People are fascinating creatures, and sometimes the best way to understand them is through social experiments. These experiments are designed to observe how people behave in certain situations, often without them even knowing it. Some are simple and harmless, while others are so extreme, they leave a lasting impact on science—and on the people involved.
Over the years, many researchers have pushed the limits of human behavior to see how we react to pressure, authority, isolation, and even kindness. The results can be shocking, funny, or even disturbing. Here are seven of the wildest social experiments ever carried out.
1. The Stanford Prison Experiment (1971)
This experiment is one of the most famous—and disturbing—social studies in history. Psychologist Philip Zimbardo turned the basement of Stanford University into a fake prison and assigned 24 male students to play the roles of either guards or prisoners. What started as a simple role-play quickly spiraled out of control.
The guards began acting cruel and abusive, while the prisoners became passive and stressed. The experiment was supposed to last two weeks but was stopped after just six days due to the extreme emotional effects. It showed how quickly people can lose themselves in roles and how dangerous authority can become.
2. The Milgram Experiment (1961)
Psychologist Stanley Milgram wanted to test how far people would go in obeying authority, even if it meant hurting someone else. Volunteers were told to give electric shocks to a “learner” whenever they answered a question wrong. The shocks weren’t real, but the volunteers didn’t know that.
Surprisingly, many people continued to give shocks—even when the “learner” screamed in pain—just because an authority figure told them to. The experiment revealed how ordinary people can do terrible things under pressure from those in power.
3. The Third Wave (1967)
At a high school in California, teacher Ron Jones created a classroom movement to show how easily people could fall into fascism. He called it “The Third Wave” and gave students strict rules, slogans, and salutes. The students followed eagerly, becoming more obedient and aggressive each day.
After just a few days, the class turned into a mini-dictatorship. Jones had to end the experiment when things got out of hand. It shocked everyone to see how fast students gave up their independence just to feel like part of a group.
4. The Bystander Effect – Kitty Genovese Case (1964)
This wasn’t a planned experiment, but it led to one. In New York City, a woman named Kitty Genovese was murdered while many people reportedly saw or heard the attack. No one helped, assuming someone else would. Psychologists later studied this as the “bystander effect.”
Later experiments showed that the more people are around, the less likely anyone is to take action in an emergency. It’s not because people don’t care, but because they expect someone else to step in. This changed how we understand group behavior—and emergency response.
5. The Asch Conformity Experiment (1951)
Solomon Asch wanted to find out if people would go against their own eyes just to fit in. In his experiment, participants were asked to match the length of lines. The task was easy, but actors in the room purposely gave the wrong answers.
Surprisingly, many participants agreed with the wrong answers, just to go along with the group. This experiment showed how powerful peer pressure can be, even in simple situations. It made people think twice about how often they go along with the crowd.
6. The Robbers Cave Experiment (1954)
This experiment studied how conflict forms between groups. Researchers brought 22 boys to a summer camp and split them into two teams. At first, the boys bonded within their own groups. Then, the researchers introduced competitions between the teams—and things got ugly fast.
The boys became aggressive, even violent, toward the rival group. But when both teams had to work together to solve a problem, they began to cooperate. The study proved how easily group identity can lead to conflict—and how teamwork can heal it.
7. The Elevator Experiment (1962)
This funny and simple experiment was done by a hidden camera team. Actors entered an elevator and all faced the back wall instead of the door. When strangers entered, they copied the strange behavior, turning to face the back as well.
It was a harmless but eye-opening way to show how people will often follow what others do, even if it makes no sense. It reminded us how strong social pressure can be—and how much we care about fitting in, even in the smallest ways.