People may be less inclined to follow public health precautions to protect against COVID-19 in the presence of friends or even just thinking about their friends, according to new research. new research.
A study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied on Thursday described how, in five online experiments that posed hypothetical situations, individuals perceived less chance of infection. than if it’s paired with a friend and buy less protective gear like a mask if they have one. Recently thought about a friend.
In one study, people who had previously had COVID-19 were less concerned about reinfection if they caught the virus from friends or family members, an example of what the researchers called ” friend shield effect”.
Researchers are concerned that people may be lax in health precautions than they should be with friends, even in unsafe situations.
“Friends and family can be comforting, but it is irrational and dangerous to believe that they will protect you from catching COVID-19,” said Hyunjung Crystal Lee, assistant professor of marketing at the University of California. Carlos III de Madrid University in Spain and one of the study authors said in a press release. “This trend, which we call the ‘friend shield effect’, could enhance a false sense of security and contribute to future infections.”
Test participants are sourced from online community sourcing platform Prolific in 2020 and from the US
In one trial, 262 participants who had never had COVID-19 were given one of three hypothetical situations in which they contracted COVID-19 from a friend, acquaintance, or stranger. They were then asked questions about how much they would spend on protecting their health, how risky they were, and how comfortable they were in social and health-related situations, among others. the others.
They found that participants who imagined they had been infected by a friend were less likely to worry about reinfection and less likely to purchase more protective gear than other participants who imagined that a stranger or acquaintance has passed the virus on to them.
This effect appeared to be sustained in a follow-up trial, which looked at 109 participants who had previously contracted COVID-19 and knew from whom they contracted it.
Among other questions, participants were asked to rate the degree to which they felt they would be reinfected, from “completely unlikely” to “very likely”.
Participants who were infected by a family member or friend believe they are less likely to be reinfected than those who have been infected by an acquaintance or a stranger.
In another experiment, researchers had 495 participants perform a friendship association task, in which half were asked to write a passage about a close friend, and half were asked to write a paragraph about a close friend. about a distant acquaintance. After this task, all participants read an article about severe COVID-19-related symptoms, which detailed that unhealthy snacks and sugary foods can increase a person’s risk of developing those severe COVID-19 symptoms.
The participants were then directed to a website the researchers built that sold unhealthy snacks like chocolate bars and bags of chips, as well as health and safety items like hand sanitizer and masks. Participants were told that by participating in this trial, they could gain access to a special offer that would allow them to buy something from the online store, if they wanted to.
About 48% of participants purchased a protective item such as a mask, and 15% bought snacks that they had been warned would increase their risk of severe COVID-19 illness. Thirty-seven percent bought nothing.
According to the experiment, participants wrote about a close friend at the start of the study that was often associated with snack purchases. About 27% of the participants chose snacks, while only 21% of those who wrote about an acquaintance chose snacks.
Participants did not actually receive any items, but did receive compensation for participating in the study.
The fourth experiment asked participants to imagine that they were visiting a friend or acquaintance at a crowded restaurant while their city was affected by COVID-19, while also asking those participants determine who they feel is part of “within the group” versus “out of the group” – the psychological term for a group in which a person feels they fit socially and identify with others. who they don’t like.
Research shows that people with clearer boundaries about what’s in their group are more likely to engage in risky behavior with a friend.
Based on that, in the fifth study, the researchers asked participants to indicate their political leanings, ranging from “extremely liberal” on one end to “extremely conservative” on the other. , runs on the theory that conservative individuals are more likely to identify in- and thus may be more likely to engage in risky behaviors with peers.
This is supported by results: conservatives are less likely to expect the restaurant to be crowded or perceive the risk of infection if they meet a friend there than an acquaintance.
The researchers note that the study was limited by the small sample size and hypothetical nature of the situations posed to the participants, adding that further research could provide further insight into the situation. ‘friend shield effect’.
The experiments show that for most people there may be a perception that threats to self only come from “others” – something or someone, the researchers say. outside one’s social circle. The psychological security that comes from friends isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but can be something to keep in mind when assessing whether a situation is safe, the study found.
“We think that health and safety campaigns should do more to inform the public about the friend shield effect and work towards a more comprehensive response to future pandemics by counting to both physical infection rates and perceived psychological risk,” said Eline De Vries, associate professor of marketing and one of the study authors, in the release.
