Managing Fear During Pandemics: Risks and Opportunities

Abstract

Fear is an emotion triggered by the perception of danger and motivates safety behaviors. Within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were ample danger cues (e.g., images of patients on ventilators) and a high need for people to use appropriate safety behaviors (e.g., social distancing). Given this central role of fear within the context of a pandemic, it is important to review some of the emerging findings and lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic and their implications for managing fear. We highlight factors that determine fear (i.e., proximity, predictability, and controllability) and review several adaptive and maladaptive consequences of fear of COVID-19 (e.g., following governmental health policies and panic buying). Finally, we provide directions for future research and make policy recommendations that can promote adequate health behaviors and limit the negative consequences of fear during pandemics.