COVID19 Update - Day 290

US Tests: 205,385,745*

US Cases: 18,565,927*

US Deaths: 321,992*

Worldwide Cases: 79,793,342*

Worldwide Deaths: 1,749,235*

* - Numbers are a lower bound.  True numbers are being suppressed by the Trump administration

Many of us have good reason to be glad 2020 is ending.  But just now, I read a Facebook post from a nurse friend of mine who found things to be grateful for in 2020.  And not just a few things, but A LOT!  So, in the spirit of focusing on the positive, I give you this study about what may be the most effective way to encourage others to wear masks for another 4-6 months, until the vaccine brings us to herd immunity:

In one study, we asked more than 300 participants to think back to a time when they saw someone conform to their group. Some participants were asked to think about an instance when someone conformed because they wanted others to like them. Others were asked to think about a time when someone conformed for others’ sake. We then asked all of our participants to report what they thought about this person whose public behavior differed from their privately held beliefs. Did this person have a strong moral character? Were they competent people? Were they kind and friendly?

While participants in our research scoffed at conformity when it was perceived as selfish, they respected and appreciated benevolent conformity, seeing it as courageous and praiseworthy. Our experiments showed that Americans found people who conform to protect others’ feelings or to maintain group harmony to be warmer, more competent, and more authentic.

This is a key lesson for Biden and for governors who seek to enforce conformity to help protect people from a deadly virus. They should emphasize that sometimes conformity takes courage. This point should be made loud and clear: In the battle against Covid-19, the courageous and commendable thing to do is to put other people first.

So when presented with the idea that following Covid-19 safety measures is “weak” or “un-American,” public health experts should flip this argument on its head: emphasize the benefits of people’s helpful actions. Wherever possible, leaders must employ the benevolent conformity Americans seem to gravitate toward and respect.

We're all in this together!