's nothing illegal or nothing [chuckles.]
"Is it safe?" "Yes, it's not illegal!" And it's all been approved by the university? At the moment, it is approved, yeah.
Hundred percent lie.
Is this approved by the FDA? Yes.
It is? The FDA? They are aware of the study, yes.
[laughs.]
The Food Drug Administration.
Despite knowing the experiment has been deemed dangerous and harmful, these subjects are willing to bend the truth or outright lie.
Would skeptical Sherry go along as well? This is, like, you know, really crucial type of experiment and research that they're trying to embark upon.
Yeah, I don't-- I'm sorry, I just don't think I can do it.
I understand.
This is not, you know, something that I want to pressure you or anybody.
-So, the answer is no.
-All right, thanks anyway.
You're so welcome.
Bye-bye.
-[knock on door.]
-Come in! We sent in our actor, who was posing as another temp worker, to see how the other subjects felt about the job.
How's it going? [sighs.]
I've gotten two yeses.
-No way! -Yeah.
Congrats, man.
Thanks.
I just-- I feel weird because I personally don't believe in risking damaging people in any way, and right here-- "nervous breakdowns, mental regression, anxiety.
" We're asking people if we can low-key torture them a little bit.
That's what it is.
Now he's just one step above Hannibal Lecter.
[actor.]
I'm gonna be honest with you-- I don't know how I'm feeling about this, you know? I mean, how do you feel about it? I feel like once these people say yes, then they get them here, they're going to have to break this down further.
I don't think he's gonna get anybody, personally.
In a different way, she's justifying.
"Yeah, nobody's gonna sign up anyway.
" Do you think it's, like, ethical, I guess, to be doing something like that? [speaking indistinctly.]
All right.
The participants seemed to have issues with the study, but they all continued to make calls anyway.
After about a half an hour [knock on door.]
it was time to give them the opportunity to blow the whistle.
-I'm Tryn Allen.
-Nice to meet you.
Kristin.
I'm with the university's Ethics Review Board.
Oh, wonderful.
Do you mind if I just ask you a couple of questions about your involvement? Uh, we're just reaching out, seeing people who are interested in the upcoming experiment about isolation.
Are you telling them about any potential side effects? 'Cause isolation has been linked to some very severe depression and anxiety -and that sort of thing.
-Gotcha.
Mm-hmm.
It can be linked to that, but it's also, like, great for learning, you know, why am I anxious, why am I depressed, why I'm all this stuff, so, some folks like to face all that.
She's really rationalizing it really well.
What have you been telling them about the study? I don't really know all the details.
This is my first day here.
Does it seem like it's an ethical experiment? Yes, very much.
Um, I'm just wondering if there's any concerns you've had about anything that you've seen? -Oh, no.
No, no, no.
-Yeah.
Okay.
He knows that the isolation study isn't happening.
Yes.
Yes, he does.
Whoa.
-He's covering for me.
-Yeah.
Are they being told that they can leave at any time? -No.
-That's a pretty clear violation.
Is that something that you would be willing to report? [softly.]
Mmmm [softly.]
Um It's totally up to you.
-I prefer not to.
-Okay.
Not one of these subjects blew the whistle, even when given the opportunity.
Have you had any concerns so far with any of the work that you're doing? I mean, he's having us call on something that I guess you might have already told him that he shouldn't, but then he's saying that, no, you guys can make some calls because I don't need approval to move forward on this, this is important research.
And how did you feel about being told to tell people to still participate in this? Well, what-what I thought about, I felt in my heart that he was not being upfront with revealing the side effects.
Mmm.
Okay.
If you're from the ethic board, then you need to know.
Would you be willing to go on the record? Why not? What do I have to lose? I don't have a problem with that.
Great.
I appreciate that you care about that.
-Thank you.
-That's very important.
Wow, she did it.
Good for her.
Good for her.
Out of our five subjects, only one was willing to blow the whistle.
It was time to blow the whistle on what we were really studying.
Here's what's really going on: There is no isolation study.
This is a study on whistleblowers.
