Your Mind & Body 09/16/20
By: Robert Roy Britt
Tags: Mind, Wellbeing, Body, Health, Science

Your Mind & Body 09/16/20

This Week: Seditious Scientists, Slipping Trust & Herd Mentality

This week’s newsletter ranges from feisty to grim and then a little morbid. Just another “normal” week in 2020. So to start on a high note, may I suggest you check out the 2nd installment of Dana Smith’s new newsletter (available on the web or you can subscribe) about how the brain works. It’s bite-sized brain candy, and I mean that in a good way. This week she explains in concise, comprehendible detail how “bad stress” can be good for us. In short: The “fight or flight” chemical released by stress raises the heart rate and can, if chronic, be bad for the body. But it also helps brain cells create new connections, and in that way, the pandemic could have some positive effects on the mind. Yeah, well, let’s freaking hope so.

You gotta hand it to Michael Caputo. He put together all the elements of a sure-to-spread conspiracy theory about how scientists are plotting to take down the president. Then he took it a step further and effectively yelled “fire” in a movie theater, advising Trump supporters to get their ammunition now and prepare for a shootout. That part’s sickening — a federal official aiming to incite violence. But my interest is in how perfectly he weaved together a series of complex accusations based on no facts, stuff that can’t be disproved, tied it to the existing conspiracy theory of a supposed “deep state,” and clearly identified the bad guys: otherwise good-natured, well-meaning scientists. These are classic elements of a bogus conspiracy theory, one that in this case will likely draw many adherents, even though Caputo also questioned his own mental state and has since apologized for his outlandish outburst. Anyway, that’s a synopsis of my analysis, which is based on my recent reporting on how conspiracy theories work and why we (yes, we) believe in them.

Misinformation, fear, and conspiracy theories about the coronavirus are conspiring to deepen the partisan divide in America and further sow distrust in government and expert advice from scientists and health officials, new polling reveals. Trust in the CDC is now 74% among Democrats and just 60% for Republicans, as one example. The growing political gap, deepening general distrust, and ever-more outrageous claims by the White House threaten the very foundations of democracy, a growing chorus of experts worry.

Life is precious, but not priceless, economists say. So I was curious what dollar figure they put on each Covid-19 death. The Value of a Statistical Life (VSL) is morbid, but the federal government has used it for decades to decide regulations and expenditures.

OUT THERE

Covid-colored Glasses

A very small new study with a lot of caveats suggests people wearing glasses might be less susceptible to Covid-19 infection. The idea is that it helps reduce viral drops getting into the eyes. Don’t bank on it, but do read about it. (I wear bifocals, so I can safely theorize that I’m at less risk of infection when I’m forced to look at people through the top lens than the bottom lens. Bifocal wearers will get that very modest social-distancing joke.)

Facing Fire Facts

President Trump this week once again denied the science of global warming in a discussion of how global warming is driving ever-more extreme fires out west. “It’ll start getting cooler, you just watch,” he said flippantly, adding: “I don’t think science knows, actually.” Science knows. While fires might be started by lightning or by humans, and forest mismanagement can contribute to the spreadability and intensity, long-term drought induced by a warmer climate can also make fires worse, as can climate changed-induced short-term heatwaves like the recent one out West — there are more of them now than 50 years ago. That’s science, and ignoring it while simultaneously unwinding decades of sensible legislation aimed at throttling air pollution, and by extension global warming, will only make a bad situation worse. Just like the coronavirus, global warming is not going to magically go away. Oh, and politicians take note: 66% of U.S. adults are very or somewhat worried about global warming.

Hey, Angry Americans… Yes, I Mean You

Everyone is angry as something right now, Steven Webster, a political scientist at Indiana University, writes in The Conversation. “Anger-filled political rhetoric is nothing new. From Andrew Johnson and Richard Nixon to Newt Gingrich, politicians have long known that angry voters are loyal voters,” he argues. “People will support their party’s candidates locally and nationally so long as they remain sufficiently outraged at the opposing party.” And that doesn’t bode well for democracy, he says. “Political anger lowers citizens’ trust in the national government, causing people to view it with hostility, skepticism and outright contempt. Due to the increasingly national focus of politics, that anger is often directed squarely at the federal government, not state or local officials.” (Sidebar: I wrote recently about the potential threat to democracy posed by politicized conspiracy theories. Me thinks these things are related.)

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FINAL THOUGHT

Herd Mentality is actually a thing. It’s when people blindly follow along no matter the merits of something. Folks, if we stick to science, follow the facts and wear our masks and avoid indoor crowds out of a sense of responsibility for our fellow humans, we can lick this thing. Otherwise, herd mentality suggesting the virus will “just disappear” will indeed lead to herd immunity, and a million or more Americans will die along the way, the epidemiologists say.

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I hope you feel just a bit more enlightened about the human condition and ways to improve it. If so, don’t be afraid to forward this to a friend (they can subscribe here). If you have questions, comments or suggestions, you can reach me at rob dot britt on gmail or follow me on Twitter.

— Rob