Earlier research has already shown that bystanders are often more active than long assumed. They may intervene to stop a conflict or offer support afterwards, for example. However, it had not yet been studied whether bystanders in real-life conflict situations also seek contact with others themselves in order to reduce tension. The researchers therefore wanted to examine whether such behaviour, such as seeking proximity, talking or making physical contact, also occurs among bystanders to street conflicts, and what effect it has.
For the study, the researchers analysed CCTV footage of real street conflicts in Amsterdam recorded by the police. They examined 30 video clips involving a total of 131 bystanders and compared their behaviour shortly before and shortly after they noticed the conflict. Remarkably, they used a method that is also applied in behavioural research on primates. This allowed them to investigate whether people react in similar ways to other social species in tense situations.
Results
The results show that bystanders display more stress-related behaviour after witnessing a street conflict. At the same time, they also seek contact with others more often. They stand closer to someone, talk to each other more frequently, and are also more likely to engage in longer-lasting physical contact. Brief, fleeting touches did not clearly increase. According to the researchers, this suggests that longer-lasting contact in particular may play a role in reducing tension.
This is what makes the study distinctive. Never before had it been shown so clearly in real, everyday conflict situations between people that social closeness can function as a stress buffer for bystanders. It is also striking that bystanders showed no clear preference for whom they approached: other bystanders or the people directly involved in the conflict. This suggests that seeking contact in such situations is primarily a general response to tension.
Sociology and biology
According to the researchers, the study shows that bystander behaviour in street conflicts should be understood not only socially, but also emotionally and biologically. It is precisely the combination of sociological and biological insights that provides a more complete understanding of how people respond to violence in public space.
The study, Affiliation as a Social Tension Buffer in the Aftermath of Street Fights, can be read here. From Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Laura Pighini, Marie Rosenkrantz Lindegaard and Virginia Pallante were involved in the research.
