Key insights
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The Experiment Setup: Calhoun created a 'mouse utopia' with unlimited food, water, and bedding for the rodents, predicting that the population would grow exponentially until overcrowding occurred.
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Behavioral Sink: The term 'behavioral sink' was coined from this experiment, describing the collapse in social behaviors and the rise in aggression, social withdrawal, and reproductive issues as the population density increased.
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Parallels to Human Society: Calhoun's findings suggested that similar patterns could emerge in human societies as urban populations grow and social structures become strained, leading to potential societal breakdown.