JUNE. 2020. NEWSLETTER #3
Psychology behind the pandemic SPCC Psychology Enthusiasts' Circle
SELF ISOLATION PROCRASTINATION CORONA MYTHOLOGIES RISK PERCEPTION PANIC BUYING MENTAL HEALTH OF HEALTHCARE WORKERS
Introduction: By Rachel Lee Ever lost the motivation to submit your online assignments? Ever seen people shopping for daily necessities like the world is going to end? During the 4 months of school suspension, we had unconsciously encountered few psychological effects that are not only limited to these days. Psychology is perhaps more applicable than we imagined. In this newsletter, we will be discussing psychology in daily lives during the pandemic, and these phenomenons will all make a little bit more sense.
Psychological effects of self-isolation and how to manage them By Tffany Mao During the Covid-19 pandemic, our lives have changed immensely. Most of us are stressing over deadlines, spending hours on end interacting with people online, seemingly trapped in an endless loop of procrastination and regret. How are you coping with the current situation? For introverts, this period of time might feel like a safe haven, but for extroverts who are used to social engagements, self-isolation might be particularly hard as texts and phone calls just aren’t as good as face-to-face interactions. However, regardless of your social preference, faced with this sudden situation, there’s no denying the hardships we may go through. These times are the ones we need the most support in, yet now it’s very improbable that you have someone to talk to freely. This is why being conscious of the psychological effects you may encounter during self-isolation is so important, and it’s what I’m going to explain to you in this article.
Losing track of time A common effect self-isolation has on our brain is that we tend to lose track of time. From our last newsletter, we’ve mentioned how the formation of memories is a complex process. When the same routine is carried out every day, not much is stored into our memory so time may feel like it passes by very quickly. Without novel experiences to differentiate one day or week from the next, the shape of time often bends and stretches in disorienting ways. In order to combat this problem, you should make a clear to-do list as goals for yourself to reach by the end of the day. Especially with the upcoming exams, this can help you memorise things you’ve revised or done in this period of time more easily.
Cabin Fever Another scientifically proven effect is that you are much more likely to suffer from what’s widely known as “cabin fever”. Cabin fever refers to the distressing claustrophobic irritability or restlessness experienced when a person is confined in a location for an extended period of time. Common symptoms include lethargy, sadness, mild depression, trouble with concentrating and a lack of patience, although these may vary from one individual to another. If your symptoms are relatively mild and do not interfere with your daily activities as much, there are activities you can carry out to recover from cabin fever, such as carrying out physical activities by a window or somewhere with adequate air regulation a few times per week..
Stress-eating Another problem in this predicament is stress-eating. Although overeating may lead to certain health concerns, remember that you should not feel bad for eating too much or exercising too little during these unprecedented times. Stressing over your eating habits will only induce more stress-eating, which will lead to an endless vicious cycle. You need to learn to let yourself go, as most of these worries may only be psychological effects from prolonged periods of isolation. However, it is important that you still maintain healthy eating habits and exercise routines to keep diseases at bay. The importance of body image differs from one person to another, so you should make schedules and plans according to your own preferences and do what’s suitable for yourself.
In these hard times, all we can do to protect our loved ones is to practice social distancing and self-isolation. As much as it is important to carry out these practices, remember that it is also crucial that we pay attention to even the smallest signs of deterioration in our mental health. We’re all faced with an unbearable amount of stress during this pandemic, be it the exams, an insufficient mask supply or worries that we might get sick and infect our family members. Know that you’re not alone. If things are getting worse, don’t be afraid to ask people for help. Remember, the longer the isolation, the poorer the psychological outcomes tend to be, so don’t forget to socialise! Lastly, stay strong, as we can get over this together! References: https://www.outsideonline.com/2411420/coronavirus-weight-gain-exercise-anxiety https://www.wired.com/story/coronavirus-covid-19-isolation-psychology/ https://www.sciencealert.com/isolation-has-profound-effects-on-the-human-body-and-brain-here-s-whathappens https://www.apa.org/monitor/2019/05/ce-corner-isolation
Psychology of procrastination By Laraine Kwok Have you ever felt like procrastinating? Well, definitely for me, and I am sure those who suffer from this problem would like to know how exactly we should deal with it. But before we move on to the solution, let me introduce you to the psychology of procrastination.
