Scientists from the University of Notre Dame found that brain shortcuts may explain why many people are against the COVID vaccine and masks
The research is published in Brain, Behavior, and Immunity and was conducted by Theodore Beauchaine et al.
If close friends and family members who contracted COVID-19 had mild cases and recovered quickly, or if they had an adverse reaction to the vaccine, your brain might convince you that you’d have the same experience.
This phenomenon, known as “availability heuristic,” is one of a handful of cognitive shortcuts, which conserve brain energy and are generally understood to be positive and beneficial.
For example, an alternative route to work could save you time and fuel, or a mathematical method could aid you in solving an equation more efficiently.
In the study, the team examined the cognitive shortcuts that can affect how people assess risk and decide to behave in the face of the pandemic.
A second shortcut is known as “representativeness heuristic.” When the brain relies on this cognitive shortcut, it might tell you only elderly people are at risk of contracting COVID-19, despite an abundance of empirical evidence to the contrary.
Within this shortcut are two important subsets that can result in putting ourselves and others at risk.
The team says people may make erroneous assumptions via the “insensitivity to predictability” heuristic when.
For example, they believe a friend who currently has COVID-19 but is only experiencing mild symptoms isn’t spreading the virus and won’t suffer long-term health consequences.
Throughout the pandemic, authorities in many communities have sought to limit social gatherings to slow the spread of the virus.
When the brain uses the “insensitivity to sample size” shortcut, one assumes that infection rates among small gatherings are indicative of the overall population infection rate, which is false.
The “anchoring heuristic” refers to humans’ tendency to cling to the initial information we receive about something, even when presented with updated information.
The authors give the example of people continuing to cite the inaccurate statement by the surgeon general early in the pandemic that masks are ineffective, despite subsequent studies that proved their effectiveness.
The team says education, awareness and further research on the role of heuristics in the spread of infectious disease should help to improve decision-making and reduce risky behavior during a pandemic.
If you care about COVID, please read studies about the most effective face-mask practices to reduce spread of COVID-19, and face masks linked to fewer COVID-19 deaths.
For more information about COVID, please see recent studies about people who are more likely to get severe COVID-19 after vaccination, and results showing this existing drug can prevent COVID death.
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