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Two Psychological Reasons People Hate Wearing Face Masks
No, it’s not necessarily because they’re stupid.
There has been no shortage of news on people’s refusal to wear face masks.
YouTuber Jack Paul recently threw a party in Calabasas, California that prompted residents and the mayor of Calabasas to publicly condemn his actions. The mayor is even considering pressing charges.
Then there is the infamous town hall meeting in Palm Beach County, Florida which had a cavalcade of characters illustrating that the politicians who were enforcing face masks were minions of the devil and crazy people.
I know it’s easy to say that they’re stupid. Hell, even I’m tempted. When you hear things like, “I don’t wear a mask for the same reason I don’t wear underwear. Things gotta breathe,” it is very tempting to just slap a label on their mouths and call it a day.
Emanuel Maidenberg, PhD, clinical professor of psychiatry and bio-behavioral sciences at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA has given two explanations as to why people are refusing to use protective measures despite this global pandemic.
His answers are based on prior research on people’s behavioral responses during the SARS and Ebola outbreaks.
