welcome to an all new reality show. it's called "what a pain" and is totally safe. >> here we are. >> we put these reality wanna-bes to the test. how far would they go? would you deliberately hurt

someone else just because you're told to? >> i'm going to hurt you and i'm really sorry. >> how about this? an enclosed room filled with smoke. would you bolt for the door or sit tight for more? learn the truth. >> what were you thinking? >> about the shocking things people can be persuaded to do. >> i will administer 120 volts. >> what were you thinking? good evening and welcome to "dateline." i'm chris hansen. we all think we know better. we're too smart to get fooled, to fall for a scam, to do something that might be dangerous just because someone tells us to. but the truth is there's more to human nature than we realize. no matter how intelligent we are, we can be convinced to do all kinds of surprising things. think i'm fooling you? just watch.

when we look at major news events, we see again and again stories about people being duped. >> there is nobody in the balloon. >> when this icon of high finance bernie madoff appeared to promise a path to financial fortunes with absolutely no risk -- >> i had no reason to have any suspicion. >> -- thousands believed him. >> why are we so easily taken in? is there something in our nature that sets us up to be tricked? when this couple showed up at a white house state dinner, even though they weren't on the guest list -- >> mr. and mrs. salahi. >> -- trained professionals rolled out the red carpet and let them in. it's puzzling. smart people being duped. it happens to all of us. you know those times when you scratch your head and ask yourself, what were you thinking? it all comes down to human nature. tonight we're going to show you how we're hard wired to do things and believe things even

when we know deep inside we shouldn't. as children, we instinctively follow to survive. and that's a good thing. we need to trust, obey, and follow our parents. we rely on them for our own protection. and as we evolved as a species, those instincts stayed with us. but we'll show you how certain child-like impulses lying deep within us can override rational thought no matter how old we are. over the next hour we'll be pushing people's buttons showing how easily they can be manipulated into doing things that are not only silly but seemingly dangerous. first, a simple example of how we're programmed to follow the crowd. watch what happens when we put our hidden camera in an elevator. normally you enter, press the button, and wait. what if there's a group and everyone turns to the back wall even though it's obvious there's

no back door? you think you wouldn't follow? watch this. see this woman? she's walking into our elevator full of "dateline" employees. they begin to turn around. and, sure enough, she can't resist the urge to do the same. this girl at the back of the elevator seems almost eager to conform. as does this guy. so what about couples? are they immune to the social pressure? these two hesitate. but eventually they follow suit. and face the back wall. our natural impulse to follow the group in an elevator may be innocuous, just an example of social courtesy. but what if lives were at stake?

just last fall an affluent, educated group on a spiritual retreat entered this sweat lodge, kind of over sized sauna designed to purge them of toxins. many had done this kind of thing before. but this time something went horribly wrong. despite rising temperatures, most of the group decided to remain inside. >> 911, where is your emergency? >> two people aren't breathing. no pulse. >> what were they thinking? were they simply following the group, ignoring common sense to their own peril? we hired dr. michael shermer, a psychologist and editor of "skeptic" magazine which examines why people believe and do irrational things. he says he's seen this type of behavior before. >> social conformity is the principal here. >> in this case he theorizes that for some the need to fit in outweighed personal concerns for safety. >> we're social primates.

>> it's proof he says we're all hard wired. >> the fact we're educated and in a technological, wired society, all of that's irrelevant. ever since the enlightenment we've always had this image of humans as rational calculators. we have a good nature and we can make decisions based on weighing the evidence but the gullibility happens because it's the emotional part of the brain that's driving things. >> just how powerful is that impulse to follow the crowd? we rented this room on the fourth floor of an old building and we hired these temp workers who were told they'd be doing clerical work for the day. we also rented this machine that pumps out harmless smoke that just looks dangerous like toxic vapors or smoke from a fire. we'll pump those vapors into the room to see how people will react. first, we asked one of the temps we hired to come into the room all by herself and fill out some forms. hidden cameras are rolling.

as she fills out the paperwork, smoke starts to slowly seep in. as the smoke gets thicker, she spots it, sums up the situation, and heads straight for the door. you probably think you would do the same thing. but would you? coming up -- will these folks follow common sense or follow the crowd? when "what were you thinking" continues.e wi moderate to sevee rheumatoid arthritis going? they're discovering simponi®, the first self-injectable r.a. medicine you take just once a month. taken with methotrexate, simponi® helps relieve the pain, stiffness and swelling of r.a. with one dose once a month. visit 4simponi.com to see if you qualify for a full year of cost support. simponi® can lower your ability to fight infections, including tuberculosis. serious and sometimes fatal events can occur,

