When I worked in public health, way back in 2020, the leaders couldn’t understand why playing hockey, going to bars, celebrating holidays, etc., was more important than not getting covid, and possibly dying. No one thinks that they will be the one who gets will die. Or, that their loved one will die. And certainly no one thinks that they could kill anyone by breathing covid on them. Nor, if they get sick, will they be the one who has to wait hours and hours for care.
The public health leaders really didn’t understand why their messaging wasn’t working. I tried to tell them you human behaviorists to help you…but the public health leaders would not admit that they were wrong.
So, I, and many others, quit. People would rather die, let their children die, than believe that they are wrong.
Although, someone I worked with knew the mother of a child who died from covid in 2021. The mother didn’t vaccinate herself or her children. She did regret not vaccinating her son. But it was too late. We don’t get do-overs in life.
I am only 1/3 of the way through..and I cannot stop chuckling…
I am clinically depressed- have been for 50 yrs.
I have asked my spouse for a divorce for over a year. I finally found and hired an attorney. When I reminded my spouse (22 yrs of marriage) that we both decided to get divorced, he yelled at me and disagreed with me. Fortunately I had called him from my car, and could hang up.
He continues to plan things for “our” future. We have no future together. Heck- my sister even texted him over the last year telling him to divorce me.
He refuses to believe me. He wants to keep boiling in the pot, when I have already jumped out.
He is never wrong and never admits he made a mistake. So, he won’t believe we are divorcing until the judge tells him we are divorced, and maybe not even then.
I'm there with you in lifelong depression, Theresa. I don't think anyone who hasn't had chronic depression can truly understand what it's like. I'm so sorry that your marriage is ending. We all start our marriages with great hopes. Many find their hopes dashed against the rocks.
It sounds like your husband is in denial, though I'm no therapist. I just pay lots of money to one. Has he been served with the papers yet? If not, maybe that will be the thing that gets through to him that it's over. Sending you peace.
This is so fascinating! And I really appreciate this essay right now because lately I've been thinking about the lack of response from people I've talked to about collapse. They either refuse to believe it or refuse to talk about it, which can be incredibly discouraging. But I just have to remind myself that people simply aren't wired to deal with slow-moving global crises. Doesn't necessarily mean they're evil or stupid. They're just humans.
This resonated so hard for me 😭 I'm one of the only people in my daily life that wears a mask and cares about viral illness transmission and it's exhausting to be so worried all the time and to keep losing people.
Very illuminating this is; And I somehow thought it was my inability to explain clearly, that resulted in all of those "difficult to explain" situations. My social intelligence rating has always been a negative number, and in reading all of the psychological info, I realize that he will be more self assured in the future. Thanks for your effort, dear author.
Thank you so much for this complete and complex summary of the "non-intuitive" aspects of human psychology. As a long time student of psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics, public policy, and public health I find your gathering of the various (? dysfunctional) cognitive habits to be very brilliant. This essay should be studied in the first week of any course in any of those disciplines. It compiles how the heuristic habits of human nature actually explain the tragedies of COVID-19, climate change and Donald J. Trump.
One question - are these traits universal? ---or more highlighted and influential in advanced, enlightened secular Western culture?
They're universal. HOWEVER, these behaviors get selected against whenever there are strong, real pressures (like a pandemic which kills people who won't wear N95 masks). So it's quite possible that societies with more fragile situations had continuous pressure reducing this *self-destructive* behavior.
This needs to be posted in public health forums!
When I worked in public health, way back in 2020, the leaders couldn’t understand why playing hockey, going to bars, celebrating holidays, etc., was more important than not getting covid, and possibly dying. No one thinks that they will be the one who gets will die. Or, that their loved one will die. And certainly no one thinks that they could kill anyone by breathing covid on them. Nor, if they get sick, will they be the one who has to wait hours and hours for care.
The public health leaders really didn’t understand why their messaging wasn’t working. I tried to tell them you human behaviorists to help you…but the public health leaders would not admit that they were wrong.
So, I, and many others, quit. People would rather die, let their children die, than believe that they are wrong.
