Have you been looking into the effects of COVID-19 in your own research?

I wish I had been collecting data before this all happened because then I could have done pre- and post-COVID analyses on the same data set. The problem is that everyone is death salient now, so there is no control group. But I have one survey out now—the current world situation is an experimental condition in itself, so I want a baseline of how death-salient people are right now with all of this happening.

We’re also beginning a study of the “conservative shift hypothesis” that we saw right after September 11. We want to see if people are moving to become more nationalistic and more conservative in their values in this crisis. Of course, this is a very different flavor of crisis than September 11. In this case, nobody did this to us. Some people are trying to blame China, but really this is not humans who are doing this. I mean, who do you go and bomb after this, right? This affects the whole world.

What are the effects of chronic awareness of death, as is the case currently?

In terms of how mortality affects us when it is on our minds chronically, research is still a little unclear on how long it takes mortality to fade from consciousness even after studies in the lab, let alone when something is happening in the world like this. I don’t think that we are ever completely unaware of mortality, but we are able to distract ourselves. The problem now is that nobody can get away from it.

We’re seeing a lot of different responses right now around the world, and so I always ground it in the context of the cultural worldview that the defenses are based on. We’re in a very individualistic culture—the American worldview has a lot of “every man for themselves.” So, doing something for the greater good and the betterment of society was an easier sell in Asia, where the culture is more collectivist. Whereas in the U.S., people are willing to stay home to an extent, but they’re going to make sure that they have more than enough for themselves (e.g. hoarding).

Do you have any thoughts on what predicts whether someone will exhibit antisocial vs. prosocial/helping behaviors?

I think there are a combination of factors that interact within each individual and make it hard to pinpoint to just one cause. Political ideology has something to do with it, religion, upbringing, personality traits, whether someone is naturally more individualist or collectivist, etc. At the end of the day, you just have different types of people, and so each individual’s natural inclinations are amplified. You have the people in a crisis who do whatever it takes to help people, and then you have those who view it as every person for themselves. Often when faced with mortality reminders we exhibit negative behaviors as well as good ones, so why would this be any different?

It also probably depends on which defense mechanisms someone has in their arsenal. If you’re able to make meaning out of the anxiety, you might be able to tap into healthier defenses, but I think right now people are still in panic mode.

I don’t think that we are ever completely unaware of mortality, but we are able to distract ourselves. The problem now is that nobody can get away from it.

As a communication professor as well as a psychology professor, what do you think of the role that the media is playing in the pandemic?

Constant news coverage of the crisis contributes to chronic death salience. This also contributes to polarization; when news sources are not all on the same page, that can incite panic and finger-pointing among the population overall. Polarization was a problem before COVID-19 of course, but it’s certainly not helping anything right now. But, one positive thing is that the media also tells us that there may be something we can do to control it.

The scariest thing is the lack of control, but there are things we can do, like stay home.

What general advice would you offer as a researcher in this line of work for people struggling with this crisis?

First, look to the future. We even see this helping suicidal individuals. Looking to the future helps. When you’re in an existential crisis, plan for the future. This is not going to last forever. There will be a time where we can get out of our houses and see other people again.

Second, focus on social connections. This is something good to do in general and we’ve known for decades that this can specifically help with death anxiety. Yes it’s virtual connection, but it’s still something.

Also, know that you can’t control other people. Try not to focus on people not doing what they’re supposed to do, because that’s only just going to make you angrier and might make you less motivated. Focus on yourself and what you need to do.