You-- oh, Jesus, have mercy.
This is a trip.
You guys-- What was going on in your head when you were deciding if you should be loyal to your job and what I told you to do versus You know, when I saw the symptoms being crossed off, that's when I said, "Oh, heck no.
" Because I was feeling like, "You know what? He can't get away with this.
" But Sherry was the exception.
So, why did you not spill all the beans? Well, you asked me to do something, and I'm here to work for you, so I feel like that was my first allegiance.
Did you feel bad, though? Did you feel like you shouldn't be doing this? I-I-I did feel bad, but, I mean, I've done sales before, so, I mean, like, sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.
We had Tryn come in to see if you would tell on me.
But you didn't.
-Why? -Hmm.
I don't know.
Sometimes I'm more loyal to people than I guess maybe what my conscience fully tells me.
When asked, we'd like to believe we would do the right thing, but when we're in the actual situation, it's very difficult to be a hero.
[sirens wail.]
[indistinct police radio chatter.]
Georgetown University scanned the brains of kidney donors, a pretty good example of people who help others at risk to themselves, with little perceived personal benefit.
The scans showed that people who willingly give up a kidney for a stranger have a larger than average amygdala, a part of the brain that deals with a range of emotions, including compassion.
The researchers also found that the amygdala in these altruistic individuals responded more strongly than average to seeing other people in distress.
But if you weren't blessed with a larger amygdala, could you be trained to be a hero? Nearly half a century after the Stanford Prison Experiment, Dr.
Zimbardo's mission is to turn everyday people into heroes.
How do you teach someone to be more heroic? I started a nonprofit foundation called the Heroic Imagination Project.
The acronym is HIP.
I work with a team of educators, and we've created a series of lessons based around fundamental principles of social psychology.
How do you transform passive bystanders into active heroes, to stand up, speak out, take wise and effective action in challenging situations in their family and their life? Could people be trained to act heroically? That's the goal of the seminars Zimbardo's staff is conducting all around the world.
This is actually part of the Heroic Imagination Project, and what we're going to do today is really look at or focus on how you can become an everyday hero.
What I need you to all be thinking about is this idea of the Bystander Effect, that the more people that are present, the less likelihood you have of actually receiving help.
It's hard to be the first person.
But if you see an emergency, you should take that responsibility to actually be the first.
Once that one person actually helps, so many others will help.
Dr.
Fiebig uses visual aids and current events to demonstrate how to overcome the obstacles that often hold you back from being a hero.
What research shows is that African-Americans are two times more likely to offer help.
Hispanic males-- not women-- are also two times more likely to offer help.
[Elija.]
Before the class, I honestly thought, like, to be a hero, you really had to be someone with a calling, destined to do greatness, but after the class, I feel like you definitely can be normal and be a hero.
[Courtney.]
After taking the class, I would definitely be the first person to respond because that person needs saving.
In written surveys, past HIP graduates have stated that they would act heroically in the future, but they haven't been put to the test until now.
We waited six weeks, and then recruited five HIP students for a fake marketing event which seemingly had nothing to do with their heroism class.
We set our event at a local church, placed hidden cameras and hired actors to play all the other participants.
Finally, for a control group, we also recruited five students who did not take the HIP class.
What we're really testing is what it's like to be a bystander, and what makes a hero.
This is our control room.
From inside here, our crew will be able to watch everything going on, and we'll be able to speak with the actors through earpieces they have hidden inside their ears.
This is Lisa and Barry, actors who will be creating today's crisis.
Hopefully we find a hero.
I will be observing from inside this room with Elle Charlotte, a HIP campus coordinator.
-Ready? -Let's go.
All right.
Our first subject was Ayamel, who did not take the HIP class.
You've been selected to test a new phone that's gonna be on the market.
-Wow! How exciting! -Yeah.
So, it's just gonna be, like, another ten or 15 minutes.
But before I can let you guys back though, I will need to collect your phones.
We took their phones so they wouldn't be distracted and to avoid the chance of one of them calling the actual police.
Okay, Lisa, Barry, you guys ready? -Yeah.