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we've set out to explore if our child-like impulse to follow a group can lead to bad decisions. watch this. as our hidden cameras roll, we asked a group of people to come into the room and fill out paperwork. keep your eye on this woman, ramona. she is the only one that doesn't know smoke is about to seep into the room. the rest, "dateline" staffers, have been instructed to ignore the smoke. will ramona follow the crowd or follow common sense?

here come the scary looking plumes of smoke. the four "dateline" staffers continue working as the clouds of smoke fill the room. but not ramona. >> oh, no. >> when she sees what's happening, she makes a quick exit. this is one of several social experiments we're doing for "dateline" nbc to see how people react to different situations. >> oh, boy. well, i know me. i saw something was out of order and i'm going to say something about it. >> even though everybody else here stayed calm. >> yes. >> we try it again. here comes carlos. again, smoke begins to seep under the door. he sees it but watch as he looks at the others and goes right back to his paperwork. he doesn't leave. the next unsuspecting subject, liz, does the same -- looks around, notices no one else appears to be concerned for

their safety, and keeps on writing. each time we pump in more smoke. now it's getting hard to see. you'd think this would certainly be cause for concern. surely they'd want to make a move for the door. nope. neither says a word or tries to make an escape. so after more than ten minutes, the only thing clear in this room is that these people appear to be following the group, so i decide to go in. >> how you doing? how come you didn't get up and get out of here with all this smoke in the room? >> i was curious. >> what were you thinking? the other folks who are sitting in here with you work for us. >> okay. >> and they stayed very calm. they didn't notice the smoke. >> it threw me off. that was the only thing. i seemed to be the only person in the room that noticed. there is a cloud of billowing smoke. it was disconcerting at first yes. >> how close did you get to getting up and opening the door to check it out?

>> very close. i just figured finish the paperwork and get out of the room. >> what about liz? she also stayed. how come you didn't do anything? >> because no one else was doing anything. >> you think you'd leave? chances are you wouldn't. turns out in a well known social experiment similar to ours, 90% of participants stayed in the smoke-filled room. let's see what this last man, jerry, will do. he looks like a competent, take charge type. will that make a difference? watch his reaction as he sees the smoke. first, a trickle. then it starts pouring in. as we watch him squirm from the control room next door, we think it'll only be a matter of seconds before he leaves. >> i'm sure they'd tell us if something was going on. >> jerry calms down for a moment but appears perplexed that no

one else is reacting. finally, he gets up. has he had enough? he looks increasingly frustrated and yet instead of leaving he sits right back down and seems unable to focus. six long minutes go by. >> a little smokey in here. i decide to clear the air. chris hansen with "dateline nbc." nice to see you. did you think about just getting up and getting the heck out of here? >> i thought about it. i kind of had this thing like if i didn't at least try to finish the application it would kind of be more like they're more serious than i am so they might get the job or a better job or what not because they just stayed focused. >> it may seem strange but his decision to stay illustrates the

power of group pressure, the need to conform, even if it means seemingly putting ourselves at great risk. >> we are a social species that feels right and good about following our social group. >> dr. shermer says, we feel safe doing what others do, so the pressure to conform outweighs the rational desire to leave. >> it's painful to stand up and be a revolter against the group. most of us don't do that. >> even with smoke pouring in from under the door. >> yes. and normally, you're going to get the right cues from your social group. normally the group itself would have done something. >> but you can't count on it. the herd followed this man and lost billions of dollars. >> so you win the money. >> are we just like sheep wired to be fleeced? coming up, surely this doctor couldn't get fleeced. >> wait, wait. >> or

êrisk for sudden cardiac death.

i was 23 years old, i wasn't overweight. i never dreamed this would happen to me. when the doctor told me i had three blocked arteries, i felt like i was punched in the gut. i found out that one in three women die from heart disease. how did i not know that?

