RPG Chairman Harsh Goenka cited an example of a society where, despite sufficient resources, overpopulation resulted in social breakdown, behavioural issues, and violence. The example highlighted the importance of social structure, purpose, and adequate space for societal well-being, rather than merely focusing on material needs.
Referring to John B Calhoun's 'Mouse Paradise' experiment, where mice initially thrived with abundant resources but ultimately faced societal collapse as the population exceeded.
In a post on the social media platform X, Goenka wrote, “In the late 1960s, Dr. John Calhoun built a “Mouse Paradise”- unlimited food, water, shelter. No fear, no scarcity, no predators. Only abundance.”
He added, “At first the mice flourished. But when the colony crossed 600, the society collapsed. The strong hoarded space. The weak were bullied. Mothers abandoned their young. Violence rose. Mating stopped. Purpose vanished.”
Emphasising the accuracy of the experiment, Goenka said, “Calhoun repeated the experiment 25 times. The result never changed: When a population loses purpose, meaning and social bonds, it dies long before the body.”
Several social media users reacted to Goenka's post, sharing their thoughts on Calhoun's mouse experiment.
One of the users wrote, “Good point. But to realise that abundant people are doing revolutions, wars, with this, the destruction of countries and society. Not having it and having it is leading to destruction anyway.”
Another added, “Right!! Progress without purpose creates fragile societies.”
A user said, “True. Artificial intelligence would create the abundance, but humanity should always strive towards the peaceful purpose.”
Ecologist John B Calhoun shared the findings of a series of experiments carried out at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) in a 1962 issue of Scientific American.
He had placed several rats in a laboratory located in a converted barn, where they were shielded from disease and predators, and provided with food, water, and bedding, allowing them to breed rapidly, according to a report published by the National Institutes of Health.
The sole issue they faced was a lack of space, a problem that grew more severe as what he referred to as his “rat city” and “rodent utopia” became crowded with animals. Unwanted social interactions increased in frequency, causing more stress and aggression.
Violence quickly spiralled out of control, leading to cannibalism and infanticide. Calhoun described this cycle as a " behavioural sink. " Their numbers declined rapidly, ultimately resulting in extinction. By the end of the experiments, only the animals survived with an immense psychological cost. Even when reintroduced into normal rodent populations, these creatures remained isolated until death.
The experiment on human beings, however, showed inconsistent results, the report said. In a notable series of experiments by psychologist Jonathan Freedman, participants performing tasks under different crowding conditions displayed few issues.
The focus moved from merely recognising the harmful outcomes of density to understanding the factors that influence its effects. This shift was supported by differentiating between “density” as an objective physical measure and “crowding” as an individual's subjective experience.
The sense of feeling crowded results from various social and psychological factors, such as an individual’s preferred level of privacy, their control over situations, or their social role. While higher density may be unavoidable, humans are capable of adapting to crowding, the report noted.