-Head on out.
It was time to create our crisis I was supposed to get cake.
Barry, enough with the cake.
a bullying nurse and a feeble old man who could use some help from a hero on a hot day in July.
I didn't have water in there.
I need you to shut up about the water.
I think she's noticing what's happening.
[Lisa.]
Hey, Sally, how you doing? -Always, always-- -I need water.
Calm down! I'm on the phone.
Shut up.
Can I just take some water? Well, you know how Barry is.
He's always complaining about something.
Now she's looking away.
It's a little hard to look at.
Like, that's not right.
I don't like this.
I need a little bit of water.
I don't think you need anything.
Just shut up about the water.
[Elle.]
Look how she just puts her sunglasses on.
So she can look and not be seen to be looking.
Ayamel clearly disapproved, but none of our actors made a move to help, and she didn't either.
We gave her several more minutes, but she never got up from the bench.
-Let's go.
-We wanted to know why.
So, you've just participated in a psychological experiment.
Everyone here is an actor, except for you.
-[laughing.]
-And something has gone wrong.
[indistinct remark.]
Were you watching Barry and Lisa? Oh, I was and they were having a hard time.
Did you feel like it was bad enough that someone needed to go in and help? I kind of trusted that the people around me would probably notice something, and, if anything, they would say something.
The way that you interpreted the situation as, you know, "Why isn't anyone else doing something? Then it must not be as important for me to do something.
" That's the bystander effect, pretty much showing the power of that situation.
Ayamel did not act heroically.
It was time to test a HIP student.
Remember Courtney? I would definitely be the first person to respond because that person needs saving.
[happy chatter.]
[man.]
What is your tattoo? Oh, it's fallopian tubes giving the middle finger.
-[man.]
Oh, wow.
-[laughter.]
-Seems like she's pretty socially active.
-Yes.
Lisa, please, a little bit of water.
[Lisa.]
If you stop talking, you won't be as thirsty.
Why won't you give me water? How many times do I have to explain this to you? Every time you drink water, you have to go to the restroom.
[Lisa.]
Hey, how's it going? He's being his regular rambunctious self.
I need you-- I'm on the phone! [gasps.]
-Wow.
Awkward.
-That's hard to ignore.
Hey, calm down.
[Barry.]
I'm calm, I'm calm.
-Oh, she's getting up! -Yes! [Lisa.]
Look, I'm just gonna have to let you go.
Yeah, for sure.
Bye.
I told you, whenever I'm on the phone, to not talk or do anything like this.
You have totally lost your water privileges for the rest of the day.
-Why can't I have water? -[gasps.]
Why are you not letting me have water? [Courtney.]
Excuse me, is everything okay? [Lisa.]
Yeah, everything's fine.
Would you like some of my water, sir? -I would like some water.
-[Michael.]
Oh, my gosh.
[Courtney.]
I will make sure I find a supervisor onsite for you, sir.
I'm very sorry, that's all I have.
That's alright, thank you.
Courtney displayed heroism today.
Was it due to her HIP training? My name's Elle.
I've been working with Heroic Imagination Project, and it looks like you may have learned a few things from your lessons.
Do you want to tell us a little bit about your experience? You shouldn't be a bystander, you know? I just couldn't let it it happen.
How did that affect how you acted today? It affected me 'cause I made sure I went up and said something.
I don't think I would have if I didn't learn from that project before.
Really? Courtney, you are a hero.
Good work.
-Thank you, Courtney.
-Thank you.
Courtney's behavior appeared to relate to her HIP training.
Another HIP student was next.
If a situation arose, I would definitely try to be a hero if I could be.
Or at least I would find someone who could do something better than me.
But would Elija live up to his prediction? No, turn around! Turn around! I need water! What did I just say? Turn around! How many times I have to tell you something like that? But I was quiet.
I was-- No, you weren't quiet, and because of that, you're not going to have any water, okay? -[man.]
All right.
-[Elijah.]
Let's go.
-[Michael.]
Strength in numbers.
-[Elle.]
Oh, very good.
