Collective excitement is a delicious intoxication, in which sanity, humanity, and even self-preservation are easily forgotten, and in which atrocious massacres and heroic martyrdom are equally possible. This kind of intoxication, like others, is hard to resist when its delights have once been experienced, but leads in the end to apathy and weariness, and to the need for a stronger and stronger stimulus if the former fervour is to be reproduced.
Source： Bertrand Russell: Power, 1938.
More info.：https://russell-j.com/beginner/POWER02_180.HTM
To attract people, it is necessary to offer something that captures their interest or excites them. In order to stimulate intellectual curiosity in a wide audience, one needs not only the ability to gather information, but also the skills to organize and analyze that information, to express it effectively, and various other competencies.
In contrast, the ability to excite people is quite different in nature from intellectual or analytical ability. A person who is skilled at appealing to human emotions can arouse the enthusiasm of the masses. For politicians, having a strong ability to attract and move the public is often more advantageous than possessing high intellectual ability.
Politicians who understand this well cleverly exploit hatred toward enemy nations, popular sports, celebrities, and other emotionally charged elements in their political messaging. For better or worse, former President Trump can be said to excel in this kind of ability. The same goes for former Prime Minister Abe (now deceased), which helps explain why he and President Trump got along so well.
