It’s a psychological hit piece. How to persuade rational healthy men to believe a lie. No thanks.
It’s a psychological hit piece. How to persuade rational healthy men to believe a lie. No thanks.
One preprint study (yet to be peer reviewed) has shown that a greater propensity for risky decision-making goes hand in hand with being less likely to appropriately wear a mask or maintain social distancing. In another piece of research, perceptions of the risk of COVID-19 are cited as a driver of whether people decide to socially distance.
And there may also be a further psychological explanation: the phenomenon of “psychological reactance”. This is where people vehemently believe they have freedom to behave how they wish, and experience negative emotions when this freedom is threatened, and so become motivated to reinstate it.
This means that when told to wear a mask and socially distance, some people may perceive their behavioral freedom to be under threat. Anger and other negative emotions then follow. To reduce these uncomfortable feelings, these individuals may then attempt to restore their freedom by not complying with the advice.
The potential problem of psychological reactance has been discussed since early on in the pandemic, and is now being investigated specifically regarding masks.
One preprint study (yet to be peer reviewed) has shown that a greater propensity for risky decision-making goes hand in hand with being less likely to appropriately wear a mask or maintain social distancing. In another piece of research, perceptions of the risk of COVID-19 are cited as a driver of whether people decide to socially distance.
And there may also be a further psychological explanation: the phenomenon of “psychological reactance”. This is where people vehemently believe they have freedom to behave how they wish, and experience negative emotions when this freedom is threatened, and so become motivated to reinstate it.
This means that when told to wear a mask and socially distance, some people may perceive their behavioral freedom to be under threat. Anger and other negative emotions then follow. To reduce these uncomfortable feelings, these individuals may then attempt to restore their freedom by not complying with the advice.
The potential problem of psychological reactance has been discussed since early on in the pandemic, and is now being investigated specifically regarding masks.
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