He's our first person to recruit confederates.
He is.
He's also the leader of the group.
Yes.
Utilizing the "be the first" strategy from the class.
You want some of my water? -That's fine.
-Thank you.
So far, two HIP students have displayed heroism.
Next, we tested a HIP student and a non-HIP student at the same time.
He's complaining about water, as usual.
-He's complaining about -I'm not complaining.
After taking this class, if I find myself in a situation where someone would need help, I find myself more inclined to definitely step in and step up.
Would Jessica step up? Stop complaining right now.
I'm not.
Really? Wow.
I need some water.
Katherine and our actress both got up to give the man water, while the HIP student, Jessica, remained seated.
Katherine didn't take our HIP class.
Why did she intervene? And why didn't the HIP student get up to help? Katherine, why do you think you were first? I'm Greek and Italian, so You're not afraid to step in? No, not at all.
Jessica, you've been through a program called HIP.
Yes.
Did you think about that during this? Yes, a lot.
I wanted to stand up.
I have really pretty bad anxiety.
I am not a very confrontational person.
Clearly the hero training class was not the only factor at work here.
We ran the test several more times with a mixed bag of results-- HIP students who helped Yeah.
She went looking for help.
HIP students who did nothing and non-HIP students who acted heroically.
I'm going to just ask him if he wants some water.
[Elle.]
She's doing it! -What's he doing here? -He's moving.
All right.
Is he gonna secretly give Barry water? Yes, thank you.
Our last subject of the day, Ruben, did not take the HIP class, and we decided to make taking heroic action as difficult for him as possible.
We instructed our bystander actors not to react to the elder abuse or encourage Ruben in any way.
[Barry.]
I didn't have enough water.
[Lisa.]
We just got here, Barry.
-I know, but I'm thirsty.
-Could you stop complaining? Just stop complaining.
I just need some water, that's all I need.
Just a little bit of water.
[Michael.]
He's got this piercing look.
He's clearly paying attention, but there's just no emotion there.
Yeah, and he's getting no feedback from the rest of the group.
[Lisa.]
You're making a scene for no reason.
Hey, leave that alone.
Leave that alone.
I just want some water.
I just want a little bit of water.
[Lisa.]
Just-- Fine.
Just relax.
[Elle.]
Despite the remarkable social cost of getting up in such a disaffected group of people, he did it.
If you don't want to share the water, I can give him my water.
That's fine.
-Is that okay? -Wow.
Personally, if you were taking care of my parent like that, there would be definitely some lawsuits 'cause that's not the way you treat somebody.
With no training and no support from the group, Ruben chose to be a hero.
Why? If I don't take action, then nobody else will.
And I was like, I wish I would have stood up sooner.
Now I feel like, in the future, if I were to have a situation like this, I wouldn't even think twice.
Scientists have studied heroism and one thing they have found is that Hispanic and black males are the most likely to intervene.
Makes sense.
Maybe because of the background we come from-- as a minority, we have to defend ourselves.
And I think it's a subconscious thing that we do.
I'm just shocked right now.
With flying colors, might I add! Thank you.
When it came to being a hero, we found that the HIP class could only help to a certain extent, and individual background played a vital role.
So, can heroic behavior be taught, or does it really boil down to personality? Ideally, an educational program like ours should transcend personality differences.
But practice makes perfect.
The key to heroism is starting with very little steps, try to do a good deed of kindness, and be willing to make a bigger step.
We had a very small sample size in our demonstration, but we found that people of color were much more likely to take action.
Why? If you're a minority person, the system is usually your enemy, so you can't say, Well, the police will help, or the government will help or the landlord will help, so it's me or no one.
And so, you're just more sensitive to people in need.
Mmm.
Not all heroes are the same.
The wisest course of action won't be the same for any two people, but making it a habit to look for opportunities to be compassionate, and stepping back to see and consider all available options can be learned.
It's a skill exercised like a muscle, by repetition.
You don't have to wear a cape to be a hero, but if you want to that's okay.
And, as always thanks for watching! [theme music playing.]