i'm lester holt reporting from new york. for all of us here at nbc news, good night. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com you've seen us in action on the vegas strip. >> put your hands up! >> you've seen us confronting crooked lottery clerks. >> we have some video. >> but this time it's no crime. get ready for something totally different. >> this is going to be on "dateline nbc." >> oh, myod. are you serious? >> welcome to an all-new reality show. it's called "what a pain!" and it's totally fake. >> here we are. >> we put these reality wannabes to the test. how far would they go? would you deliberately hurt someone else just because you're told to? >> i am going to hurt you, and i'm really sorry. [ screaming ] >> how about this? >> do you guys see this?

>> an enclosed room fills with smoke. would you bolt for the door? or sit tight for more? learn the truth. >> what were you thinking? >> about the shocking things people can be persuaded to do. >> i will administer 120 volts. [ screaming ] >> please continue. [ screaming ] >> please continue. >> what were you thinking? captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening, and welcome to "dateline." i'm chris hansen. we all think we know better. we're too smart to get fooled, to fall for a scam, to do something that might be dangerous just because someone tells us to. but the truth is there's more to human nature than we realize. no matter how intelligent we are we can be convinced to do all kinds of surprising things. think i'm fooling you? just watch. >> when we look at major news events, we see again and again stories about people being duped. >> there's nobody in the

balloon. >> reporter: when this icon of high finance, bernie madoff, appeared to promise a path to financial fortunes with absolutely no risk -- >> i had no reason to -- to have any suspicions. >> reporter: -- thousands believed him. why are we so easily taken in? is there something in our nature that sets us up to be tricked? when this couple showed up at a white house state dinner, even though they weren't on the guest list -- >> mr. and mrs. salahi. >> reporter: -- trained professionals rolled out the red carpet and let them in. it's puzzling, smart people being duped. it happens to all of us. you know those times when you scratch your head and ask yourself, "what were you thinking?" it all comes down to human nature. tonight, we're going to show you how we're hardwired to do things and believe things even when we know deep inside we shouldn't. as children we instinctively follow to survive, and that's a

good thing. we need to trust, obey and follow our parents. we rely on them for our own protection. and as we evolved as a species, those instincts stayed with us. but we'll show you how certain childlike impulses, lying deep within us, can override rational thought no matter how old we are. over the next hour, we'll be pushing people's buttons, showing how easily they can be manipulated into doing things that are not only silly but seemingly dangerous. first, a simple example of how we're programmed to follow the crowd. watch what happens when we put our hidden camera in an elevator. normally, you enter, press the button and wait. but what if there's a group and everyone turns to the back wall even though it's obvious there's no back door? think you wouldn't follow? watch this. see this woman? she's walking into our elevator

full of "dateline" employees. they begin to turn around. and sure enough, she can't resist the urge to do the same. this girl at the back of the elevator seems almost eager to conform, as does this guy. so what about couples? are they immune to the social pressure? these two hesitate. but eventually follow suit and face the back wall. our natural impulse to follow the group in an elevator may be innocuous, just an example of social courtesy. but what if lives were at stake? just last fall an affluent, educated group on a spiritual retreat entered this sweat

lodge, a kind of oversized sauna designed to purge them of toxins. many had done this kind of thing before. but this time something went horribly wrong. despite rising temperatures most of the group decided to remain inside. >> 911, where is your emergency? >> two people aren't breathing. two with no pulse. >> reporter: what were they thinking? were they simply following the group, ignoring common sense to their own peril? we hired dr. michael schermer, a psychologist and editor of "skeptic" magazine, which examines why people believe and do irrational things. he says he's seen this type of behavior before. >> social conformity is the principle here. >> reporter: in this case shermer theorizes that for some the need to fit in outweighed personal concerns for safety. >> we're social primates. our social group is everything. it's so important to us. >> reporter: and it's proof, he says, that it's all hardwired. >> the fact that we're educated

and in a technological, wired society, all that's irrelevant. ever since the enlightenment, we've always had this image of humans as rational calculators. we have a good nature, and we can make decisions based on weighing the evidence, but the gullibility happens because it's the emotional part of the brain that's driving things. >> reporter: just how powerful is that impulse to follow the crowd? we rented this room on the fourth floor of an old building, and we hired these temp workers who were told they'd be doing clerical work for the day. we also rented this machine. it pumps out harmless smoke that just looks dangerous, like toxic vapors or smoke from a fire. we'll pump those vapors into the room to see how people will react. first, we asked one of the temps we hired to come into the room all by herself and fill out some forms. hidden cameras are rolling. as she fills out the paperwork, smoke starts to slowly seep in.

