Research on Epidemics and Public Health Behavior

Human Behavior in the Time of COVID-19: Learning from Psychological Science

Highlights of APS’s recent outreach efforts to broadly share what psychological science says about epidemics and how human behavior might mitigate the spread of COVID-19. More
Saliva as a Biospecimen in the Era of COVID-19

Psychological scientists will need to adopt new practices and protocols to continue conducting saliva-based research safely. More
APS Backgrounder Series: Psychological Science and COVID-19: Working Remotely

Expert commentary from Tammy Allen, who specializes in work-family issues, career development, and occupational health. [April 13, 2020] More
APS Backgrounder Series: Psychological Science and COVID-19: Social Impact on Children

Expert commentary from Vanessa LoBue on emotional development and the effect of emotion and experience on perception and learning. [April 1, 2020] More
APS Backgrounder Series: Psychological Science and COVID-19: Remaining Resilient During a Pandemic

Expert commentary from APS Fellow George A. Bonanno, on the topic of resilience at a time of loss and trauma. [March 31, 2020] More
APS Backgrounder Series: Psychological Science and COVID-19: Pandemic Effects on Marriage and Relationships

Expert commentary from Paula Pietromonaco on close relationships during pandemics. [April 24, 2020] More
Stop Touching My Face! Why the Easiest Way to Prevent Coronavirus Is So Hard

Partway through a conversation about simple solutions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, a certain reporter caught himself, his hand flitting across his face with absent-minded determination. A rub to the eye and a scratch to the nose before settling into a pose akin to Rodin’s “Thinker,” with chin More
Misinformation: Psychological Science Shows Why It Sticks and How to Fix It

Childhood vaccines do not cause autism. Global warming is confirmed by science. And yet, many people believe claims to the contrary. Why does misinformation stick? More
Behavioral Strategies More Effective Than Persuasion in Promoting Vaccination

A report in Psychological Science in the Public Interest identifies the most effective ways to increase vaccination rates. More
How Fear Distorts Our Thinking About the Coronavirus

When it comes to making decisions that involve risks, we humans can be irrational in quite systematic ways — a fact that the psychologists Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman famously demonstrated with the help of a hypothetical situation, eerily apropos of today’s coronavirus epidemic, that has come to be known More
Information Is Contagious Among Social Connections

Research using advanced computer modeling sheds light on how behaviors may become “contagious” in large groups, showing that the memory of one individual can indirectly influence that of another via shared social connections. [More]
Inability to Feel Pleasure Could Influence Opioid Addiction Treatment, Scientists Say

Bored man watching tv and zapping sitting on a couch at home [More]
Ebola Scare Could Heighten Fears About Other Illnesses, Research Suggests

Americans are now fretting over an illness that they have almost no chance of contracting. Schools have closed, businesses have temporarily shut down, and people who have traveled to West Africa are being shunned — all due to three confirmed cases, and one fatality, of Ebola in Dallas. As APS More
How Collectivism Protects Against Contagious Fear

An outbreak of Ebola in the Republic of Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone that began in 2014 made headlines around the world, as the number of individuals affected continued to climb. Ebola is a viral disease that can be transmitted to humans through animal and insect bites, but can also More
Sneezes Provoke Fears Beyond Illness

Scientific American: With H1N1 on the rise and flu shots hard to find, few things are as terrifying as [sneeze sound]. But now a report in the journal Psychological Science suggests that coughing and sneezing can spread more than viruses. They also spread fear, of germs and more. So you’re More
Sneezing in Times of a Flu Pandemic: Exposure to Public Sneezing Increases Fears of Unrelated Risks

Worried People standing in a crowded subway train [More]
The Psychology of Coronavirus Fear—and How to Manage It

Let’s start with the obvious: Covid-19, the disease caused by a new strain of coronavirus, is scary. It’s spreading fast, there is currently no vaccine or preventative treatment for it, and we don’t know how deadly it actually is. Under these circumstances, it’s understandable that people would be frightened. But More