A woman wearing a face mask

A woman wearing a face mask

Wearing a face mask won’t prevent you from getting coronavirus, but it may offer you some comfort.

REUTERS/Yen Duong.


  • With the growing spread of the coronavirus, the Centers for Disease Control and Avoidance has actually provided guidelines for how to remain safe and prevent contracting the disease.
  • While they do motivate those identified with or showing symptoms of the COVID-19 virus to take appropriate steps, they acknowledge that everybody using face masks is unlikely to be very reliable.
  • So why are so many individuals hurrying to buy face masks?
  • Psychotherapist Amy Morin describes that using the masks does more for our psychological health than our physical wellness, by soothing our anxiety and giving us the illusion of remaining in control.
  • Go to Company Expert’s homepage for more stories

Of course, it’s considered a social norm in some cultures to wear a face mask rather routinely.

Yet more and more individuals are walking around wearing face masks, even as suppliers increase the costs.

So why do so numerous individuals desire to cover up their faces if it doesn’t assist?

We fear unknown threats

coronavirus tube

A female seen on the London Underground using a face mask on February 2, 2020 in London.

Getty Images.


However according to stats, driving a cars and truck is a big risk.

The coronavirus isn’t familiar.

Media intake also fuels worries.

We have problem with ‘the impression of control’

business meeting

People feel less nervous when they are in control.

Luis Alvarez/Getty Images.


Similarly, studies also show that individuals think they have a better opportunity of winning the lottery when they pick their own numbers, as opposed to permitting the computer to select for them.

When it comes to the coronavirus, many of us likely feel we have little control over whether we contract it.

Wearing a face mask is one way to convince ourselves that we have some control over it.

We overcompensate when safeguards remain in location

woman driving

Motorists speed more when they are wearing safe belts.

Jose Luis Pelaez Inc/Getty Images.


And insurance coverage companies have even found that motorists really end up being more reckless when there are more safety features on a car.

This mindset might be one reason why so many people using face masks might even be detrimental in specific ways.

The herd mentality is real

Daegu South Korea coronavirus

People wait in line to buy face masks in front of a shop at Dongseongro shopping district in Daegu, South Korea on February 27,2020

JUNG YEON-JE/AFP via Getty Images.


The herd mindset is genuine– and research shows that most of us get on bandwagons. So the more you see other individuals using a face mask, the most likely you are to put one on.

Scientists have known for a long period of time that people are susceptible to “behavioral mimicry,” indicating we fast to copy those around us. So whether you’re strolling through a market, riding the subway, or resting on an aircraft, the more people you see wearing face masks, the most likely you are to convince yourself that you ought to wear one, too. Not wearing one may even trigger you to feel distressed.

The mask-wearers are more noticeable than individuals who are taking suggested precautions (cleaning their hands more frequently and limiting travel). This can trigger you to assume everybody is using a mask.

It reduces our stress and anxiety

therapy

Feeling like you’re acting may help reduce your tension.

Sladic/Getty Images.


Most of us correspond stress and anxiety with threat level. If we feel really distressed, we reason that something needs to be truly risky. And if we can reduce that anxiety, we’ll persuade ourselves that the level of danger we deal with is in some way lower.

So even though we have actually been alerted that wearing a face mask may be a bad concept, doing so might still have the result of lowering stress and anxiety.

While it depends on you whether you choose to wear a mask, think about why you’re doing it. Despite the fact that doctor might warn against it, you might discover it gives you a little comfort– which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

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