Ringelmann Effect
The tendency for individual members of a group to become increasingly less productive as the size of their group increases.
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Origin
Discovered by French agricultural engineer Maximilien Ringelmann (1861–1931), who conducted rope-pulling experiments at the Institut National Agronomique in Paris between 1882 and 1887, though his results were not published until 1913. The original article was largely forgotten until rediscovered in 1986, bringing it to the attention of social psychologists studying social loafing.
Updated February 22, 2026