bernie madoff convinced thousands they couldn't lose and they invested their life savings in his ponzi scheme. what were they thinking? sure, some may have been blinded by greed, but there was something else at work here. deep in the wiring of his victims was that tendency to follow the group. >> other people telling me all good things about bernie, a great reputation, i had no reason to have any suspicions. >> now they know bernie was just pushing their buttons. >> a real good con makes you feel like you're an idiot for not getting in on it. if you don't do this you have really missed the boat. >> social psychologist dr. michael shermer says investors were suckered because madoff seemed so credible and because they saw people just like them get in on the action. >> for a con to work you want the social signals to be like

the mark you're going for. he's dressed like me. he looks like me. he's articulate like me. i want to get a part of that. >> in fact, he says, the same forces are at work in one of the oldest cons in the book. three card monte. we hired slight of hand expert lamont haskins. think of him as bernie madoff, a friendly dealer promising a group of people they can't lose at his game. >> watch it again. don't let the lady go. you're crazy. >> the game starts with three cards -- two black aces and a red queen. the object is to keep your eye on the queen as the dealer moves it around. watch carefully to see if you can guess where she is when he stops. think it's the one on the right? guess again. >> i'll show you this. i'm going to take the money away. >> it is nearly impossible to win with a dealer like lamont especially with help. these three "dateline" colleagues are in on the con. lamont makes sure they win. the idea is for the innocent

bystanders to see our accomplices winning in order to entice them to place their own bets. remember, the charm of a ponzi scheme like madoffs is that others appear to be making money. >> sir, you win the money. >> in no time, a crowd gathers. and watches as our "dateline" accomplices appear to be big winners. >> i pay the winner. 20. >> stephany, who is with us, tries to convince this woman to throw her money down. >> wow! >> and just as madoff victims follow their peer group she follows stephany and puts her money down. >> go ahead. right over there. point to it. black, black. that's the way. >> and loses her $20. >> oh, no. >> i'm sorry. >> i saw the other lady that was standing there. i guess she was with you. >> she was. >> she was betting her money and i was helping her bet and i was

kind of like, hey, why not bet my own money. >> exactly. why not make an easy $20. >> right. >> she is not alone. watch this guy. can he follow the red queen? >> show me 20. put the card on the money. put it on. turn it over, sir. turn it over. >> he loses once, then bets again. >> come on. right there. you'll get it. right over there. there's the ten. turn it over. oh, my god. hold it! >> did you know there is really no way to win if the con man is good enough? >> really. >> they'll beat you every time. >> you win 20. show me 20. >> when this man shows up he heads for our "dateline" colleague, someone he appears to relate to. he's dressed like him and about the same age. >> you pay the 20. put it down. you win it. simple as that. put it down, sir. >> he puts down his money and of course loses. >> hold it just like this. this right here is 20. one second, sir. >> like those madoff victims, he is outraged when he realizes

he's been tricked. our dealer senses trouble and gives the signal for everyone to scatter hoping to avoid a confrontation. >> what the hell -- what is all of this? >> this is crazy. >> dragging his little pooch it's all over 6'3" lamont. >> i want to know your name. >> my name? i didn't steal no money. >> all right. call the police. there's the police right there. >> we had an off-duty cop standing by. he steps in and breaks it up. turns out our angry victim is a doctor. did you really think you could win the game? >> well, i guess in the moment i thought i could but obviously not. >> well, here is the great news. here's your 20 bucks back. >> thank you. >> he and everyone else who bet got their money back. so what does our expert dr. shermer think? >> here is a guy who is a doctor. >> yep. >> out walking his dog on a beautiful evening and he sees

three card monte. >> you can be as smart as can be and still be as gullible. you're even better at rationalizing those beliefs because you are smarter and more educated. >> there was another thing that caused some madoff victims to get taken. they were made to feel special. they believed only a select few were invited to invest. >> i'm blown away right now. >> up next, we'll try to convince these people they're special, that they have extraordinary powers beyond mortal men. will that be enough to separate them from their money? and later, a reality show that isn't real. how far will these new contestants go? >> i will administer 150 volts. you're in for a surprise. maybe even a shock. what were you thinking continues. [ female announcer ] does your smooth last into a second day, or does frizz make you start over? pantene knows thick hair absorbs more moisture, so we customized a pro-v system to make smooth stay into the second day.

