Have you ever seen on TV how a school of fish move smoothly? Each fish keeps a clear distance, they never collide with each other; moreover, one school of fish can pass through another without creating chaos. Now imagine yourself driving somewhere on a highway near Moscow during rush hour.
Have you ever seen on TV how a school of fish move smoothly? Each fish keeps a clear distance, they never collide with each other; moreover, one school of fish can pass through another without creating chaos. Now imagine yourself driving somewhere on a highway near Moscow during rush hour. There is a narrowing of the road ahead, and the speed of traffic drops. What is going on? Some cars start moving along the side of the road, trying to overtake others, and after a while they build in if an obstacle appears. A blockage occurs.
What do fish have that our drivers lack? Swarm intelligence, that is, the ability of a group of animals to act in concert in various situations. Swarm intelligence can be considered a precursor to altruism. It is based on the reduction of the individual instinct of self-preservation in favor of the survival of the group or species. So, soldier ants die in order to save the anthill. If in animals this ability was developed in the process of evolution, then in humans, swarm intelligence can arise in two ways. In a traditional society, order is maintained by external rules that govern all areas of life. In a democratic society, in addition to external rules, internal attitudes begin to play an important role, when a person can regulate his own behavior in accordance with the law.
In our society, a car is still not a means of transportation. It is an indicator of status and a means of increasing self-esteem. Related to this is the rage that arises among drivers in relation to each other. If someone interferes with me on the road, he hurts my self-esteem. This leads to the fact that on our roads there are numerous duels of individuals, often leading to accidents.
How can we achieve at least a fish level of swarm intelligence behind the wheel? First of all, each of us must admit the difficult thought that his interests can be sacrificed to the common process. For example, even if you really want to get home quickly, you have to give up the idea of driving to the side of the road. The second important thought is to allow for the possibility of damage to self-esteem. Indeed, very often a violation of the traffic order occurs due to the fact that the driver cannot bear the idea that someone can break the rules, but he cannot. If we refuse to restore our self-esteem by rushing after the intruder, this does not mean that we will become a loser. Remember the sacred rule of three D: «Give way to the fool.»
Scientists, studying swarm intelligence in animals, found out that in order to change the stereotype of group behavior, it is necessary that at least 20-30% of individuals begin to behave differently. Then other individuals will begin to adapt to them. Let’s start to reckon with those who ride nearby, and perhaps it is we who will be able to change the situation on the road.