After taking an anthropology class during my first semester at BYU, I feel somewhat of a social obligation to study the people around me in their natural habitat. I would like to propose a diagnosis for what I have found to be a prevalent concern in the LDS community: meerkat disease.
Symptoms of disease: Cranking of the neck to create an obvious disturbance/to get an unashamed look at an individual or a family. Turning around and staring into the audience sitting behind them for no apparent reason, though as if looking for (1) a long lost son, (2) a murderer, (3) the source of a nonexistent death shriek. Sometimes includes turning of the entire body. Staring ensues. Various combinations of the above, or other, symptoms from case to case. Though everyone does this from time to time, victims of meerket disease will repeat their actions a ridiculous and illogical amount of times during a meeting.
Possible triggers: Small children crying, absent family members (of other families), someone's change in hair color, or for no reason at all.
Location: In Church, especially Sacrament meeting.
Victims: Usually middle aged, Relief Society women, though some daughters have been known to contract it if their mother has it.
Other observatoins: Though there are some known triggers, oftentimes these women will suddenly turn around in the middle of the meetings and frantically look for something, though oftentimes that something is lost to everyone around them. Even if you sit, staring straight ahead, not faltering despite this crazed woman staring you (and everyone else in the audience behind her) down, she will continue to look for whatever is so important. It seems a plausible explanation that she could be trying to keep an eye out for an expected family member or friend, but studies show that rarely ever is this the case. Studies do show, however, strong evidence that victims are often also rampant social butterflies/gossip queens.
Conclusion: These victims need help. No proposed solutions.
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