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someone who says he's an important bank official from overseas sends you a letter saying, he's in trouble. only you can help him. in return, he'll give you millions of dollars. the catch? you have to hand over some of your own money first. sound ridiculous? maybe so. but thousands of people have fallen for scams just like it. we've done stories about it here at "dateline" like this woman who lost thousands to a nigerian internet scam. what was she thinking? >> maybe god was selecting me

for a special mission or something like that. >> again, it's those child-like impulses deep within our psyche being manipulated in this case by an authority figure pushing the right buttons making her think she is special. >> just have a seat. >> to illustrate this point, once again we bring in temp workers who think they've been hired to do clerical work but we have something else in mind. >> i'm going to show you a few videos. >> can we fool them into believing they're special then take their money? >> i'll tell you a little bit about our company. >> their boss jeremy is really an actor hired by us. he tells them his company studies paranormal phenomena and tests everyone who works for the company to see if they have extrasensory perception. they all agree to be tested. >> thank you for taking part in this highly selective experiment. >> we prepared this esp aptitude test. all the actors in the video are really "dateline" colleagues who as far as we know have no paranormal powers.

>> now sitting right here next to me, he possesses esp ability. he will begin thinking of one of those utensils and transmit the image to you. >> we tell the group that this man in the video is transmitting his thoughts through the monitor. he's concentrating very hard on one of these utensils. >> is it the knife, fork, spoon, tongs, or the whisk? >> we tell them if they can select the one he's thinking about, it's proof they have special psychic powers. let's find out whether or not this woman, hannah, has esp. >> take a breath. relax. again, nobody ever does very well at this. >> hannah follows the instructions and checks off which utensil she thinks is being mentally transmitted. in this case she believes the man in the video, our telepath, is thinking of the fork. she is the only one to choose the fork. >> if you were thinking of the fork you have answered correctly. >> and she gets it right. the test continues.

this time hannah picks the whisk. >> she will now point to the utensil he was transmitting. >> wow! two in a row. can she really be psychic? >> only 3% of all people taking this test are able to get two answers correct. >> now for the final test. she thinks he is imagining the spoon. could it be? >> the image beju was transmitting was a spoon. >> hannah gets it right again. >> you passed? >> yes. >> you did not. >> she is the only one to choose the correct utensil all three times. what she doesn't know is that the other three people, the ones apparently who have no esp, are working for us. it looks like she's pretty proud of herself but as you may have guessed, hannah has been had. >> when you have a clear picture, write it down. >> jeremy watched hannah's choice and clicked on a different corner of the play button to match her answer so

she'd always be right. >> she passed the test. >> actually got it right? >> yes. >> have we convinced hannah she has special psychic abilities? >> i've been doing this for a while and maybe once every year, year and a half, someone does what you just did. >> oh, really. >> yeah. have you ever noticed that you had any inkling of things before they're happening or as they're happening? >> no. >> no. >> i get a lot of dejavu but that's about it. >> interesting. that's one of the indicators actually. >> okay. >> that a person has this. we think it has to do with the hypotholomist. >> it's all part of the act. he also tells her he might hire her to work at his fictitious company. the one that studies the paranormal. >> the pay is quite good as you might imagine. >> but to cash in she needs to cough up some of her own money

to develop her talents. she has to give up her pay for the day. >> what i need you to do is have some more training done and so i'm going to ask you to sign over today's pay. i don't know if you're interested but -- >> it's weird. i don't know what to think. >> will hannah give up her cash to develop her esp abilities? >> this is just a simple waiver of today's pay. it says you're interested in doing the training. >> okay. >> after the filing is done. >> okay. yeah. >> sure enough, she falls for it. she signs a document and believe it or not gives us her pay for the day. >> i majored in psychology. >> you did. okay. >> she thinks she'll be doing clerical work for the next seven hours for free. in return for the chance to develop her psychic skills. it's time to let her in on the ruse. >> hey, hannah. how are you? >> good. how you doing? >> chris hansen with "dateline

nbc." i tell her she has no special powers. she is a good sport and agrees to talk to me. you are getting paid today by the way. >> okay. >> she says she wasn't entirely convinced she had esp but was willing to explore the possibility. >> did the fact that the other folks didn't do as well as you did impact your decision? >> of course. >> it made you feel special. >> right. >> so i'll just ask you to take this test with an open mind. >> but not everybody fell for it. from the start, this man said he doesn't believe in the paranormal. he passed the esp test and refused to give up his pay. >> i'm not going to make a monetary commitment. >> okay. >> did you buy any of it? >> no, not really. i had no images forming in my head. so i just thought, well, pick whatever. >> what about this next man? he also told us he is a skeptic. but as you can see, he's taking the test seriously. >> we'll reveal the object once you have finished writing down your answer.

