So the video of Florida man screaming b/c he doesn’t want to wear a mask is, indeed, quite something. But having interviewed & observed many medical conspiracy theorists, I can confidently say most aren’t like him, & we shouldn’t use outliers to represent an entire subgroup. 1/

I’m not defending him or his behavior, to be clear. What I’m trying to convey is that most medical conspiracy theorists are quite mundane, even though their behaviors can be very dangerous. It’s easy to paint them with a broad brush, but you’re misleading yourself by doing so. 2/

Some are set in their beliefs and will likely never be persuaded otherwise. However, some are reachable, and some are even persuadable — but the more we mock them and portray them as crazy, the less likely they are to listen or be open to changing their mind. 3/

Unfortunately, Trump & his allies have turned masks into a partisan issue. That’s a tragedy and it‘s killing people. But that’s exactly why we shouldn’t play that game. Turning the issue of mask usage into a public spectacle isn’t going to change minds or save lives. 4/

We can’t mock or bully people into wearing masks. But we can try to understand what motivates them, and then use that to try to influence their beliefs & perceived norms about mask usage, and ultimately maybe even change their behavior — and possibly save lives in the end. 5/

A quick bit of social science: Perceptions of risk are influenced by many factors. The cultural cognition hypothesis refers to a tendency to form risk perceptions that are consistent with our cultural values — for example, individualistic vs collectivist worldviews. 6/

Individualistic worldviews are generally based on the idea that everyone is on their own, independent of others in society — ie, “every (wo)man for him/herself.” People who endorse this view are more likely to focus on what reduces personal risk, not so much societal risk. 7/

People with more collectivist values feel a sense of shared dependency among members of society, and are thus driven to engage in behaviors that reduce risk & benefit society as a whole. They tend to see their behavior through a lens of solidarity with others. 8/

Those are just two very, very basic examples, but you can see the idea: Our perceptions of risk and risk-reduction behaviors are shaped by our cultural values and social identity. So people may be motivated by very different factors when they decide to put on a mask (or not). 9/

When trying to encourage others to adopt a risk reduction behavior like mask usage, we can’t expect everyone to respond to the same line of reasoning — we have to find the one that aligns with that person’s belief system & worldview. But we aren’t really trying to do that. 10/

Maybe conservatives would respond to messages that emphasize the fiscal benefits of mask usage, or highlight the sheep-like nature of just believing Trump/Fox News instead of acting as an independent person with agency. Think like them for a second; then turn the tables. 11/

It‘d be great if we were all motivated by concern for the public good, but that’s just not the case. Right now, lives are on the line & we don’t have time for a nationwide empathy-building campaign. But we *can* benefit the public good by tapping into our own empathy here. 12/

Instead of assuming they’re a lost cause or labeling them all as lunatics, consider how you may be able to appeal to the values of non-mask-wearers, even if you emphatically disagree with them. This is about the public good — and as such, it’s also a test of your own values. 13/

I’m tired and hungry, but I’ll return to this idea tomorrow and dive a bit further into what drives people to believe in health-related conspiracy theories (or reject medical consensus). I’ll also tell you a bit about what I’ve learned through my own work in this area.