Anxiety around COVID-19

With the emergence of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), anxieties and fears are steadily increasing along with the Disease Outbreak Response System Condition (DORSCON) level in Singapore. The virus does not only pose a physical health battle but also a psychological one.

Figure 1: Sourced from The Logical Indian

Living in Singapore during this trying time we have all witnessed the empty shelves in stores. While some of us have engaged in this panic buying of masks, food supplies, and toilet paper, others have questioned the reason behind this. However, before you start feeling guilty or accusing people of panic buying let us investigate why we react this way. You might have heard of the “fight or flight response” or “survival mode”, this is activated when we are in emergency situations. The emotional response system of our brain takes over our decision-making in threatening circumstances. It is a biological response where the amygdala (responsible for emotional response) of the brain is activated and makes us tap into our primal instincts that then cause behaviors such as stockpiling and xenophobia.

The media has a large influence on people’s perception of situations such as these. Due to the images circulating online, unfortunately, a lot of us associate Chinese people wearing masks with the Coronavirus Disease. In such images, we don’t see the people as separate individuals, but rather a homogeneous group of people. The individuals are even less identifiable because of the masks that they are wearing. All of this contributes to the deindividuation of the Chinese people. Since we are naturally inclined to differentiate between our own in-groups and the out-group, it becomes easy to hold prejudice against the out-group. Out-group discrimination has resulted in xenophobia against the Chinese population which is unfair because the virus doesn’t discriminate, anyone of us could get infected!

Figure 2: Sourced from NBC News

Often when we are part of a larger group, we lose a sense of who we are as individuals. We feel the need to feed into the larger entity pushing us to make decisions we might not necessarily make on our own. When we see people around us making the decision to be discriminative to Chinese people, it’s almost like an automatic inclination to contribute. This is known as group polarization: when discussion leads a group to adopt attitudes or actions that are more extreme than the initial attitudes or actions of the individual group members.

Mob mentality is largely fueled by emotion and in this case, it’s fear. We rely more on how people around us react (intuitively and emotionally) instead of rationally and we follow suit. We’re scared understandably which urges us to blame someone.

Here is how some people have reacted to the virus in Singapore (this behavior is now being seen in other nations with increasing cases):

Hostility/verbal abuse towards frontline nurses on public transport

We should be more compassionate to frontline nurses, they’re serving the nation and are at the center of this, trying their best to treat patients (especially because hospitals have taken the precautions necessary). These reactions can be attributed to the amygdala in our brain activating the fight or flight response when faced with a perceived threat.

Hoarding food and other essential supplies.

There is a misconception that there are limited resources that have caused nationwide panic. Rest assured, the government has provisions in trying times like these and we must be more empathetic towards people in our community who need these resources more. Pro-tip: to anyone who bought into the panic and currently has a stockpile at home, donate it to your local Peacehaven center or food bank!

Figure 3: Sourced from Asia One

How can we avoid this psychological effect?

Realise that this situation is common to all of us
Respect each other
Purchase items according to our needs
Watch out for fake news, get your trustworthy updates from MOH
Focus on empathy

Here’s a great initiative to get on board with!

People have been penning heartfelt letters to healthcare workers this past weekend recognising their hard work in this battle against the virus. Here is a priceless reaction to this thoughtful initiative. Let’s keep these letters of gratitude going!

Don’t forget to wash your hands frequently! 🙂