With cases of confirmed novel coronavirus in the United States steadily increasing, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention instructing Americans to prepare for social disruptions, the uncertainty around COVID-19 has sparked anxiety and fear among the public. Belling, who studies the role
With cases of confirmed novel coronavirus in the United States steadily increasing, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention instructing Americans to prepare for social disruptions, the uncertainty around COVID-19 has sparked anxiety and fear among the public.
Carnegie Mellon Professor of Public Policy and Strategy Baruch Fischhoff, who studies how people evaluate risk and make decisions, agreed. "Many more people die from the flu or motor vehicle accidents, but objectively and subjectively we don't know the bounds of the novel coronavirus risks, which adds to the concerns with this new virus," Fischhoff said.
There is a fine balance, however, between sharing concern rationally in order to raise public awareness of risk and creating uncontrollable crowd panic. "Sometimes we can go too far," he said, as when fear gets in the way of day-to-day activities, consumes all your thoughts, and compromises your ability to listen to experts. If you're engaging in the spread of misinformation or stigma against particular communities of people, Fischhoff said that might also be a sign that your anxiety is unhealthy.
He admits, however, that"these are problems that go beyond coronavirus, and are endemic to our world."
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