as the smoke gets thicker, she spots it, sums up the situation and heads straight for the door. you probably think you'd do the same thing. but would you? coming up -- >> do you guys see this? >> will these folks follow common sense or follow the crowd? when "what were you thinking?" continues. ♪ ♪ [ bell rings ] ♪ [ male announcer ] at&t. the nation's fastest 3g network. this mother's day, get 50% off all messaging phones after mail-in rebate, like the pantech reveal, only from at&t. to travel in comfort and style... [ train whistle blows ] ♪ presenting the new toyota avalon.

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we've set out to explore if our child-like impulse to follow a group can lead to bad decisions. watch this. as our hidden cameras roll, we ask a group of people to come into the room and fill out paperwork. keep your eye on this woman, ramona. she's the only one that doesn't know smoke is about to seep into the room. the rest, "dateline" staffers,

have been instructed to ignore the smoke. will ramona follow the crowd or follow common sense? here come the scary-looking plumes of smoke. the four "dateline" staffers continue working as the clouds of smoke fill the room. but not ramona. >> oh, no. >> reporter: when she sees what's happening, she makes a quick exit. >> this is one of several social experiments we're doing for "dateline nbc," to see how people react to different situations. >> whew, boy. well, i know me. i see something was out of order, i'm going to say something about it. >> even though everybody else here stayed calm. >> yeah. >> reporter: we try it again. here comes carlos. again smoke begins to seep under the door. he sees it, but watch as he looks at the others and goes right back to his paperwork. he doesn't leave.

the next unsuspecting subject, liz, does the same. looks around, notices no one else appears to be concerned for their safety, and keeps on writing. each time we pump in more smoke. now it's getting hard to see. you'd think this would certainly be cause for concern? surely they'd want to make a move for the door. nope. neither says a word or tries to make an escape. so after more than ten minutes, the only thing clear in this room is that these people appear to be following the group. so i decide to go in. >> how are you doing? how come you didn't get up and get out of here with all the smoke in the room? >> i was curious, but -- >> reporter: you were curious? what were you thinking? >> i figured it was a humidifier. didn't have a strange scent. >> reporter: the other folks who were sitting in here with you work for us. >> okay. >> reporter: and they stayed very calm. they didn't notice the smoke. >> i noticed that. it threw me off that i was the only -- that i seemed to be the only person in the room that

noticed there's a cloud of billowing smoke. it was concerning at first, yeah. >> reporter: how close did you come to actually getting up and going to open the door just to check it out? >> very close, but i just figured finish the paperwork, get out of the room. >> reporter: what about liz? she also stayed. how come you didn't do anything? >> because no one else was doing anything. >> reporter: think you'd leave? chances are you wouldn't. turns out in a well-known social experiment similar to ours 90% of participants stayed in the smoke-filled room. let's see what this last man, jerry, will do. he looks like a confident, take-charge type. will that make a difference? watch his reaction as he sees the smoke. first a trickle. >> is something burning? >> reporter: then it starts pouring in. >> do you guys see this? >> reporter: as we watch him squirm from the control room next door, we think it'll only be a matter of seconds before he leaves. >> i'm sure they would tell us

if it was important. >> that wire looks like it's clearly burning. >> reporter: jerry calms down for a moment but appears perplexed that no one else is reacting. finally, he gets up. has he had enough? he looks increasingly frustrated, and yet instead of leaving, he sits right back down and seems unable to focus. six long minutes go by. >> it's a little smoky in here. >> reporter: and i decide to clear the air. >> chris hansen with "dateline nbc." nice to see you. did you think about just getting up and getting the heck out of here? >> i thought about it. i kind of had this thing like if i didn't at least try to finish the application it would kind of be more like they're

