Impacts of the pandemic on emotion of fear

When people perceive themselves to be in danger, they usually experience some degree of fear. This emotion is useful because it can motivate them to learn more about the problem or to take some action to protect themselves against it, according to James Dillard, distinguished professor communication arts and sciences. However, when there isn’t a readily available solution, fear itself needs to be managed.

In this post, Dillard describes the emotion of fear, early research related to fear and COVID-19, and ways to manage fear during the pandemic.

For more, visit the Insights from Experts website — a partnership of Penn State's Social Science Research Institute and the Center for Health Care and Policy Research.