THOUGHT LEADERS
How Governments Weaponize Fear Most people don’t realize the behavioral psychology techniques being used on them
O
ur most sacred rights were interfered with,” Laura Dodsworth says of the COVID-19 lockdowns.
In a recent episode of “American Thought Leaders,” host Jan Jekielek speaks with writer and filmmaker Laura Dodsworth about the ways governments in the UK and beyond have used subliminal methods to secretly manipulate the public, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Dodsworth is the author of “A State of Fear: How the UK Government Weaponised Fear During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” JAN JEKIELEK: “A State
of Fear” focuses on how the UK government used fear to incentivize the population. LAUR A DODSWORTH:
The lockdown was a tough, 52 I N S I G H T April 15–21, 2022
authoritarian, and unprecedented measure, and you could smell the fear in the air. The 23rd of March, when Boris Johnson made his stern address to the nation that we must stay at home, is what put the fear into me. And then in May 2020, some minutes were published that offered extraordinary insights into the decision-making within government. Essentially, these psychologists and behavioral scientists suggested that people needed to be frightened to follow the lockdown rules. That sent me off on a journey to understand how fear was weaponized. I now think that nudge and behavioral science have become an integral part of government. And that’s not just here in the UK. It’s in the United States as well, and in countries all around the world. Behavioral science
Laura Dodsworth, writer and filmmaker. PHOTO BY PAULA BEETLESTONE