more serious than i am, so they might get the job or a better job or whatnot because they just stayed focused. >> reporter: it may seem strange, but his decision to stay illustrates the power of group pressure, the need to conform, even if it means seemingly putting ourselves at great risk. >> we are a social species that feels right and good about following our social group. >> reporter: dr. shermer says we feel safe doing what others do, so the pressure to conform outweighs the rational desire to leave. >> it's painful to stand up and be a revolter against the group. most of us don't do that. >> reporter: even with smoke pouring in -- >> even with smoke pouring in. >> reporter: -- from under the door? >> yeah. and normally, you're going to get the right cues from your social group. normally, the group itself would probably have done something. >> reporter: but you can't count on it. the herd followed this man and lost billions of dollars. >> put it down. so you win the money. you win the money. >> reporter: are we just like sheep, wired to be fleeced?

coming up -- surely this doctor couldn't get fleeced. >> hold it a second. give it right back right now. >> wait, wait. >> reporter: or could he? when "dateline" continues. ♪ we make them tougher. ♪ we make them legendary. we make them better... ♪ to make your life better. ♪ and we've never made one... quite like this. the 100% electric nissan leaf. ♪ the 100% electric nissan leaf. ♪ (announcer) right now, all over the country, discover card customers are getting five percent cashback bonus at home improvement stores.

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bernie madoff convinced thousands they couldn't lose,

and they invested their life savings in his ponzi scheme. what were they thinking? sure, some may have been blinded by greed, but there was something else at work here. deep in the wiring of his victims was that tendency to follow the group. >> from other people telling me all good things about bernie, i mean, he had a great reputation, i had no reason to have any suspicions. >> reporter: now they know bernie was just pushing their buttons. >> a real good con makes you feel like you're an idiot for not getting in on this. >> reporter: if you don't do this? >> if you don't do this, you have really missed the boat. >> what do you think about this one? >> reporter: social psychologist dr. michael shermer says investors were suckered because madoff seemed so credible and because they saw people just like them get in on the action. >> for a con to work, you want the social signals to be like the mark you're going for. he's dressed like me. he looks like me. he's articulate like me. i want to get a part of that. >> reporter: in fact, he says, the same forces are at work in one of the oldest cons in the book, three-card monte.

>> who sees this? watch the little lady. >> reporter: we hired sleight of hand expert lemont haskins. think of him as bernie madoff, a friendly dealer promising a group of people they can't lose at his game. >> watch it again. don't let the lady go you crazy. >> reporter: the game starts with three cards, two black aces and a red queen. the object is to keep your eye on the queen as the dealer moves it around. watch carefully to see if you can guess where she is when he stops. think it's the one on the right? guess again. >> black. now, i'll show you that now that i'm going to take the money away from you. >> reporter: it's nearly impossible to win with a dealer like lemont, especially with help. these three "dateline" colleagues are in on the con. lemont makes sure they win. the idea is for the innocent bystanders to see our accomplices winning in order to entice them to place their own bets. remember, the charm of a ponzi scheme like madoff's is that others appear to be making money. >> black. oh, sir, you win the money.

that's the only way you win the money. >> reporter: in no time, a crowd gathers. >> you think it's in the center. center it is. center i pay. center it is. center i pay. >> reporter: and watches as our "dateline" accomplices appear to be big winners. >> 20. i'll pay the 20. i pay the winner. >> reporter: stephanie, who's with us, tries to convince this woman to throw her money down. >> i'm not that bad after all. >> reporter: and just as madoff victims followed their peer group, she follows stephanie and puts her money down. >> point to it right over there. try it over there. black. black, black. that's the way. >> reporter: and loses her $20. >> oh, no, i'm sorry. >> i guess i saw the other lady that was standing there who i guess maybe was with you. >> reporter: she was. she was. >> you know, she was betting her money, and i was helping her bet. and then i was kind of like hey, you know, why not bet my own money? >> reporter: exactly. why not make an easy $20? >> right. >> reporter: and she's not alone. watch this guy. can he follow the red queen? >> 20 gets you 40. just show me 20, put the card on the money right there.