What is procrastination? Procrastination is the act of delaying or putting off tasks until the last minute, or past their deadline. It is a common experience among most people, no matter how wellorganized they are. They tend to do something else when they should be doing their work. For example, you need to get your math homework done by tomorrow, but you ended up scrolling through social media even though you knew you should be working.
Psychological mechanism behind When we need to get things done, we rely on our self-control. Our self-control receives support from our motivation, and our motivation is mainly based on some rewards. But sometimes when we experience anxiety, fear, failure or even mental exhaustion, these are the factors that demotivate us. For mental exhaustion, it is likely to occur as a result of working all day, and it makes it more difficult to exert self-control during late night. When demotivation outweighs our self-control and motivation, we end up procrastinating.
Reasons for procrastination 1. Abstract goals People are more likely to procrastinate when their goals are abstract. For example, goals like “study maths” and “study science” are not detailed enough. On the other hand, if we specify that “study chapter 1 on Monday”, this goal is clearly defined and we are more likely to take action.
2. Optimism about the future People sometimes procrastinate on tasks when they are optimistic either on their own ability or on the amount of time. People having this kind of mindset often assume that things won’t take as long to finish, and this leads to a false sense of security when we believe that we still have plenty of time to complete it, which is known as planning fallacy. For example, you have a math assignment that should be handed in two hours later, but you think that you can complete it in less than thirty minutes, so you tend to procrastinate till the last thirty minutes.
3. Indecisiveness Some procrastinate because they couldn’t make a decision in action, which is also known as choice paralysis. For example, a person might procrastinate on their assignments because he or she couldn’t decide whether to work on the math assignment first or the piece of writing first. There are three main factors that result in indecisiveness, which are the number of options, the similarity of options and the importance of options. The greater the importance, it will be harder to finalize the decision.
4. Feelings of overwhelmed When there is either a huge single task or multiple small tasks to handle, it would result in feeling overwhelmed, and a person tends to avoid the workload by procrastinating. For example, you need to revise for Chinese, but the fact that there are so many topics to study will hold you back.
5. Anxiety When it comes to an important task that results in great consequence, anxiety rises and it might lead to a delay or avoidance of action. For example, having to record an oral assessment which counts in the report card, a person who feels anxious tends to delay the action, thinking that he or she is not prepared enough and could have done better sooner or later. This issue can also cause a feedback loop because when someone feels anxious, they procrastinate, and the more they procrastinate, it results in greater anxiety, which causes them to procrastinate even further.
Reasons for procrastination (cont'd) 6. Fear of evaluation or negative feedback People sometimes procrastinate when they are scared of receiving negative comments. For example, some might procrastinate in their speech recording as they knew that others would see it and there would be chances in receiving negative feedback
7. Depression Symptoms of hopelessness, helplessness and lack of energy may lead to procrastination as it is difficult to start. Depression can also lead to self-doubt when one would question themselves in their abilities, making it harder to start off the task.
8. Laziness Laziness reflects in a person’s intrinsic unwillingness to put in the effort even when they are able to do so. It can be the driving force behind procrastination. For example, one might procrastinate in studying when they just do not feel like it. It is also easier to get lazy during quarantine because there is no supervision. Also, the sudden change of lifestyle will lead to tiredness and laziness.
9. Lack of perseverance When a person lacks perseverance, he or she procrastinates especially when it comes to finishing off a task. For example, a person would just stop working once they finished half of the math paper because they felt that they had reached a certain stage.
