17/08/2026
The Bias Buddha’s Bitch Episode 3: Compassion, The Bystander Effect, The Colosseum Effect & Oculogyric crisis… 👀 🔫💪
I explore the intersection of compassion, psychology, and collective human behaviour.
I dive into Paul Gilbert’s Compassion Focused Theory and the concepts of our evolved compassion, how environments shape compassion, or a lack of compassion as well as emotional intellect. Asking what happens when compassion is absent—not just within individuals, but within groups.
I also discuss the bystander effect and introduce what I perceive as the Colosseum Effect: the disturbing psychological phenomenon in which groups of people become entertained by another person’s suffering, humiliation, or abuse, and may even participate in it. Why do crowds sometimes watch, laugh, encourage, or remain passive in the face of cruelty? What psychological mechanisms make this possible?
Along the way, I humorously share my experience of oculogyric crisis, the neurological phenomenon that can cause dramatic eye seizures, and share some personal updates, observations, and a few lighter moments to balance the heavier topics.
This episode is a journey through compassion, conformity, cruelty, and consciousness—with the usual mix of psychology, curiosity, humour, and unapologetic questioning.
If you’ve ever wondered why some people help, why others watch, and why some laugh… and what compassion really requires of us, this conversation is for you.
LINK IN BIO. 😌🔗🖇️⛓️💥