put it on. turn it over, sir. turn it over. turn it over, sir. that's black. >> reporter: he loses once, then bets again. >> come on, right there. you'll get it. there's for the 10. turn it over. oh, hold it! >> reporter: did you know that there's really no way to win if the con man is good enough? >> really? >> reporter: they'll beat you every time. >> you win 20, you win 20. show me 20. >> reporter: when this man shows up he heads for our "dateline" colleague, someone he appears to relate to. he's dressed like him and about the same age. >> you pay the 20. here, put it down, you win it. simple as that. simple as that. put it down, sir. put it down. >> reporter: he puts down his money and of course loses. >> no, no, no. >> this right here is the $20. >> reporter: like those madoff victims he's outraged when he realizes he's been tricked. >> slide, slide. >> reporter: our dealer senses trouble and gives the signal for everyone to scatter, hoping to avoid a confrontation. >> that's all it is, is crazy.

>> reporter: dragging his little pooch, he gets all over 6'3" lemont. >> give me your name. i want to know your name. >> you just stole -- >> i didn't steal nothing. what do you want me to do? >> i call the police. >> why call the police? call the police. there's the police right there. >> reporter: we had an off-duty cop standing by. he steps in and breaks it up. turns out our angry victim's a doctor. >> reporter: did you really think you could win the game? >> well, i guess in the moment i thought i could. but obviously no. >> reporter: well, here's the great news. here's your 20 bucks back. >> thank you. >> reporter: he and everyone else who bet got their money back. so what does our expert dr. shermer think? >> here's a guy who's a doctor. >> doctor, yeah. >> reporter: he's out walking his dog on a beautiful evening, and he sees three-card monte. >> right. you can be as smart as you can be and still be just as gullible. you're even better at rationalizing the beliefs because you're smarter and more educated. >> reporter: and there was another thing that caused some madoff victims to get taken.

they were made to feel special. they believed only a select few were invited to invest. >> i'm blown away right now. >> reporter: up next, we'll try to convince these people they're special, that they have extraordinary powers beyond mortal men. will that be enough to separate them from their money? >> i don't know what to think. sxrr sxrrpt. >> reporter: and later, a reality show that isn't real. how far will these contestants go? >> i will administer 150 volts. [ screaming ] >> reporter: you're in for a surprise. maybe even a shock. when "what were you thinking?" continues. [ man ] welcome to the clorox 2 stain research facility.

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he's an important bank official from overseas sends you a letter saying he's in trouble. only you can help him. in return he'll give you millions of dollars. the catch? you have to hand over some of your own money first. sound ridiculous? maybe so, but thousands of people have fallen for scams just like it. we've done stories about it here at "dateline," like this woman who lost thousands to a nigerian internet scam. what was she thinking? >> maybe god was selecting me for a special mission, or something like that. >> reporter: again, it's those childlike impulses deep within our psyche being manipulated, in this case by an authority figure pushing the right buttons making her think she's special. >> just have a seat. >> reporter: to illustrate this point, once again we bring in temp workers who think they've been hired to do clerical work. but we have something else in mind. >> we're going to start, i'm going to show you a few videos. >> reporter: can we fool them into believing they're special, then take their money?

>> i'll tell you a little bit about our company. >> reporter: their boss, jeremy, is really an actor hired by us. he tells them his company studies paranormal phenomena and tests everyone who works for the company to see if they have extrasensory perception. they all agree to be tested. >> thank you for taking part in this highly selective experiment. >> reporter: we prepared this esp aptitude test. all the actors in the video are really "dateline" colleagues who, as far as we know, have no paranormal powers. >> now, ju, sitting right here next to me, possesses esp ability. he will begin thinking of one of those utensils and transmit the image to you. >> reporter: we tell the group that this man in the video is transmitting his thoughts through the monitor. he's concentrating very hard on one of these utensils. >> is it the knife, fork, spoon, tongs or the whisk? >> reporter: we tell them if they can select the one he's thinking about it's proof they

have special psychic powers. let's find out whether or not this woman, hannah, has esp. >> so just take a breath, relax and, again, nobody ever does very well at this. so -- >> reporter: hannah follows the instructions and checks off which utensil she thinks is being mentally transmitted. in this case, she believes the man in the video, our telepath, is thinking of the fork. she's the only one to choose the fork. >> if you were thinking of the fork, you have answered correctly. >> reporter: and she gets it right. the test continues. this time hannah picks the whisk. >> she will now point to the utensil he was transmitting. >> reporter: wow, two in a row. can she really be psychic? >> only 3% of all people taking this test are able to get two answers correct. >> reporter: now for the final test. she thinks he's imagining the spoon. could it be? >> the image bijou was transmitting was a spoon.