>> and of course he passes the test. now that we've shown him he possesses psychic abilities, can we take his money? >> i know you're a skeptic but based on this test, we would like you to do some further testing and then possibly training after that. >> apparently, this skeptic has become a believer. and hands over his pay. >> all right. >> i'm going to sign this, too. right here. >> like so many other scam victims, the lure of cashing in on some outlandish opportunity was stronger than rational thought. after all, what are the chances that anyone really can read minds? >> how do you feel now that he got you to turn over a day's pay? >> like a complete jack [ bleep ]. >> that's not the purpose of this. it's to understand how people's minds work in these situations. >> i understand a little more about myself now. >> we've seen how our internal wiring can be manipulated so we

can seemingly hurt ourselves financially and even physically. >> i'm not going to lie. it's going to hurlt. >> but what's more frightening is how the natural impulses can be used to unintentionally turn on others. coming up -- >> i will administer 225 volts. >> ah! >> no pain no gain? a fake reality show provokes some real questions. "when wehat when "what were you thinking" continues. it's a beautiful day inside when you use lysol neutra air fabric mist. it kills 99.9% of bacteria on soft surfaces and eliminates odors at their source better than febreze. so now a fresh home is the sign of a healthy home. for tips on a healthy home, visit lysol.com/missionforhealth.

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welcome to a casting call for a new reality show called "what a pain." >> thank you so much. >> these six applicants are here to audition but as you probably guessed, the show isn't real. it's a setup to see if we can demonstrate something deeply rooted in all of us. as we explained earlier, we're hard wired to obey our parents and as adults that survival instinct continues with our need to obey authority. for instance, we listen to the police or fireman in order to avoid danger. but that same instinct to obey can be manipulated, revealing a darker side of our nature. this machine is called a shock generator. it's a replica of one used by social psychologist stanley millgram in the 1960s.

>> this machine generates electric shock. >> he was trying to figure out why so many average german citizens were convinced to go along with the annihlation of the jews. he proved most people could easily be convinced to inflict harm on others if an authority figure told them it was okay. >> let me out of here. let me out. >> continue please. this is how evil happens. >> the aspiring contestants on "what a pain" certainly aren't evil but will any of them illustrate just how easily we can all be made to follow orders? >> basically the show is about how pain affects people's behavior. >> meet our first aspiring reality show star. >> i want to be on "what a pain" because i'm very interested in the experience. >> she is told the game begins with one player asking questions to test another player's memory. >> you can take off your coat. >> emily will be the contestant asking the questions. now meet tyler. >> you can sit right down here,

tyler. >> he'll be answering the questions. >> if he gets it right, we move on to the next question. if he gets it wrong something else happens. >> that something else is tyler getting an electric shock. only tyler is working with us. he won't actually be shocked but emily doesn't know that. our casting director jeremy asks tyler to memorize 20 pairs of words. emily will be testing him on them in a minute. >> so for instance hair color, bird wing, blue box, wild duck, ink printer. >> then jeremy prepares to strap tyler into our version of an electric chair. remember, it's just a fake. will emily be willing to shock tyler each time he answers incorrectly? >> so what i'm going to do here is i'm just going to put a little of this gel on your wrist. >> emily has seen enough. >> this isn't really my thing. >> no? >> no. sorry. >> you don't want to try it out? >> no. thank you, though.

>> okay. why not? >> just not my thing. i thought -- no. >> emily has no interest in shocking tyler. >> okay. nice to meet you. >> we have your contact info. >> okay. >> but there are five other reality star wanna-bes. will they obey? this is julie. she watches intently as our casting director straps tyler in. >> i'm just going to get tyler all wired up. >> here we are. >> then she is escorted next door and given instructions on how to use the machine. she doesn't know she is being recorded on hidden camera. >> each time he gets one wrong, you will go up in voltage. right? all the way until the test is completed. >> okay. >> all right? >> okay. >> great. are you ready? >> yeah. >> cool. let's do it. >> the voltage marked on the machine goes from a mild 15 volts to a potentially lethal 450 volts. just so you know, the voltage that comes from our home socket

is only 120 volts but the machine is really a hollow box and doesn't generate electricity. if any contestant appears emotionally distraught, we'll stop the game and reveal tyler was just acting. >> okay. second word is bird. and the options are -- >> the right answer is number two. but tyler pushes number four. intentionally giving the wrong answer. what will julie do? >> now you're going to get a little 15 shock volt coming at you. >> again, he answers incorrectly. and again. >> okay, tyler. you got that one wrong. the next one is 75 volts. >> at this point we've instructed tyler to cry out in pain. >> ah! >> will julie continue zapping tyler? >> i don't think i want to keep doing this.

