Have you ever dreamed of your own utopian society? I know I have. I’ve got whole sketchbooks on these ideas from high school. If you existed in a world of unlimited resources to which all members of your species had equal access, would it in fact create a utopian existence? I’d heard about some interesting research a while back called the “mouse utopia experiment.” Being of a curious nature, I decided to look into it.

(John B. Calhoun)

The experiment was performed by a man named John B. Calhoun. Calhoun was an American ethologist and behavioral researcher. He studied rats and mice alike for many decades. He was most known for his research in population density, and the related effects to behavior and social structure. After studying rat and mice populations for many years, Calhoun decided to create a utopian universe for his furry minions. He engineered this mouse paradise on the second floor of a barn, which also served as his office and laboratory. The spacious pen was connected by ramps and nesting burrows. Calhoun gave the mice unlimited access to nutritious food, clean water, and nesting materials. The pen was cleaned often, and kept at a comfortable 68 degrees Fahrenheit. The breeding mice were genetically superior specimens hand picked from the National Institute of Mental Health’s (NIHM’s) breeding colony. (On a side note, Calhoun’s experiments inspired the 1971 children’s book Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, by Robert C. O’Brien, which was adapted into a 1982 animated film, The Secret of NIMH, which I believe was voted somewhere as being one of the top 10 most disturbing children’s movies of all time). With the unlimited access to resources, and a complete lack of disease and predators, Universe 25 (as it was subsequently named) was practically heaven on Earth for these mice… or so one would think.

(Watch with caution children…)

So here’s how the experiment went — it started with paradise and 4 breeding pairs of elite mice. It took the mice around 104 days to acclimate to their new environment, but once they settled in, they were happy and everything went relatively smoothly. The population doubled every 55 days. When the population hit 620, however, growth slowed. This in itself was interesting, considering that the pens were designed to house a maximum comfortable occupancy of 1000 mice. (There are actually mathematical ecology equations explaining this phenomenon, which I graciously will not bore you with. You’re welcome.) Despite the slowdown in population growth, it continued to increase substantially. With space being the only limiting factor, population density hit a point where the stress of overcrowding became an existential crisis for the mice, and their complex social structures began to break down.

(Calhoun and one of his mouse utopias)

Calhoun observed many disturbing changes within the realms of Universe 25. As the population increased, there began to exist more mice than meaningful social roles. Males began to find it stressful to defend their territory, so they abandoned the behavior all together. Females began to toss their young out before they were completely weened, resulting in the infant being attacked and killed by aggressive dominant males (who had mostly turned into rage-induced psychos). Females themselves became highly aggressive as well. The non-dominant males became very passive and withdrew from society. These passive males stopped having sex with females and focused solely on grooming all day, eating, and sleeping. These impotent narcissists were recognizable by their sleek, shiny coats and were dubbed “the beautiful ones.”

Then… there were “the feral ones.” In these mice, rampant pansexuality (meaning not inhibited in sexual choice with regard to gender or activity), incest, and sporadic violence spread like a behavioral plague. The dropouts and failures of the colony turned into listless mice that would congregate in the center of the universe, and would break into pointless waves of gang-like violence. One of the most disturbing facts was that several mice resorted to infant cannibalism, despite their access to unlimited food. But the main state of existence for “the feral ones” (when they weren’t killing, raping, or eating each other) was that of apathy.

( O_o)

“The beautiful ones” and “the feral ones” behaved almost as though they had become two different races. They separated themselves and resorted to their own coping mechanisms to deal with overcrowding. All reproduction in the mice stopped when the population hit 2,200 (over twice the maximum comfortable occupancy).

The experiment was repeated well over 100 times, and each time the same result occurred… total population extinction. Even when the population fell to a manageable level, the psychological damage to the mice prevented them from ever recovering. The societal breakdown or, “the behavioral sink,” (as Calhoun named it) was completely irreversible. Calhoun called this “the first death”… the death of the mind and soul. Once the overpopulation tipping point was reached, and the societal breakdown occurred, extinction or “the second death” of the entire race was inevitable. Calhoun even created an algorithm to explain the fate of Universe 25:

Mortality, bodily death = the second death

Drastic reduction of mortality

= death of the second death

= death squared

= (death)2

(Death)2 leads to dissolution of social organization

= death of the establishment

Death of the establishment leads to spiritual death

= loss of capacity to engage in behaviors essential to species survival

= the first death

Therefore:

(Death)2 = the first death

I feel like when you start factoring things like “dissolution of social organization” and “death of the establishment” into your algorithm of a utopian existence, then there is something inherently wrong with designed perfection. (I myself believe it to be somehow related to the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics, in which I will not bore you by explaining at this time. You’re welcome.)

It is easy to anthropomorphize this experiment as our world becomes increasingly overpopulated. Since the late 1940‘s there has been substantial concern about the exponential growth of the human population, and what that entails for the future of our civilization. The end of World War II, and the subsequent baby boom created an environment of abundance, medical advancement, and economic prosperity for the developed nations of the world. Humans, it seems, are often victims of their own progress. Many authors, scientists, environmentalists, and bad-news-bears have suggested that the human species faces a future of highly limited resources due to exponential growth and resource exploitation. It is suggested that this state of scarcity will result in famine, wars, and societal collapse. It seems they are therefore suggesting that a lack of natural resources is what would create a societal collapse. According to evidence provided by Calhoun’s mouse utopian experiments, however, it is the stress of overpopulation and crowding itself (even in a state of unlimited abundance) that leads to negative implications on societal behavior.

Interestingly enough, instead of taking a Debbie-downer-doomsday approach like many of his colleagues, Calhoun used his research as a foundation for ideas of positive human societal changes. He became involved in city planning and strongly emphasized human creativity. Calhoun believed that above all — science, human innovation, ingenuity and creativity would be the factors that would prevent “the behavioral sink” in human society. He suggested that his experiments, although interpreted to be somewhat apocalyptic, should encourage the creative spirit within ourselves in order to overcome our problems, adapt, and design our reality. We are, after all, human — and Calhoun’s subjects were mice. Surely, we are smarter than mice….

(To infinity and beyond…)