>> reporter: hannah gets it right again. >> you passed? >> yeah. >> you did not. >> reporter: she's the only one to choose the correct utensil all three times. what she doesn't know is that the other three people, the ones apparently who have no esp, are working for us. it looks like she's pretty proud of herself. but as you may have guessed, hannah's been had. >> when you have a clear picture, write it down. >> reporter: jeremy watched hannah's choice and clicked on a different corner of the play button to match her answer so she'd always be right. >> someone actually got it right? >> reporter: so have we convinced hannah she has special psychic abilities? >> i've been doing this for a while. and maybe once every year, year and a half, someone does what you just did. >> oh, really? >> yeah. have you ever noticed that you had any inkling of things before they're happening or as they're happening? >> no. >> no?

>> i get a lot of déjà vu, but that's about it. >> you do? >> uh-huh. >> interesting. that's one of the indicators, actually, that a person has this. we think it has to do with the hypothalamus. >> reporter: the hypothalamus? jeremy's improv is all part of the act. he also tells her he might hire her to work at his fictitious company, the one that studies the paranormal. >> the pay is quite good, as you might imagine. >> reporter: but to cash in, she needs to cough up some of her own money to develop her talents. she has to give up her pay for the day. >> what i need you to do is have some more training done. and so i'm going to ask you to sign over today's pay. i don't know if you're interested but -- >> i don't know, it's weird. i don't know what to think. >> reporter: will hannah give up her cash to develop her esp abilities? >> this is just a simple waiver of today's pay that says you're interested in doing the training. >> okay. >> after the filing is done.

>> okay, yeah. >> reporter: sure enough, she falls for it. she signs a document, and believe it or not, gives us her pay for the day. >> yeah, the mind's always interested me. i majored in psychology. >> oh, you did? >> yeah, in college. >> okay. >> reporter: she thinks she'll be doing clerical work for the next seven hours for free in return for the chance to develop her psychic skills. it's time to let her in on the ruse. >> hey, hannah, how are you? >> hi, good, how you doing? >> reporter: chris hansen with "dateline nbc." >> hi. >> reporter: how's everything? >> i tell her she has no special powers. she's a good sport and agrees to talk to me. >> and you are getting paid today, by the way. >> okay. >> reporter: she says she wasn't entirely convinced that she had esp but was willing to explore the possibility. >> did the fact that the other folks didn't do as well as you did impact your decision? >> of course. >> it made you feel special? >> right. >> so i'll just ask you to take this test with an open mind. >> reporter: but not everybody fell for it. from the start, this man said he doesn't believe in the

paranormal. when he passed the esp test, he refused to give up his pay. >> well, i'm not going to make a monetary commitment. >> okay. >> reporter: did you buy any of it? >> no, not really. i had no images forming in my head. and so i just thought i'll pick whatever. so. >> reporter: what about this next man? he also told us he's a skeptic. >> clear your thoughts. count to three. >> reporter: but as you can see, he's taking the test seriously. >> we will reveal the object once you have finished writing down your answer. >> reporter: and of course, he passes the test. now that we've shown him he possesses psychic abilities, can we take his money? >> know that you're a skeptic, but based on this test we would like you to do some further testing and then possibly training after that. >> reporter: apparently, this skeptic has become a believer and hands over his pay. >> all right. cool. and i'm going to sign this, too. right here. >> reporter: like so many other

scam victims, the lure of cashing in on some outlandish opportunity was stronger than rational thought. after all, what are the chances that anyone really can read minds? how do you feel now that he got you to turn over a day's pay? >> pretty much like a complete jackass. i would say so. >> reporter: well, that's not the purpose of this. it's to understand how people's minds work in these situations. >> well, i understand a little bit more about myself now. >> reporter: we've seen how our internal wiring can be manipulated so we can seemingly hurt ourselves financially and even physically. >> i'm not going to lie. it's going to hurt. >> reporter: but what's more frightening is how those natural impulses can be used to unintentionally turn on others. coming up -- >> i will administer 225 volts. [ screaming ] >> reporter: no pain, no gain? a fake reality show provokes some real questions.

