Abstract: Collective effervescence, first introduced by Émile Durkheim, refers to the intense shared emotional arousal that emerges in collective gatherings. While Durkheim emphasized its role in strengthening solidarity and shaping social norms, psychology long neglected this phenomenon due to its focus on individual processes. Over the past two decades, however, collective effervescence has re-emerged as a central topic in social psychology, benefiting from interdisciplinary approaches. This article systematically examines its psychological mechanisms, situational features, and positive outcomes, while also highlighting unresolved questions and practical implications.
From a contemporary psychological perspective, collective effervescence is not only a strong shared emotional experience, but also a process of perceived emotional synchronization, and a sense of social connection and self-expansion that combines a sense of connection with a sense of the sacred. Unlike ordinary collective emotions, it involves reciprocal amplification, heightened unity, and transformative experiences that reshape both self-perception and group relations. Collective effervescence can arise in religious rituals, civic gatherings, cultural festivals, sports events, and everyday interactions. The digital era has further expanded it into online environments, where synchronous symbolic exchanges and mediated attention evoke collective experiences despite the absence of physical co-presence.
The generation of collective effervescence involves multiple interacting factors. Cognitive, behavioral, and emotional processes constitute its psychological basis: participants gather in shared time and space, focus attention on common symbols, synchronize actions, and resonate emotionally with one another. Social identity theory explains the shift from individual to collective identity during collective effervescence, embodied cognition clarifies the role of bodily mimicry and synchronous movement, and emotion theories account for processes of appraisal, transmission, and amplification. Together, these perspectives demonstrate that collective effervescence entails both cognitive transformation and relational bonding.
Situationally, collective effervescence appears both in cyclical events with deep historical traditions and in spontaneous gatherings such as protests or demonstrations. It also occurs in digital communities, where shared attention and symbolic participation sustain emotional synchrony across distance. At the individual level, collective effervescence enhances positive affect, strengthens belongingness, reduces loneliness, and elicits self-transcendent emotions such as awe and pride. These effects may endure through nostalgic recollections that renew positive feelings long after the event. At the group level, it consolidates identity, fosters cohesion, strengthens trust, and reinforces social norms.
Nevertheless, important gaps remain. Current research has primarily emphasized bottom-up mechanisms such as mimicry and contagion, while top-down pathways—guided by cultural traditions, symbolic cues, and collective memory—require more systematic analysis. Differences between single and cyclical forms are poorly understood, particularly with respect to path dependence across repeated experiences. Moreover, while most findings highlight beneficial effects, collective effervescence can also generate negative outcomes such as irrational behavior, norm violations, or destructive group dynamics. Cultural-psychological dimensions are likewise underexplored. Collective effervescence may serve as a vehicle of cultural continuity and cross-cultural exchange, yet the processes that sustain it across diverse cultural settings remain unclear. Finally, despite the substantial practical implications of collective effervescence—with potential applications in education, community development, and organizational management, as well as in high-stress settings—empirical research on its translational value remains limited.
In conclusion, collective effervescence is a powerful yet understudied phenomenon linking individual psychology with collective life. Future studies should explore the top-down mechanisms of emotional convergence, further investigate the generation of online collective effervescence, examine its potential negative effects and cultural psychological impacts, and actively explore its practical applications. Advancing this research will not only enrich theoretical understanding of collective experiences but also provide insights into addressing urgent societal challenges related to mental health, social cohesion, and cultural integration.

Key words: collective effervescence, shared emotional experience, perceived emotional synchrony, group identity, social bonding