Thread about fear: Hey folks, science & facts still matter and cause-and-effect still rules this universe.

Wishing away threats (like the pandemic) won’t work. I get it that when people feel a problem is too big to solve, many engage in unproductive behaviors like ignoring it.

2/ In the study of human communication, we call this the Boomerang Effect.

When leaders attempt to use fear-based appeals to influence the population’s behavior, the total perceived threat = perceived severity (how bad is it?) + perceived susceptibility (can it happen to me?)

3/ If people do not see the risk as serious or believe they are at risk, they will ignore the message.

If they do, fear is created in the mind which is an impetus to action.

Here’s the catch....

4/ The action(s) they choose will be based on their assessment of the efficacy of their planned actions.

Total perceived efficacy = response efficacy (will the action work) and self efficacy (am I capable of taking the action?)

5/ when people are afraid AND they are able to respond to the threat, they move to control the danger.

BUT, when they believe the threat exceeds their sense of efficacy, they focus on controlling their fear by avoidance, denial, mockery, and anger...

6/ Understanding this helps explain why so many people are responding they way they are: pretending the threat doesn’t exist or mocking those who do respond (e.g. making fun of or insulting those wearing masks, distancing, etc...)

7/ so the trick is to create both a high sense of fear and a high sense of efficacy. This is easy to say, but hard to do - because humans are differentiated and complex organisms, populations aren’t homogenous, and mass media messages are hard to target to individuals.

8/ People with low perceived threat must be convinced of the seriousness of the threat and their risk exposure. They need to be made to understand how the threat impacts people identical to them and the people they care about.

9/ To increase people’s sense of efficacy, they need to clearly understand what the course of actions are that they need to take: essentially that desired behavior is effective & they can accomplish it. Modeling behavior is key - which is why top leaders should lead by example.

10/ this is ancient knowledge. Even Aristotle knew: “If there is to be anguish of uncertainty, there must be lurking hope of deliverance....fear sets people deliberating, but none deliberates about that which is hopeless.”

11/ We are a long way from this pandemic’s exit sign, and it will take a lot of collective action to eradicate the virus or get it to containable levels. It’s going to require people to care about the health of their fellow humans as much as their own. (End)

Lastly, fear is a helluva drug. And any time someone is trying to make you afraid, you should ask cui bono? To whose benefit. Fear appeals can be pro-social (eg safe driving campaigns) or propagandist manipulation (eg fear the “other”). Be smart about the response you choose.

As for #COVID19, the threat is real. We are vulnerable (until a cure/vaccine), BUT there are actions you can take to protect yourself and others: mask, distance, good hygiene, and smart decisions that minimize risk.