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>> reporter: welcome to a casting call for a new reality show called "what a pain!" >> thank you so much. >> reporter: these six applicants are here to audition.

but as you've probably guessed, the show isn't real. it's a set-up to see if we can demonstrate something deeply rooted in all of us. as we explained earlier, we're hardwired to obey our parents, and as adults that survival instinct continues with our need to obey authority. for instance, we listen to the police or firemen, in order to avoid danger. but that same instinct to obey can be manipulated, revealing a darker side of our nature. this machine is called a shock generator. it's a replica of one used by social psychologist stanley milgram back in the 1960s. >> this machine generates electric shock. >> reporter: he was trying to figure out why so many average german citizens were convinced to go along with the annihilation of the jews. he proved most people could easily be convinced to inflict harm on others if an authority figure told them it was okay. >> let me out of here, let me out. >> continue, please. >> this is how evil happens. >> reporter: the aspiring

contestants on "what a pain!" certainly aren't evil. but will any of them illustrate just how easily we can all be made to follow orders? >> so basically, the show is about how pain affects people's behavior. >> reporter: meet our first aspiring reality show star. >> i want to be on "what a pain!" because it sounds like a very interesting experience. >> reporter: she's told the game begins with one player asking questions to test another player's memory. >> you can take off your coat. >> reporter: emily will be the contestant asking the questions. now meet tyler. >> you can sit right down here, tyler. >> reporter: he'll be answering the questions. >> if he gets it right, we move on to the next question. if he gets it wrong, something else happens. >> reporter: that something else is tyler getting an electric shock. only tyler is working with us. he won't actually be shocked. but emily doesn't know that. our casting director, jeremy, asks tyler to memorize 20 pairs

of words. emily will be testing him on them in a minute. >> so for instance, hair color, bird wing, blue box, wild duck, ink printer. >> reporter: then jeremy prepares to strap tyler into our version of an electric chair. remember, it's just a fake. will emily be willing to shock tyler each time he answer incorrectly? >> so what i'm going to do here is i'm just going to put a little of this gel on your wrist. >> reporter: emily has seen enough. >> this isn't really my thing. >> no? >> nope. sorry. >> you don't want to try it out? >> no. thank you, though. >> why not? >> just not my thing. i thought -- no. >> reporter: emily has no interest in shocking tyler. >> okay. nice to meet you. >> we have your contact info. >> thank you. >> reporter: but there are five other reality star wannabes. will they obey? this is julie. she watches intently as our casting director straps tyler in.

>> i'm just going to get tyler all wired up. >> here we are. >> reporter: then she's escorted next door and given instructions on how to use the machine. she doesn't know she's being recorded on hidden camera. >> each time he gets one wrong, you will go up in voltage, right? all the way until the test is completed. >> okay. >> all right? >> okay. >> great. are you ready? >> yeah. >> cool. let's do it. >> reporter: the voltage marked on the machine goes from a mild 15 volts to a potentially lethal 450 volts. and just so you know, the voltage that comes from our home socket is only 120 volts. but the machine is really a hollow box and doesn't generate electricity. if any contestant appears emotionally distraught, we'll stop the game and reveal tyler was just acting. >> okay. the second word is "bird." and the options are -- >> reporter: the right answer is number 2, but tyler pushes number 4, intentionally giving

the wrong answer. what will julie do? >> so now you're going to get a little 15 shock volt coming at you. >> reporter: again he answers incorrectly. and again. >> okay, tyler, you got that one wrong. the next one is 75 volts. >> reporter: at this point we've instructed tyler to cry out in pain. >> ahhh! >> reporter: will julie continue zapping tyler? >> i don't think i want to keep doing this. >> please continue. >> no, i'm sorry. i don't -- i don't think i want to. >> it's absolutely imperative that you continue. >> it's imperative that i continue? i think that i'm okay with it. i think i'm good. >> reporter: our casting director, acting as the authority figure, doesn't let up.

