Do you see this as a threat that you must overcome alone, pitting you against everyone else? This option entails making choices solely for the purpose of safeguarding yourself and your loved ones, whether that means stockpiling supplies regardless of what that leaves for others, continuing to host small gatherings because you personally are at lower risk, or doing nothing because it seems pointless to take precautions.
Or do you view the coronavirus as a common endeavor that will necessitate sacrifices on everyone’s part to accomplish a challenging but not impossible goal? Choosing that course of action would entail following the advised safety measures, such as washing hands frequently and limiting travel. Taking these steps might not be your ideal or most practical course of action, but they benefit society as a whole by slowing the spread of COVID-19.As a professor of psychology and licensed clinical psychologist who studies how people think differently when they’re anxious, I recognize this global pandemic has all the ingredients to fuel a threat-oriented mindset. The trajectory of the coronavirus is uncertain and unpredictable, the very features that fuel anxiety and threat-processing in the brain.
The way you interpret information changes when you consider a situation to be a serious threat.
You no longer weigh the advantages and disadvantages of your decisions impartially, taking into account all available information. Instead, you focus more intently and selectively on stimuli that heighten your sense of vulnerability and risk.
When a scenario is uncertain, which is nearly always the case, your interpretations become prejudiced and you automatically assume the worse.
And you choose to retain knowledge that supports an earlier conviction that the world is hazardous and that you fall short of expectations.
Why does this matter? After all, a truly dangerous virus is currently sweeping the globe. For safety, it appears that paying attention to this issue is essential.