10. Distraction Distractibility is when one could not stay focused for a long time. Some other objects would distract them easily and transfer their attention, which then leads to procrastination. We are likely to be distracted by phone notifications or other moving objects and even internal thoughts, and this gets hard for one to start working. Despite the factors mentioned above, researchers have also found out that students are more likely to procrastinate. They found that around 90% of college students procrastinated on a regular basis. Researchers found that students tend to overestimate how much time they have left and also how motivated they will be. They will also underestimate how long a certain task takes to finish, as well as mistakenly assume that they need to have a particular mood to start working. Some also procrastinate because they believe that they would work better under pressure, which leads them to procrastinate until the last minute.
How to deal with procrastination? 1.Make a to-do list and set a goal for yourself every day. This helps you to keep on track. Also, be sure to set goals that are clearly depicted and also achievable. It is also better for you to set smaller goals so you would not feel overwhelmed easily. 2. Create a plan of action. For those who are lazy, it is better for you to create a timetable and plan when to do what. It should be planned carefully according to your ability and the priorities of work. Also, make sure that you are following that timetable instead of leaving everything till that last moment. 3. Get rid of distraction. You have to recognise what wastes your time the most. You should eliminate those sources of distraction in order to focus, for example setting screen time for yourself or even delete the apps that would distract you. You should also get an organised working environment so that you won’t be distracted by other objects on the table. 4. Give yourself some self-recognition. When you finished an item on your to-do list or just simply followed your timetable, you should reward yourself by giving yourself a rest or some treats that you are happy with. This actually motivates yourself.
In conclusion, procrastination is caused by lots of different factors. Keep in mind that procrastination is not just about having poor time management skills or poor self-control, but it also leads to serious impact, even affecting a person’s mental health. It gives stress and increases the burden placed on social relationships. So I sincerely recommend you all to be determined and get rid of Procrastination now!
Psychology behind believing in corona mythilogies By Jade Duong It is no surprise that during this period of calamity, us mankind yearn to find some sense of security, or perhaps, comfort. Often, when the resources around us grow limited and our desperations reaching its highest peak, we turn to unreliable information that are being spread around, and despite such “news� being revealed to be utterly false or have not been scientifically proven to be true, why do some humans still choose to emotionally attach themselves to these dangerous lies?
To clear up the air a bit, here are a few examples of corona mythologies that have been spreading around like wildfire: 1. Drinking industrial strength alcohol can prevent you from getting infected by the coronavirus 2. Bathing in or rubbing onto your body bleach can protect yourself from the coronavirus Perhaps, when you are reading this article, you might scoff in disbelief and wonder: what human would ever believe in such idiocy? And to answer you, yes, there are people indeed who fall for these lies, I kid you not.
Of course, these claims seem to outrageous and ridiculous for people to actually proceed and follow; yet we also have to understand that in times like this, where everyone’s life is exposed at the risk of getting infected by a virus that still doesn’t have a vaccine, some people may be more vulnerable and
"desperate times
CALL FOR desperate measures"
susceptible to being influenced by incorrect mythologies as aforementioned. As the saying goes, “desperate times call for desperate measures”, the idea of having their own life or even loved ones’ lives threatened takes a toll on a person’s mentality, being surrounded by constant media reporting of global death counts may even push them to the extremity. Left helpless, with not even an ounce of hope, it’s not that difficult to comprehend as such why people attach themselves to these mythologies. By latching themselves onto these lies, these victims are able to find a false sense of safety, as if they are finally in control, a feeling that presumably has disappeared for quite some time now. Fake news are shaped in a manner that they are designed to target our most vulnerable emotions or moments, taking advantage of our fragility and decreasing our rational mindset, lowering our barriers.
Illusionary truth effect Other than the longing for security, people often find themselves victims in believing these misinformation because of the “illusory truth effect”. Need not be afraid of this term, as it is not as complicated as it might have sounded like; “illusory truth effect” refers to the phenomenon in which the higher exposure we gain in regards to certain information, the likelier and easier we would believe in this information. Like wildfire, like chain reaction, people would most likely send different sources of news to their loved ones, friends, or even enemies without thinking twice. Being bombarded and overwhelmed with such large quantities of information, we become cognitively lazy; we fail to engage in proper evaluation and reflective judgment. The more you read about these false disclaimers, the stronger a linkage between your mindset and this piece of information will be established. Although there is a chance of having this theory to be proven wrong, the amount of times you have been exposed to this piece of information prior to its scientific check leads you to remain misguided and even turn your head away from the correct facts. Not to mention, even if you accepted the rebuttal, the refuting evidence, it is likely that your mind will still keep hold of the misinformation you have been exposed to and will still continue to affect your way of thinking.
