Collective effervescence

Collective effervescence is the perceived energy discerned at a gathering, as in a sporting event or a riot. The energy can cause individuals to act differently than they would in their everyday lives.

The term is from French sociologist Emile Durkheim. In The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life, Durkheim argues that religion is a fundamentally social phenomenon, by which societies can maintain a sort of integrity in the modern era. He studied the Australian aborigines, who perform normal tasks (hunt and gather), but on the rare occasions they come together, the high energy level coming from these events gets directed onto physical objects or people which then become sacred.