Suicide, motor vehicle fatalities, and the mass media : evidence toward a theory of suggestion.

New findings indicating that imitation and suggestion have a powerful impact on social behaviour are presented. Three days after a publicized suicide, automobile fatalities increase by 31%. The more the suicide is publicized, the more the automobile fatalities increase. The age of the drivers is significantly correlated with the age of the person described in the suicide story. Some ways in which the concept of suggestion and imitation can be incorporated into sociological theory are given.