1 of 1 2 of 1

Six years ago, I wrote an article trying to determine what was going on inside the brains of Vancouver's Stanley Cup rioters.

Almost all of the people charged in connection with the mayhem and looting on June 15, 2011, were under the age of 25.

UBC clinical assistant professor of psychiatry Elisabeth Zoffmann theorized that the prefrontal cortex "may cease to function effectively when a large group of people are subjected to a multilevel sensory bombardment".

The prefrontal cortex is known as the brain's CEO and is involved in planning, thinking, and impulse control.

When it becomes less effective, it leaves a more primitive part of the brain, the limbic system, free to run wild. That's the area that's tied into senses such as touch, sound, taste, and smell, which are all linked to emotional centres in the brain.

The problem is that human beings' prefrontal cortexes don't fully develop until young adulthood, even as late as the age of 25 in males.

Add alcohol, little or no food, an extremely dense crowd of people, and high emotional intensity and you have many of the ingredients for a riot.

“Once you’ve had your frontal lobe taken out of the equation, you’re kind of driven by your impulses and emotions,” Zoffman said at the time. “So the limbic system is quite capable of coordinating a lot of action—some of it not very smart.”

Riots aren't that uncommon after major sporting events. In fact, they occur frequently enough that they might be seen as normal human behaviour under certain extreme circumstances, which cause human beings to behave like stampeding animals.

Psychiatrist Stephen Kiraly told the Straight in 2011 that “archetypal primitive behaviour” can be triggered by certain stimuli, such as fires or the appearance of a snake. Keep in mind that cars were torched in the streets after the Canucks lost the Stanley Cup final to the Boston Bruins in 2011.

“Fire has been associated with ritual warrior behaviour, as well as fear,” Kiraly said at the time.

Several years ago, SFU criminologist Ehor Boyanowsky conducted extensive research revealing a relationship between riots and extremely hot weather.

On Friday (May 12) there was an angry crowd of people who couldn't get into the U2 concert for hours at B.C. Place Stadium. It was extremely densely populated outside the entrances. They were so frustrated that they started chanting "let us in", but they didn't start a riot.

Perhaps it's because U2 fans tend to be older, which means their prefrontal cortexes have reached maturation and are better able to control impulses.

Fans who could afford the ticket prices are also relatively wealthy, so they had more to lose if they started going on a rampage breaking windows in downtown Vancouver.

Presumably, these fans were well-fed and sober before showing up at the stadum gates. And the temperatures weren't nearly as high as they were on June 15, 2011.

And perhaps this is significant: nobody started any fires, which could have triggered warriorlike behaviour.

Should B.C. Place officials repeat this ticketing fiasco at a summer concert appealing to young males between 16 and 22, things could get far uglier. And if there ever is a concert-related riot, it could create financial liability for the B.C. government, which owns and operates the stadium.

That's why this weekend's incident should not be brushed under the carpet and forgotten.