Escaping the Laboratory: The Rodent Experiments of John B. Calhoun & Their Cultural Influence

In John B. Calhoun’s early crowding experiments, rats weresupplied with everything they needed – except space. The resultwas a population boom, followed by such severe psychologicaldisruption that the animals died off to extinction. The take-homemessage was that crowding resulted in pathological behaviour –in rats and by extension in humans. For those pessimistic aboutEarth’s “carrying capacity,” the macabre spectacle of this“behavioural sink” was a compelling symbol of the problemsawaiting overpopulation. Calhoun’s work enjoyed considerablepopular success. But cultural influence can run both ways. In thispaper, we look at how the cultural impact of Calhoun’sexperiments resulted in a simplified, popular version of his workcoming to overshadow the more nuanced and positive messagehe wanted to spread, and how his professional reputation wasaffected by this popular “success.”[...]