Social pressure Social pressure is yet another valid reason for people to fall into the category of being “fake news believers”. When being presented with “proclaimed factual evidence” from either your relatives, peers, celebrities or even an organization; how often would you challenge the piece of information? Generally, being under this stressful situation of constantly striving for acceptance, we tend to “go with the flow” and believe what others advocated, even if such information happens to be false. Some people choose to be within the majority rather than the minority, but in truth, just because the majority believes in a certain thing doesn’t necessarily mean it is correct.
The danger and power of misinformation There is no doubt in mind that quarantine does take a toll on our daily lives, many of our schedules have been disrupted during this chaotic period of time; although it may seem foolish to believe in such absurd misinformation, we shouldn’t just laugh it off and consider this as some daily dose of entertainment. Believing in these lies can cause dangerous consequences, in fact in Iran, more than 1000 Iranians have fallen ill after consuming methanol and hundreds of them reportedly died from this deed under the false belief of methanol being a vaccine for the coronavirus. Fake news is everywhere, with technology rapidly developing, the sky is our limits; preying on our weakest moments and emotions, alongside with this overwhelming longing for security and acceptance by peers, it is easy for us to fall for these misinformation and become lost among these lies, not knowing what to believe or who to rely on. It’s not easy to determine the credibility of a source when it can be sneakily designed to appear as a scientifically-proven factual evidence, in additionally, everyone’s thinking is subjective and our perspectives will differ from one another; the writer of this newsletter is purposefully condemning or belittling the presumed “ridiculousness” of some people for falling for fake news and inaccurate findings, but rather urging people to analytically and logically deduct every single piece of information they receive, think carefully before latching onto an unformulated opinion or clicking a button to send an invalid source to various group chats. Never underestimate how much power a seemingly insignificant piece of “news” holds over certain audiences. This is a period of time which challenges us mankind as a whole to remain united and strong, the conflict will not be easy but it is only when we stand together as a force can we see another sunrise. (Stay strong everyone, we can make it through.)
Risk perception on COVID-19 By Matthew Kwok The rapid spread of COVID-19 has caused a worldwide quarantine, with many people being limited to stay inside for safety purposes. Living in Hong Kong, we were one of the first being exposed to the coronavirus, and quick decisions to stay inside undoubtedly helped minimize the impact of the pandemic. Unlike other countries, now swarming with infected cases, Hong Kong’s control over the coronavirus spread was established early on, and as such we have not experienced a massive widespread infection. Arguably, Hong Kong already perceived the coronavirus as a large risk before it was a large deal, which greatly helped our preparation against it. But what about other countries? What was the general perception towards the coronavirus?
What is risk perception? Risk perception is a subjective psychological construct, influenced by many different factors such as cognitive, emotional, social and cultural ideas. It’s also important to note that the interactions between individuals and countries will also greatly influence one’s risk perception. In general, the higher the risk perception, the more focus and preparation will be put into a problem. As an example, the H1N1 pandemic in 2009 started off with a relatively small risk perception density, before quadrupling in size early 2010 when case numbers started soaring.
Hong Kong's situation Research from the WHO shows that Hong Kong’s risk perception was comparatively higher than European and American countries at the end of 2019, when the coronavirus was becoming a problem in China. This may be because Hong Kong is situated right next to China, as well as mainlanders coming to Hong Kong to “hide” from the virus, proved to scare Hong Kongers into preparing for the virus. This premature attention directed towards the pandemic proved to be essential in maintaining the general health of Hong Kong, as up till now, the number of confirmed cases in HK are vastly less than the confirmed cases found in foreign countries such as Italy and America.