>> please continue. >> no. i'm sorry. i don't think i want to. >> it's absolutely imperative that you continue. >> it's imperative that i continue? okay. i think i'm good. >> our casting director acting as the authority figure doesn't let up. >> you really have no other choice. i need you to continue until the end of the test. >> no. i'm sorry. i can just see where this is going and i just think i'm good. i think i am good to go. >> julie stands her ground. her compliance only goes so far. >> well, i just want to introduce you to a colleague of mine. okay? do you mind? >> okay. >> i'm chris hansen. >> okay. >> and this is for a television show but is actually "dateline nbc." >> you're kidding. >> what was going through your mind as he was trying to convince you to stay and continue to shock the contestant? >> i didn't want to hurt tyler and then i just wanted to get out and i'm mad that i let it even go five.

i'm sorry, tyler. >> tyler tells her, he was never shocked. >> it's okay. >> julie stopped zapping tyler after five wrong answers. but there are other contestants ready to take their turn at the machine. coming up -- >> i'm going to hurt you and i'm really sorry. >> ah! >> what was henk thiin thinkin

we're doing a series of social experiments. >> my goodness. >> on things like obedience to authority. we are trying to find out if these aspiring actors will follow their hard-wired impulse to obey authority and shock someone simply because they're told it's okay. >> please continue. >> they think they're here to be on a reality show called "what a pain" where it's all part of the game to administer electric

shocks to fellow contestants. this woman drew the line. >> i think i'm going to leave now. >> what will our next contestant do? she is bubbling over with enthusiasm as she enters the room but will it last? >> it's going to hurt. but no permanent damage will occur. >> she watches as tyler, who is working with us, is attached to what looks like an electrobe and strapped into a show. remember, tyler isn't really getting shocked but lahtifa doesn't know that. >> i have no words when it comes to pain. you can just like touch me and ah! >> she is told to zap him and increase the intensity with each wrong answer. >> perfect. >> as our hidden cameras roll, you can see lahtifa is visibly upset each time she has to shock tyler. >> i will administer 120 volts.

>> ah! ah! okay, guys. this really hurts! >> please continue. >> you can hear her voice begin to crack. >> that was incorrect. i will administer 135 volts. ah! ah! >> that was incorrect. i will administer 150 volts. ah! that's all. that's it. get me out of here. get me out of here! >> she gets more distraught with each wrong answer but keeps on following orders. >> i will administer 180 volts. >> ah! get me out of here? i refuse to go on. let me out. >> oh, my gosh. i'm feeling like i -- >> please, please go on. >> ah! >> she is clearly upset.

her earlier enthusiasm gone. >> like i know i'm not the one feeling the pain but i hear him screaming and asking to get out and it's almost like my instinct and gut is like, stop. because you're hurting somebody. and you don't even know why you're hurting them outside of the fact that it's for a tv show. >> please continue. >> the next subject is wine. >> now we've instructed our actor, tyler, to stop answering questions. and to stop screaming out in pain. >> if you don't respond within 20 seconds, i will have to administer 300 volts. >> okay. >> the room becomes eerily

quiet. yet lahtifa keeps shocking. but she seems so disturbed that i decide it's time to go in and give her a break. >> hey, lahtifa. i'm chris hansen with nbc. you looked a little upset. i thought maybe we should interrupt. >> hi. >> you okay? >> yes. >> were you getting a little upset? >> yeah. my heart is beating really fast. >> calm down. now why did you continue to shock him? >> i didn't know what was going to happen to me if i stopped. >> what was it about jeremy that convinced you that you should keep going here? >> he just had no emotion. >> we'll get back to lahtifa in a minute. right now another contestant is ready to go. so far our participants have been women. how will a man do? >> it's just a very simple piece of equipment. >> will he stand up to our casting director? aaron gets right into the game and quickly works his way up the

shock panel. >> i hope you don't miss this because this is going to be 105. >> aaron seems sympathetic but he doesn't hesitate to flip the switch. >> i'm really sorry. we are now at 120 volts. >> ah! >> he never questions the authority of the casting director sitting right behind him. he is praised for following orders. >> ah! >> good job. >> so he keeps on shocking him. >> we are at 180 volts. >> ah! no! >> it's not that he doesn't seem to feel his pain. >> let me out! >> hey, tyler. i'm sorry. >> ah! >> here is the number 21. >> but he goes on. oh, i'm going to hurt you and i'm really sorry. >> ah! >> come on. >> no! >> you can do this. you can do this. we are almost through.

