By now you’ve probably seen at least one anti-masker freakout video online where someone is asked to a face covering and they proceed to rage in a grocery store aisle or cough on someone out of spite. You might just be wondering why exactly they’re so gung-ho on refusing to wear a piece of cloth on their face. Here's what psychologists say is driving their behavior:
- Fight Or Flight. Since we still don’t fully understand the virus, some are letting fear take the wheel. Dr.David B. Abrams, a professor of social and behavioral sciences at the School of Global Public Health at New York University, says our “underlying survival instinct” is getting “hyper-stimulated under sudden threat of an unknown enemy” leading to what psychologists call “hot cognition” where emotions “completely override and erase the usual rational cool thinking.” In other words, our fight or flight response is stuck on and for some, their “fight” is being directed at government mask ordinances.
- Inconsistent Messaging. Psychologist Shane G. Owens puts a lot of the blame on scientists and physicians and their mixed messages over masks. Owens says “inconsistent recommendations, along with historic polarization of political parties, magnify a common mistrust of government mandates.” And speaking of polarization, let’s not act like this is the first time Americans have shown distrust for science and those in charge.
Things have gotten so bad, Owens is left to wonder if the mask recommendations would have been taken more seriously if they’d been issued by a “Dr. Phil or Dr. Oz.”What a time to be alive.Check out more info on what’s going through anti-maskers headsHERE.
Source:HuffPost