How does risk perception work? Although there are many factors determining this, studies have identified two main driving forces behind HK’s high risk perception before the quarantine, community emotions and cognitive recognition. Regarding emotions, Hong Kongers have a large degree of community identity, most likely due to recent political affairs and protests. Because of this, their emotional attachment towards like - minded parties have reached an all time high, and disapproval towards mainland China is also rising. This means that as soon as mainlanders started entering HK, a large proportion of the population took notice of this. Widespread recognition of the coronavirus proved to be crucial in establishing early safety protocols. Cognition wise, recognition of the virus’ harm was also important. Unlike America, whose president declared the coronavirus to be sudden and nearly impossible to prevent, Hong Kongers were quick to recognise the dangers. Connections of COVID19 being similar to a previous large pandemic - causing virus, SARS, ignited many to take caution against the virus. Hong Kong was greatly affected by the SARS pandemic back in 2003, and many people affected then were cognitively incentivised to prevent another similar situation from occurring. As such, the spread of information regarding COVID19 was quick and swift, allowing many residents to prepare, ultimately succeeding in preventing a large number of infections.
Conclusion All in all, Hong Kongers attachment to their community and cognitive appeal allowed us to greatly prepare for the coronavirus in advance. As such, society has not been damaged to a large extent, unlike other countries such as Italy, where the coronavirus has done significant damage to the economy and general health. However, we must not let our guard down and continue being aware of the dangers posed by the coronavirus. Although the situation is currently under control, we must be mindful of the future and continue working together to combat the coronavirus.
Psychology behind panic buying By Cheryl Yung I’m sure we’ve all seen headlines like this: “Coronavirus: World Health Org warns of face mask shortages as panic buying, hoarding and theft spread”. Indeed, as COVID-19 spread in Hong Kong and around the world, we can see pictures of empty racks in supermarkets on social media. There is a lack of face masks, food and daily necessities around the globe; what is this phenomenon?
Why does panic buying occur? Panic buying, by definition, means “the action of buying large quantities of a particular product or commodity due to sudden fears of a forthcoming shortage or price rise”. This is what people do when faced with an imminent disaster, such as a hurricane, or the spread of a virus for which there is no effective treatment or vaccine. Hoarding is a natural human response to scarcity or perceived scarcity. During normal times, many people hoard under the principle of “bulk purchasing”, as they can enjoy lower prices on staple goods such as toilet paper and canned food. During trying times, people hoard due to the impending scarcity of a product, such as hand sanitisers. This is seen as panic buying. This behaviour may be due to two reasons. Firstly, people want to minimise risks. It is less risky to hoard daily necessities and be wrong about the need of the item and the extent of the crisis, since they can be used. People wish to avoid suffering, spending much time weighing risks and working in hopes to reduce them, such as going to the doctor’s office for an annual checkup to prevent unexpected health problems, which are more likely to occur as we age. This is similar to panic buying, where they feel like they’re taking reasonable precautions to minimise risks. Secondly, people are easily affected by emotions. Due to social media, the anxiety and worry about the shortage of food or daily necessities are more readily spread, heightening our feelings of panic and fear. Hence, when one person see images of empty store shelves on social media and hear about their friends stockpiling toilet paper, they will do the same because they will feel a sense of comfort and relief. Through panic buying, active measures to reduce risks have been taken, and people can gain a temporary sense of relief, alleviating their anxiety and fear.
How can we prevent panic buying? We should regularly stock up on essential items to be prepared all year round in case of emergencies. While stocking up, we should be mindful of others’ needs, only purchasing the goods we need and avoiding hoarding items. Through this practice, we can prevent price gouging
during
crises,
allowing
others
to
purchase necessities at a reasonable price. This also allows high-risk individuals, who need items like face masks more than the general public, to buy these at a reasonable price.
