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Should You Immerse Yourself in Bad News These Days or Ignore It Completely?
APS Member/Author: Hal Hershfield How can we possibly grapple with the onslaught of information about virus spread, stock market nosedives, canceled plans and uncertainty about the future? Some people wallow in the fear, anxiety and sadness, checking news sites and social media constantly. Others try to suppress it all and ignore the outside world (I’m guessing that Instagram has never seen so much traffic). There’s a third option, though. Rather than fully immersing in the negative or ignoring it, we can do our best to experience joy alongside everything else that is sad in the world.
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Here’s Why Some People Are Not Wearing Masks During the Coronavirus Crisis
There is widespread agreement that one of easiest ways to control the spread of the coronavirus is to wear a face mask, but there are all kinds of reasons why people don't take this basic step, experts said Tuesday. "That's a simple question with a complex answer," said Jacqueline Gollan, a psychologist and associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. "One, they underestimate the threat. It’s not concrete, it’s abstract.
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Loss, Grief, Stress: How The Pandemic Is Affecting Kids
NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro and education correspondent Cory Turner talk with child psychologist Abigail Gewirtz about the impact of the pandemic on kid's mental health and development. ... GARCIA-NAVARRO: Abigail, let's start with the research. What can you tell us about the studies that are looking at kids and mental health in this crisis? GEWIRTZ: Well, there are studies that are ongoing. Our world is really turned upside down. We are just beginning to think about how to understand what's happening to children's mental health and to children's well-being in general.
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Social Isolation’s High Physical and Psychological Toll
When Newton, Mass., closed its schools in mid-March to help stop the spread of coronavirus, Nataly Kogan was thrilled. No more rushing to get breakfast. Her 15-year-old daughter, Mia, could sleep in. The two did puzzles and made videos to post on TikTok. Ms. Kogan thought she would paint. “It was bliss,” she recalls. “Full-on denial. Those were two of the best weeks of my life.” The third week, reality hit. School closures would extend indefinitely. Mia’s summer program at Johns Hopkins University was canceled. So was time with friends. Ms. Kogan teaches emotional health, she says. It is the subject of her speeches, her books and her company, Happier Inc.
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How Humans Evolved to Care for Others
APS Member/Author: Alison Gopnik The last few weeks have seen extraordinary displays of altruism. Ordinary people have transformed their lives—partly to protect themselves and the people they love from the Covid-19 pandemic, but also to help other people they don’t even know. But where does altruism come from? How could evolution by natural selection produce creatures who sacrifice themselves for others? In her 2019 book “Conscience,” the philosopher Patricia Churchland argues that altruism has its roots in our mammalian ancestry. The primordial example of an altruistic emotion is the love that mothers feel toward their babies.
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‘Education via Computer Needs To Be Limited’: Psychologist Says Parents Must Step Up To Nurture Kids In Age Of Coronavirus
With schools closed for more than 55 million children across the country in an effort to slow the spread of coronavirus, students, parents and teachers are facing a host of new and unexpected challenges. Schools all over the country have created virtual classrooms online, but many parents and caregivers find themselves managing the workload and tools like Google docs and Zoom meetings — all in addition to working remotely, taking care of finances and putting food on the table.
