EXTROVERTED, SELF-CENTRED MEN LESS LIKELY TO COMPLY WITH COVID RESTRICTIONS, STUDY SUGGESTS

Mon 02 August 2021:

According to a recent study published on Thursday, extroverted men who prioritize their own interests over others are the most likely to ignore COVID-19 regulations.

Researchers at the University of Sydney studied the behaviors and attitudes of 1,575 people in Australia, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States between April and May 2020.

Only 86 percent of the males interviewed stated they followed coronavirus countermeasures during the first wave of the epidemic. In comparison, 92 percent of the women interviewed indicated they adhered to the rules.

The study also found that across all the countries, those who did not comply with measures said they often put their own interests ahead of their moral obligations.

The researchers discovered that those who did not follow the protocols were more likely to disregard stay-at-home measures in order to meet friends or family, for religious reasons, because they were bored, or to express their right to freedom.

According to the study, those who followed COVID-19 countermeasures were more likely to find healthy ways to cope with rules, such as taking up new hobbies to keep themselves occupied. Those who did not comply, on the other hand, were more prone to engage in “denial, substance use, and behavioral disengagement,” according to the findings.

Non-compliers were also more likely to perceive restrictions as a threat to individual freedoms, according to the study.

The researchers noted that since the study was conducted when the virus first emerged, attitudes may have changed since then.

They did say, however, that the study highlighted the significance of rephrasing government communications about health standards to target non-compliant persons.

“Maybe the message to them should be how it benefits them: You’re not going to infect yourself and your loved ones.

It’s not only good for society, exercising your moral responsibility, it’s good for you,” the study’s lead author, Sabina Kleitman, told UK-based newspaper The Guardian.

When it comes to avoiding infection, an Austrian study published in Nature Scientific Reports on July 30 concluded that following preventative measures is just as crucial as getting vaccinated.

The researchers from the Institute of Science and Technology Austria discovered that Covid-19 vaccines are insufficient to combat the more infectious variants that have recently emerged, such as Delta and Lambda, and that they must be used in conjunction with social distancing best practices and mask wearing.

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