Cognitive neuroscientist at TCD increasingly teaching, thinking, & advocating on the climate & ecological crises. Coordinates @TCDPsyCliCri 🌍 Views are my own.
Feb 20, 2021 • 9 tweets • 3 min read
Hints about lockdown extending to May have left people feeling upset, frustrated, & outraged. Bungled communication, mixed messages & the lack of a goal other than misery-level mitigation threaten the high level of lockdown compliance people have shown so far. Here’s why - a🧵1/9
Following the rules means huge collective sacrifice: an inability to see family & friends, travel >5km, or gather in the park. We are all tired & frustrated, yet compliance with the rules has remained high. But the consequences of gaps & loopholes are increasingly clear. 2/9
Jan 23, 2021 • 9 tweets • 7 min read
🧵
I’m hearing folks saying #ZeroCovid is unattainable. We're tired of lockdowns they say. We have #PandemicFatigue!
Can I let you in on a secret? #PandemicFatigue isn’t real. It’s a bogeyman made up by politicians to shift blame for their missteps onto us, the public. 1/
How do I know it isn’t real? First, it’s based on “ego depletion”-the idea that self-control is a muscle that becomes fatigued. But ego depletion was recently debunked in a huge study led by one of its proponents. Turns out ego depletion is not a thing. 2/ researchgate.net/publication/34…