Furthermore, we should be careful of what we see on social media. Before sharing a post, we should consider if we are spreading fake news to arouse feelings of panic. In Japan, rumours surrounding the lack of toilet paper spread like wildfire on social media, as it claimed that China would no longer export them. As a result, many Japanese panicked and bought more toilet paper than they needed, hence, we should be mindful of what we see on social media. Ultimately, during crises like COVID-19, we should stay calm and remain level-headed when it comes to purchasing items. While it is important to have necessities like face masks, hand sanitisers and food, we should also consider others’ needs and avoid panic buying so that everyone in our community can obtain their daily essentials to fight the virus.
Mental health of healthcare workers during pandemic By Charmaine Wong During the pandemic, everyone is talking about the urgent and critical need for personal protective equipment. People are sharing concerns about the impending lack of respirators and the need for testing coronavirus. In order to flatten the curve, people are encouraged to have proper social distancing. But no one is talking about the potential mental health crisis that the health care workers on the frontlines of this pandemic are facing. Health workers are on the frontline of the COVID-19 outbreak and as such are exposed to hazards that put them at risk of infection. Hazards include pathogen exposure, long working hours, psychological distress, fatigue etc. Underneath the masks of healthcare workers, they are anxious, and they are afraid. In truth, personal protective equipment is critical to protecting healthcare professionals’ physical and mental well-being. Without this protection, health care workers worry that they will get sick and infect others.
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Of all of the various types of hospital employees, nurses are often exposed to many of these stressors and may be predisposed to develop work-related psychological disorders such as symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). PTSD is a psychiatric disorder caused by exposure to a traumatic event or extreme stressor that is responded to with fear, helplessness, or horror. A Canadian research on PTSD among nurses estimated a prevalence of as high as 40 percent. With COVID-19, these numbers will surely rise, according to the experts. There’s a shortage of protective equipment for hospital workers practically all over the world, and although the cheering of the crowds may sound elevating, that won’t ease the fear and anxiety these people have every time they enter the hospitals. Experiencing the everyday horror of the virus, the death toll it takes and the loss of medical staff and others on the frontline further elevates the stress levels, adding further tension to this high-pressure job. And there’s also the fear of working next to fellow staff members who might be COVID-19 positive.
Any ways to cope with it? Of course! 1.Reach out for support. They may talk to their family and friends whenever possible about their fears and worries. They should allow themselves to be off duty when at home so that they can rest and talk about how they are feeling and what they are thinking. 2. Fit in self-care. While providing empathy and care for others and focusing on their needs, make sure that healthcare workers don’t ignore their own needs and emotions. Depending on their shift work and duties, they could try to include daily self-care such as ensuring their meals that they might wish to prepare ahead of time, so they don’t work on an empty stomach; they could try to engage in their daily stretching exercises and breathing exercises. 3. Practice self-compassion. They should be kind to themselves, accept their thoughts and emotions without judging them. They could focus on the things that are in their control and try to notice and celebrate successes both big and small.
How can others help? 1.Leaders Often communicate
with
them
clearly.
Encourage open and honest communication, educate them about the possible traumatic experiences they may face, and normalize the reactions they may experience so that they are prepared as possible for what lies ahead. In the midst of the pandemic, any mini breaks that could include stretching and staying hydrated can become more significant. This is important to healthcare workers of all levels. 2. Friends and families Feeling supported and being part of a united team can protect against the effects of stressful or traumatic experiences. Let them know they are valuable, and that they are all in this together. Modelling support seeking can have a big impact on others’ behaviour.
Conclusion Healthcare workers have played an important role in this epidemic. We should care about the mental health of healthcare workers, who have paid tremendous efforts in fighting this war. Nobody knows when this will end. It’s crucial for us to unite and support each other. References https://www.statnews.com/2020/04/03/the-covid-19-crisis-too-few-are-talking-about-health-care-workersmental-health/ https://globalnews.ca/news/6811347/coronavirurs-health-workers-mental-health/ https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2763229 https://www.anxietycanada.com/articles/helping-health-care-workers-cope-with-covid-19-related-trauma/
Thank you for reading our newsletter. Stay healthy and strong. Good luck for your upcoming exams.
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