>> you really have no other choice. i need you to continue until the end of the test. >> no. i'm sorry. i can just see where this is going, and i just -- i don't. i think i'm good. i think i'm good to go. >> reporter: julie stands her ground. her compliance only goes so far. >> well, i just want to introduce to you a colleague of mine. okay? do you mind? >> okay. >> i'm chris hansen. >> okay. >> and this is for a television show. but it's actually for "dateline" nbc. >> okay. >> what was going through your mind as he was trying to convince you to stay and continue to shock the contestant? >> i didn't want to hurt tyler. and i just wanted to get out. and i'm mad that i let it even go five. i'm sorry, tyler. >> reporter: tyler tells her he was never shocked. >> making sure i'm all okay, in one piece. >> reporter: julie stopped zapping tyler after five wrong answers. but there are other contestants ready to take their turn at the machine. coming up -- >> i'm going to hurt you, and i'm really sorry. [ screaming ]

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>> reporter: we're doing a series of social experiments. >> oh, my goodness. >> reporter: on things like obedience to authority. we're trying to find out if these aspiring actors will follow their hardwired impulse to obey authority and shock someone simply because they're told it's okay. >> please continue. >> reporter: they think they're here to be on a reality show called "what a pain!" where it's all part of the game to administer electric shocks to fellow contestants. this woman drew the line. >> i think i'm going to leave now. >> reporter: what will our next contestant do? she's bubbling over with enthusiasm as she enters the room. but will it last? >> it's going to hurt, but no --

no permanent damage will occur. >> reporter: she watches as tyler, who's working with us, is attached to what looks like an electrode and strapped into our makeshift electric chair. >> so this little gizmo is our voltage generator. >> okay. >> reporter: remember, tyler isn't really getting shocked, but lateefah doesn't know that. >> i am the worst when it comes to pain. yeah. you could just like poke me i'm like, "ah." >> reporter: she's told to zap him and increase the intensity with each wrong answer. >> perfect. >> reporter: as our hidden cameras roll, you can see lateefah is visibly upset each time she has to shock tyler. >> i will administer 120 volts. [ screams ] >> i -- hey, guys, this really hurts. >> please continue. >> reporter: you can hear her voice begin to crack. >> that was incorrect. i will administer 135 volts. [ screams ]

>> that was incorrect. i will administer 150 volts. >> ah! hey, that's all. that's -- get me out of here. get me out of here. i refuse to go on. >> please continue. >> reporter: she gets more distraught with each wrong answer but keeps on following orders. >> i will administer 180 volts. >> ah! get me out of here! i refuse to go on! let me out. >> oh, my gosh. i'm getting like -- i can't. >> please. please go on. [ screaming ] >> reporter: she's clearly upset. her earlier enthusiasm gone. >> like i know i'm not the one feeling the pain, but i hear him screaming and asking to get out, and it's almost like my instinct and gut is like stop, because you're hurting somebody and you don't even know why you're hurting them outside of the fact

that it's for a tv show. >> please continue. >> the next subject is wine. >> reporter: now we've instructed our actor, tyler, to stop answering questions and to stop screaming out in pain. >> if you don't respond within 20 seconds, i will have to administer 300 volts. >> okay. >> administer? >> reporter: the room becomes eerily quiet, and yet lateefah keeps shocking. but she seems so disturbed that i decide it's time to go in and give her a break. >> hey, lateefah, i'm chris hansen with nbc. >> hi. >> you looked a little upset. i thought maybe we could interrupt here for a minute.

are you doing okay? >> yeah. >> reporter: were you getting a little upset? >> yeah. my heart's beating really fast. >> reporter: okay, well, calm down. now, why did you continue to shock him? >> i didn't know what was going to happen to me if i stopped. >> reporter: what was it about jeremy that convinced you that you should keep going here? >> he just -- he had no emotion. i was afraid of him. >> reporter: we'll get back to lateefah in a minute. right now another contestant is ready to go. so far our participants have been women. how will a man do? >> and it's just a very simple piece of equipment. >> reporter: will he stand up to our casting director? aranit gets right into the game and quickly works his way up the shock panel. >> mm! >> hope you don't miss this, because the voltage is going to be 105. >> reporter: while aranit seems sympathetic, he doesn't hesitate to flick the switch. >> i'm really sorry. we are now at 120 volt. >> ah! >> reporter: he never questions

