Say Nothing, Do Nothing: The Bystander Effect

By Rebeca Funes

“I swore never to be silent whenever and wherever human beings endure suffering and humiliation. We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented,” said human rights activist, Elie Wiesel.

The bystander effect can occur in any environment–in schools, in grocery stores, on trains, etc. In the presence of others, people are reluctant to intervene in an emergency. This can be attributed to a multitude of factors, such as diffusion of responsibility and social influences. This can be harmful yet beneficial to society.

“The bystander effect happens when people are not afraid to interact but to act. If someone’s getting attacked, they’ll run. That’s just how people are,” said Joel Sanchez, a junior at MLEC.

The Bystander effect was first recognized during the murder of Catherine “Kitty” Genovese, an American woman, in 1964. Psychologists John M. Darley and Bibb Latané became interested in the case after investigators reported that multiple neighbors witnessed her being attacked. 

Following this case, they set up an experiment where a woman was in distress, and subjects were either alone, with a friend, or with a stranger. Their findings showed that when people were paired with someone else, they were 20 percent less likely to come to their aid than by themselves.

“If I were with friends or strangers and I saw someone who needed help, I would most likely wait to see if anyone else jumps in and if nobody else does, I would wait to see if my friends would help, if not, I would like to think I would jump in,” said Ashley Padilla, a sophomore at South Plantation High School.

This is a prime example of how the bystander effect can affect people in emergencies. Author, human activist, and holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel had a clear principle to never stay silent when others suffer, to never be the bystander. “Never allow anyone to be humiliated in your presence,” were the clear words of Ellie to the world.

Being a bystander can be detrimental to society and even life-threatening. Critical situations call for action, but due to this effect, people are hesitant to help those around them. Take, for example, the tragic, shocking death of Iryna Zarutska, a 23-year-old Ukrainian refugee.

It was any other day for Iryna, riding the light rail system in Charlotte on August 22, 2025, when 34-year-old Decarlos Brown abruptly stabbed Iryna three times. Passengers on board witnessed the attack, and no one moved a muscle. By the time the train had stopped, Iryna had already taken her last breath.

A similar case–the murder of Debrina Kawam–has been reported to showcase the bystander effect as well. Debrina Kawam tragically lost her life on December 22, 2024, after being set on fire by 33-year-old Sebastian Zapeta-Calil. Unfortunately, Debrina was yet another victim of the bystander effect, as she was engulfed in flames while others watched. 

The question stands: would Iryna and Debrina be alive today if someone had jumped into action? Psychologists have attributed the bystander effect to three main reasons: diffusion of responsibility, evaluation apprehension, and pluralistic ignorance.

Diffusion of responsibility is when a person divides personal responsibility among other people. This diffusion of responsibility is usually caused by the moral obligation to help others being split throughout the crowd, taking off the weight of being personally responsible for not helping.

Evaluation apprehension refers to the fear of being judged by others when acting publicly. In emergencies, people become hesitant and afraid of giving unwanted or inferior help. Additionally, pluralistic ignorance occurs when an individual mistakenly believes that others in a group hold less extreme attitudes, values, or beliefs than themselves.

In terms of the bystander effect, an individual waits for the reaction of others in order to choose a line of action. As a result of this, depending on their reactions, individuals might believe that they misinterpreted the situation and choose not to do anything.

All of these things play a role in helping psychologists understand what the bystander effect is. Although this effect can make individuals unwilling to assist those in danger, it can also do the opposite.

“If something bad is happening to someone and no one is doing anything about it, people will sometimes think that others will think badly of them and believe they’re a bad person, causing them to actually do something,” said Isaias Nieves, a junior at MLEC.

Researchers have come to the conclusion that when witnesses experience diffusion of responsibility within the bystander effect, accountability cues can help reverse this impact. This occurs when an individual is aware of their responsibility and/or potential consequences of their inaction. This can influence people to be more likely to intervene in a crisis, counteracting the diffusion of responsibility that comes when others are present.

Furthermore, researchers have found neuroimaging evidence that also plays a part in the bystander effect. Studies show that in emergencies, a person’s biological response is to freeze up–due to fear. However, after this initial reaction, sympathy arises, which then causes an individual to want to aid another.

These two systems contradict each other–signaling that, depending on the person, they either jump into action or stand by in an emergency. With these factors together, the bystander effect becomes an incredible phenomenon, both a negative and a positive to society.