Psychology3 Mar 2026/3 min read
A Fake Prison Turned Students Into Monsters
In1971,PhilipZimbardoturnedaStanfordbasementintoaprison.Within36hours,theguardsbecamesadistic.Theexperimentwassupposedtolast2weeks.
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In1971,PhilipZimbardoturnedaStanfordbasementintoaprison.Within36hours,theguardsbecamesadistic.Theexperimentwassupposedtolast2weeks.
The CIA actually ran a secret mind-control program using LSD, electroshock, and sensory deprivation on unwitting American and Canadian citizens. This isn't a theory — it's declassified. The director ordered all files destroyed in 1973 but 20,000 pages survived by accident.
Henry Molaison had his hippocampus removed in 1953. For the next 55 years, he lived in a permanent present tense — unable to form a single new memory.
In 1971, Philip Zimbardo turned a Stanford basement into a prison. Within 36 hours, the guards became sadistic. The experiment was supposed to last 2 weeks.
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