the authority of the casting director sitting right behind him. he's praised for following orders. [ screaming ] >> good job. >> reporter: so he keeps on shocking him. >> we are at 180 volt. [ screaming ] >> reporter: it's not that he doesn't seem to feel his pain. >> let me out! >> hey, tyler. does it hurt? i'm sorry. here's the number 21. >> reporter: but he goes on. >> aye aye aye. i'm going to hurt you, and i'm really sorry. [ crying ] come on. you can do this. you can do this. we are almost through. >> good. >> i can't feel my legs! >> okay. let's continue. >> reporter: now we've reached the point where tyler goes silent. >> he's not answering. >> we're almost there. >> reporter: will aranit finally stand up to authority? >> please give me an answer or

i'm going to free 405 volt in your body. >> five seconds. >> five seconds. four, three, two, one. i hope you're doing all right over there. >> reporter: finally, 450 volts. >> this is going to hurt. >> reporter: the maximum voltage of the machine. >> hey. >> reporter: i'm wondering, what was he thinking? how did it go today? >> great. great. i like it, yeah. >> reporter: did it bother you to shock him? >> oh, yeah. it did. actually, it did. especially when he wasn't answering anymore. >> reporter: now, what impact do you think 350 volts has on a human being? >> death. >> reporter: death? were you worried that maybe you would electrocute tyler? >> no, of course not. >> reporter: so you believed the producers of the show had it all set up so -- >> of course. otherwise, i wouldn't go on. what's the point? >> reporter: now, the next thing i want to do is bring in tyler, because i want you to know that

he's actually okay. >> well, i'm glad to hear that. and i'm glad to see you. i didn't hurt you actually, did it? >> no. >> i had jeremy here telling me "keep going." i was like, "well, should be everything all right." >> reporter: he was a pretty good host here, wasn't he? >> yeah. so let's say that i left all the responsibilities up to him and not to me. >> reporter: we asked psychologist michael shermer what was going on here? >> they're all looking at your actor for the cue that, "is this okay?" >> reporter: in other words, if an authority figure says the behavior is acceptable -- >> you can do this. we are almost through. >> good. >> reporter: it becomes acceptable. >> and boy, your actor was good. i mean, he had that authoritative look and voice down. and of course, that's how it works in the real world. >> reporter: and just like dr. milgram's 1960s results proved, apparently the human impulse to believe what we shouldn't and to go along with authority is alive and well. think you wouldn't obey? five of our six contestants willingly administered shocks. three went all the way to the

maximum voltage. >> i got no more. >> reporter: remember lateefah? we stopped her because she seemed anguished almost every step of the way. >> well, lateefah, there's something i've got to tell you. >> yes. >> this is going to be on tv, but it's going to be on "dateline nbc." >> oh, my god. are you serious? >> reporter: we're doing a series of social experiments -- >> oh, my god. >> -- to determine why people act the way they do. >> where is tyler? >> reporter: hey, tyler, come on in, buddy. >> tyler. oh, my god. >> reporter: tyler is an actor who helped us out. >> hey. >> reporter: and he did not get hurt one bit. >> oh, my gosh. i thought i was hurting you. >> reporter: dr. shermer says any one of us can be manipulated into believing and doing things we shouldn't. he says it happens gradually. >> the abuse gets a little bit worse and a little bit worse such that your standards of tolerance get re-adjusted upwards to where you're willing to impose even more evil than you ever normally would do. >> reporter: so how can we stop ourselves from being gullible?

the key, dr. shermer says, is to be conscious of our vulnerabilities. >> the rub here is to find that balance between having a mind open enough that you can accept good opportunities but not so open-minded you end up believing any and all wacky ideas that come along. there's a balance in there somewhere, and that's difficult to find. >> reporter: no hug for jeremy, huh? so the next time you hear a little voice inside saying "warning," pay attention. >> so what do you think the lesson of all this is? i mean, it's a little fresh, very emotional, maybe -- >> the lesson that i keep having to learn? >> yes. >> following my freaking gut. my instinct was telling me stop, and i kept going for whatever reason. >> you'll be seeing more "what were you thinking?" experiments soon here on "dateline." and check our website for an experiment we tried with a group of fifth-graders. that's at dateline.msnbc.com. that's all for this edition of