![]() ![]() It is supposed that the state positively contributes to public health. Indeed, it is generally taken for granted that one main purpose of the modern welfare state is to improve public health. Public healthcare systems form a vital part of the welfare state. We conclude that the negative long-term effects of mass hysteria are exacerbated by the size of the state. However, mass hysteria can be exacerbated and self-reinforcing when the negative information comes from an authoritative source, when the media are politicized, and social networks make the negative information omnipresent. While mass hysteria can occur in societies with a minimal state, we show that there exist certain self-corrective mechanisms and limits to the harm inflicted, such as sacrosanct private property rights. ![]() The resulting collective hysteria may have contributed to policy errors by governments not in line with health recommendations. We argue that mass and digital media in connection with the state may have had adverse consequences during the COVID-19 crisis. Negative information which is spread through mass media repetitively can affect public health negatively in the form of nocebo effects and mass hysteria. Using the background of COVID-19, we study past mass hysteria. In this article, we aim to develop a political economy of mass hysteria.
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