“The basic distinction between the individual and the crowd is that the individual acts after reasoning, deliberation, and analysis; a crowd acts on feeling, emotion, and impulses. An individual will think out his opinions whereas a crowd is swayed by emotional viewpoints rather than by reasoning. In the crowd, emotional and thoughtless opinions spread widely via imitation and contagion.4 Learning the characteristics of a crowd and how it forms will provide a structure that shows how emotionalism affects your decision making. Once you know the structure, you’ll know what to avoid in order to prevent emotionalism.”