The Psychology of a Worldwide Panic and How to Keep Your Sanity

COVID-19 brings about a lot of uncertainty. It’s spreading fast. No one really understands how much worse it’s going to get, and there is no real idea as to how long we are to remain at home. Everyday, there seems to be new headlines about ever-increasing death numbers all across the globe. All of these reasons are natural and logical motivations to be frightened.

Yet, toilet paper has nothing to do with the coronavirus, and videos around the world have been shared of people fighting just to have the comforting thought of a clean butt in a year in case this pandemic lasts that long. The coronavirus caused a panic that had people rush to buy medical masks to protect themselves from the virus. These masks saw a 428% increase in sales in the US during the week ending on January 25th, compared to the same period a year prior. Unfortunately, these masks do nothing for people who are not ill, and there has been a shortage and exacerbation of prices on the secondary market for this item. According to stats from the Philadelphia police, retail theft is up 59%, and aggravated assault is up 20%. Many in the Houston community are becoming more paranoid about similar increases in crime rates and are rushing to buy guns, where they are sold out at various stores across the city.

Why does fear make people act irrationally? And how does not only the coronavirus, but the precautionary mandates contribute to that fear? The psychology of a global pandemic is interesting because in a time where we are naturally engineered to be cautious, vigilant, and fearful, this may actually be contributing to the spread and contracting of the disease. Yes, you read that right – being fearful in the face of a pandemic actually makes you more susceptible to the illness. As we’ll see, it’s extremely important to remain calm and collected, to not only allow effective decision making, but to also boost immune system levels and also avoid all the negative aspects of being chronically stressed, such as losing sleep, feeling restless, and having elevated hearts and shorter, choppier breathing.

How COVID-19 Creates Panic

As was stated above, it’s completely okay to have a healthy fear of the coronavirus. It is absolutely a potential life-threatening virus for anyone and everyone regardless of gender, age, or ethnicity. However, safety guidelines from the CDC (Center for Disease Control) and the WHO (World Health Organization) have been released with full consideration and understanding of the seriousness of the virus. No where in the safety guidelines does it recommend to hoard toilet paper, where medical masks, or buy a gun. There has to be some other factors at play. Here are the top 5 reasons why the pandemic has created a panic, explained by brain science and psychology:

• Our Routines Are Broken. We are creatures of habit. Oftentimes, building new habits creates a lot of nervousness, discomfort, and change. With such a disruptive change in our daily routines recently, it’s like we’re building a ton of new habits from scratch. In this state, our minds become very attentive and conscious of the situation. This mind state is actually closely related to the mind state of stress.
  
  

• Emotions Are Contagious. While we may be social distancing, words still carry meaning. Many sensationalist articles and headlines are grabbing people’s attention and focusing it on negativity, death, and fear. This activates our body’s stress response and heightens our fear.
  
  

• Stress Actually Makes You More Irrational. When we are fearful and stressed, blood flow is actually steered away from the logical, rational part of your brain, to the more “feeling”, emotional part of the brain. Areas that have more blood flow are more active and this can drive thinking, behavior, and attitudes. As a result, people can become impulsive and illogical in their thinking and actions.
   

• Fear Induces More Fear. Our minds are not always logical. They were built for survival. When we feel fear, our heart rate increases, blood pressure increases, pupils dilate to gather more details of the surrounding environment. Our minds pick up on these bodily changes and become more stressed as a result. This creates a vicious cycle where fear and anxiety grow and spiral out of control.
  
  

• Stress Makes Your Body Go Into Survival Mode. When our bodies are stressed, they actually go into what is called a “survival” mode. This survival mentality makes you more selfish to preserve your own health and wellbeing. Most people who are great people actually can become very selfish under stress.
  
  

All of the above create panic that is being observed all over the world. We have been removed from the routines that bring us comfort, we are surrounded by negativity, and we fail to control our emotions, which result in selfishness, illogical behavior, and worst-case scenario type thinking.

How Panic Compromises Your Immune System

Someone may argue that the fearful, anxious behavior is essential to survival, and they would be right. The difference is that this virus may stick around for months, and chronic stress is actually linked to reduced immunity against illnesses and diseases. Upon becoming stressed, our bodies go into a “survival” mode (the fight-or-flight response for my nerds out there) which redirects energy, blood, and resources to either “fight” a threat, “run” away from a threat, or “freeze” in the face of a threat. This is an anciently inherited mechanism that had a survival value in the past in our hunter-gatherer days, but now it just sticks around and identifies threats like awkward social interactions, project deadlines, and insults. In the stress response, blood (and glucose) is actually redirected to our large muscle groups so that our big muscles have the energy and oxygen needed to perform at a high level for our own survival.

As a result, during times of stress, many functions that are not necessary for survival, like digesting your lunch, are stopped. What’s the point of digesting your lunch now if a lion is chasing you? Unfortunately, the maintenance and upkeep of your immune system is not categorized as a vital function in the face of danger. Stress, especially chronic stress, can reduce the number of T-cells and antibodies that are present in your body, which weakens the immune system overall. Not only that, stress also puts strain on the heart, can cause ulcers, and puts you at an increased health risk for a wide variety of diseases, such as stroke, diabetes, and hypertension. The longer you are stressed, the more you put yourself at risk of having a weaker immune system as well as a higher risk of contracting the coronavirus.

Rise Above the Panic and Remain Healthy

The world more than ever needs some tips and tricks to trick their mind and body into being in a calm state. Understanding how the mind and body are connected are key in getting your mind to remain in states favorable to healthy and robust functioning. Here are my top 5 tips on how to reduce stress and boost your immune system defenses, all free at your disposal at any time

.

• When Stressed, Breathe. Sounds simple right? But breathing deeply – inhaling slowly through the nose for 5 seconds, pausing 2 seconds, followed by 5+ seconds of slow exhaling – actually turns off  “survival” mode and puts you in a recovery/resting state. In this state, your body actually recovers from toxins that were dumped in the body from stress, as well as returns your immune system to normal baseline levels.
  
  

• Watch What You Eat. What are you feeding your body? The optimal functioning of your health is dependent on a ton of different vitamins, nutrients, and molecules that cannot be obtained through the typical American diet. Double down on colorful veggies and fruits, and take a supplement.
  
  

• Express Gratitude. This may be difficult during this time, but gratitude has two effects on the mind. First, it elevates your mood and also releases addicting chemicals, making you more likely to be grateful in the future. This reduces selfishness, and also makes you more present.
  
  

• Only Obtain Information From a Few, Credible Sources. Avoid sensationalist news outlets that trigger your emotions. Stick to the facts and guidelines from sources like the CDC and the WHO. Remember, emotions are contagious through words.
  
  
• Get More Rest. At night, our body is busy at work removing toxic waste from the stress of the day. When we are sleep deprived, not only do you build up toxic waste in your body, but it affects your decision making, clarity, immune system, and emotional stability. Stress may cause restlessness which is why it’s even more important to control stress to begin with.