Public Mood

Public mood is the engine of public action. It is ever present and continuously influences the character of social events. This mood is neurologically embodied in the herding impulse in the amygdala, which is a part of the limbic system.

The trend in public mood expands and contracts positively and negatively. A positive public mood correlates with a multitude of social phenomena, such as bull markets, bright colors, short skirts, re-election of incumbents, harmony, and laissez-faire policies. A negative social mood likewise correlates with distinct social phenomena, such as bear markets, dark colors, falling hemlines, ousting of incumbents, war, and authoritarianism.

A subtle but crucial point: Public mood governs social events, its trends and turns are independent of such events. In other words, where mood goes, events will follow. Keep in mind, the events themselves have no influence on the trend of public mood; there is no feedback loop. If public mood governs social events, what governs public mood? The Wave Principle.

When we say that public mood determines the character of social events, we indicate that the mood determines the general type of events to expect, not the particular events themselves, nor the behavior of individuals. Here is an example: Socionomic theory presumes that during times of negative public mood, horror movies will be increasingly popular. However, we can’t forecast if a movie studio will green light the feature-length production of a particular horror film, nor anticipate whether a specific individual will see the movie at the local movie theater.

Tags Causality Elliott Waves Herding Public Mood Social Mood