Although, someone I worked with knew the mother of a child who died from covid in 2021. The mother didn’t vaccinate herself or her children. She did regret not vaccinating her son. But it was too late. We don’t get do-overs in life.
I am only 1/3 of the way through..and I cannot stop chuckling…
I am clinically depressed- have been for 50 yrs.
I have asked my spouse for a divorce for over a year. I finally found and hired an attorney. When I reminded my spouse (22 yrs of marriage) that we both decided to get divorced, he yelled at me and disagreed with me. Fortunately I had called him from my car, and could hang up.
He continues to plan things for “our” future. We have no future together. Heck- my sister even texted him over the last year telling him to divorce me.
He refuses to believe me. He wants to keep boiling in the pot, when I have already jumped out.
He is never wrong and never admits he made a mistake. So, he won’t believe we are divorcing until the judge tells him we are divorced, and maybe not even then.
I'm there with you in lifelong depression, Theresa. I don't think anyone who hasn't had chronic depression can truly understand what it's like. I'm so sorry that your marriage is ending. We all start our marriages with great hopes. Many find their hopes dashed against the rocks.
It sounds like your husband is in denial, though I'm no therapist. I just pay lots of money to one. Has he been served with the papers yet? If not, maybe that will be the thing that gets through to him that it's over. Sending you peace.
Yesterday I read this quote from Michael Campi’s blog Hope Got A Bad Rap (https://michaelcampi.substack.com/p/hope-got-a-bad-rap?utm_source=post-email-title&publication_id=3199544&post_id=156953747&utm_campaign=email-post-title&isFreemail=true&r=2e3vz8&triedRedirect=true&utm_medium=email) “People who have accepted the dire nature of the predicament that we are in have, in my opinion, a responsibility to help those who have not yet realized what is happening.” Perhaps the clinically depressed, neurodiverse, and the chronic quitters like me can still write for each other. Your advice about surviving in the downgrade has been invaluable. Thank you.
This is so fascinating! And I really appreciate this essay right now because lately I've been thinking about the lack of response from people I've talked to about collapse. They either refuse to believe it or refuse to talk about it, which can be incredibly discouraging. But I just have to remind myself that people simply aren't wired to deal with slow-moving global crises. Doesn't necessarily mean they're evil or stupid. They're just humans.
This resonated so hard for me 😭 I'm one of the only people in my daily life that wears a mask and cares about viral illness transmission and it's exhausting to be so worried all the time and to keep losing people.
Very illuminating this is; And I somehow thought it was my inability to explain clearly, that resulted in all of those "difficult to explain" situations. My social intelligence rating has always been a negative number, and in reading all of the psychological info, I realize that he will be more self assured in the future. Thanks for your effort, dear author.
Thank you so much for this complete and complex summary of the "non-intuitive" aspects of human psychology. As a long time student of psychology, sociology, anthropology, economics, public policy, and public health I find your gathering of the various (? dysfunctional) cognitive habits to be very brilliant. This essay should be studied in the first week of any course in any of those disciplines. It compiles how the heuristic habits of human nature actually explain the tragedies of COVID-19, climate change and Donald J. Trump.
One question - are these traits universal? ---or more highlighted and influential in advanced, enlightened secular Western culture?
They're universal. HOWEVER, these behaviors get selected against whenever there are strong, real pressures (like a pandemic which kills people who won't wear N95 masks). So it's quite possible that societies with more fragile situations had continuous pressure reducing this *self-destructive* behavior.
Excellent article! Thank you for giving me a reason to be grateful for my neurodiversity.
“We’re going to feel like the aliens Festinger’s cult was waiting on, and we’re going to understand why they never showed up.
Would you save us?”
Give us 🇨🇦(&🇲🇽) a little help, and we sure will.
Like we’ve always done.
Because fighting fascists is kind of our thing.
Especially, but not exclusively, the ones who threaten us directly.
Ouch
Isn't that the point of aging? Or did I miss something in mine? 😉 If you don't gain wisdom, then what's the point of life?