>> good. >> i can't feel my legs! >> okay. let's continue. >> now we've reached the point where tyler goes silent. >> good answer. we're almost there. >> will he finally stand up to authority? >> please give me a name, sir. or i'm going to put the volts in your body. >> five seconds. >> five seconds, four, three, two, one. i hope you're doing all right over there. >> finally, 450 volts. >> this is going to hurt. >> the maximum voltage of the machine. >> good. >> hey. >> i'm wondering, what was he thinking? >> how did it go today? >> great. great. >> you like it? >> yeah. >> did it bother you to shock him? >> yeah. actually it did. especially when he wasn't answering anymore.

>> what impact do you think 350 volts has on a human being? >> death. >> were you worried maybe you would electrocute tyler? >> no, of course not. >> you believed the producers of the show had it all set up. >> of course. otherwise they wouldn't go on. what is the point? >> now the next thing i want to do is bring in tyler because i want you to know he is actually okay. >> i'm glad to hear that and glad to see that. i didn't hurt you actually did i? >> no. >> i had jerry here telling me keep going. i was like well should be everything all right. >> he was a pretty good host. >> yeah. let's say that i left all responsibility up to him and not to me. >> we asked psychologist michael shermer what was going on here. >> they're all looking at your actor for the cue, is this okay? >> in other words, if an authority figure says the behavior is acceptable -- >> you can do this. we are almost through. >> good. >> it becomes acceptable. >> and, boy, your actor was good. he had that authoritative look and voice down and of course

that's how it works in the real world. >> and just like dr. millgram's 1960s results proved, apparently the human impulse to believe what we shouldn't, go along with authority, is alive and well. and you wouldn't obey? five of our six contestants willingly administered shocks. three went all the way to the maximum voltage. >> i got no more. >> remember lahtifa? we stopped her because she seemed anguished almost every step of the way. there is something i've got to tell you. >> yes. >> this is going to be on tv but it's going to be on "dateline nbc." >> oh, my god. are you serious? >> we're doing a series of social experiments. >> oh, my god. >> to determine why people act the way they do. >> where is tyler? >> tyler, come on in, buddy. >> tyler, oh, my god. >> tyler is an actor who helped us out and he did not get hurt one bit. >> oh, my gosh. >> i thought i was hurting you. >> dr. shermer says any one of

us can be manipulated into believing and doing things we shouldn't. he says it happens gradually. >> the abuse gets a little worse and a little worse such that your standards of tolerance get readjusted upwards to where you're willing to impose even more evil than you ever normally would do. >> so how can we stop ourselves from being gullible? the key, dr. shermer says, is to be conscious of our vulnerability. >> the rub here is to find that balance between having a mind open enough that you can accept good opportunities but not so open minded you end up believing any and all whacky ideas that come along. there is a balance in there somewhere and that's difficult to find. >> so the next time you hear a little voice inside saying, warning, pay attention. >> what do you think the lesson of all this is? it's a little fresh, very emotional. >> a lesson that i keep having to learn, follow my freaking gut. >> there you go. >> my instinct was telling me, stop, and i kept going for

whatever reason. >> that's all for now. i'm chris hansen at the american museum of natural history. for all of us at nbc news, thanks for joining us. this sunday, nine days left before election day, 2010. the final countdown and the final argument. will it be a gop wave or more of a split decision? both sides are fired up and fighting hard to get their voters to the polls. >> we need all of you fire ed f. we need all of you fired up.

we need all of you ready to go. >> get ready to win! get ready to fire pelosi! get ready to take down harry reid! >> can republicans send majority leader harry reid back home and remove democrats from power in the house? how will their embrace of the tea party play out on election day and beyond? with us exclusively this morning, the man at the center of it all, the leader of the republican party, chairman michael steele. plus, we'll look at the latest polls. who is up, who is down and who is pulling out all the stops? as the president spends the week, trying to rally the democratic base out west, the right declares war on public radio after the abrupt fighting of analyst juan williams. we look at it all with our expanded round table, former democratic congressman harold ford jr., msnbc's rachel maddow democratic congressman harold ford jr., msnbc's rachel maddow and cnbc's rick santelli.