A famous sociologist gathered one hundred strangers in a locked, windowless auditorium for a highly publicized social experiment. Each participant was handed a small, black remote control featuring a single, prominent red button. A massive digital clock on the wall began counting down from sixty minutes.
"If anyone presses the button, the experiment ends instantly and everyone receives one million dollars,"
The sociologist announced over the loudspeaker.
“However, the person who presses it will have their deepest, most shameful secret broadcasted live to the world."
For fifty nine minutes, the room remained in absolute, cooperative silence as they protected one another's dignity. With ten seconds left on the clock, a young man suddenly cracked under the pressure and slammed his hand down on the button. The loudspeaker chimed, but no secrets were broadcasted; instead, the doors simply unlocked. The sociologist walked onto the stage, looking at the furious, betrayed faces of the crowd.
“There was never any money,"
He said softly.
“I just wanted to prove that you will tolerate an hour of shared suffering, but you will never let someone else choose how it ends."