[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
For over 30 years, scientists had been observing Japanese monkeys (Macaca fuscata<\/em>) in the wild. In 1952, they began an experiment\u2014dropping sweet potatoes in the sand for the monkeys to find. The monkeys loved the taste but hated the gritty sand that clung to them.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-46px||-24px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/margiewarrell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/MailerLite-Layout-1.jpg” title_text=”MailerLite Layout (1)” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”600px” height=”587px” custom_padding=”17px||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n Then one day, an 18-month-old monkey named <\/span>Imo<\/em> <\/span>made a discovery. She could solve the problem by taking her potato to the water’s edge to wash before eating it. She taught this trick to her mother, then her playmates learned it and taught their mothers too.<\/p>\n For six years, the older monkeys stubbornly clung to the old way. But eventually, almost overnight, a critical mass adopted this new behavior\u2014what researchers called the “Hundredth Monkey Effect.” The practice spread rapidly across the entire tribe, and washing potatoes became the new norm.<\/p>\n While claims that the behavior suddenly leaped to other tribes across the island lack evidence, what’s undisputed is this: a single monkey’s change in behavior sparked a cultural shift that spread throughout her community.<\/p>\n \n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/margiewarrell.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Ripple-square.png” title_text=”Ripple-square” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”-33px||-16px||false|false” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content” sticky_enabled=”0″ width=”83%” max_width=”61%”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n The importance of this story is its principle:<\/p>\n Individual behaviors can create a ripple effect that changes collective norms and reshapes the whole.<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n What social scientists call “social contagion”\u2014the well-documented phenomenon where behaviors, attitudes, and norms spread through populations once they reach a critical threshold.<\/p>\n A<\/strong>s research consistently shows, when enough individuals within a group adopt new behaviors, change accelerates exponentially until it becomes the new standard. Whether we’re talking about safety practices in organizations, cultural shifts in communities, or social movements, the pattern holds: individual choices have a ripple effect, spreading outward spreading out to shape new norms. <\/span><\/p>\n Right now, as political polarization reaches dangerous new heights, we’re witnessing the darkest ripples take hold. Political violence has claimed lives. Assassination attempts have become part of our political discourse. Too many people now view those who disagree with them not as fellow citizens with different perspectives, but as enemies to be defeated\u2014or worse, eliminated.<\/p>\n Fear breeds more fear. Hatred fuels more hatred. What was once unthinkable\u2014celebrating violence against political opponents or business leaders\u2014is becoming normalized in some circles. Dehumanization hasn’t just crept into our culture; it’s taken root.<\/p>\n