# Why do people join cults?

- Institution: TED
- Department: TED-Ed
- Speaker: Janja Lalich
- Year: 2017
- Level: For everyone
- Language: English
- Subjects: Medicine and health, Psychology and the brain, Society and politics, History, Religion
- Source: [TED](https://www.ted.com/talks/janja_lalich_why_do_people_join_cults)
- Licence: [CC BY-NC-ND 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) (Non-commercial use only, and no changed versions.)
- Who can watch: Teens profiles and older (sources give no ratings; placed by Invisible Network from the source's own words)

Today, there are thousands of cults around the world. Broadly speaking, a cult is a group or movement with a shared commitment to a usually extreme ideology that's typically embodied in a charismatic leader. But what exactly differentiates cults from other groups – and why do people join them? Janja Lalich describes how cults recruit and manipulate their members. \[Directed by Globizco, narrated by Addison Anderson, music by Manuel Borda\].

## Lectures

1. [Why do people join cults?](https://invisiblenetwork.ai/learn/ted/janja_lalich_why_do_people_join_cults/d7f83ac3c333), 7 min (TED's player)