COVID-19 has brought to the fore the interdependency of business and society. It’s time for amendments to the social contract that underlies societal support for business.
Behavior is changing because of the coronavirus. Is perceived risk the reason why?
AP Photo/Steven Senne
Wändi Bruine de Bruin, University of Southern California; Anya Samek, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences e Daniel Bennett, USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences
Using a survey taken from March 10 – March 16, social scientists tried to untangle the complicated connection between feelings of vulnerability and behavior change in response to the coronavirus.
Unless danger is flashing before us, we view risks through rose-colored glasses.
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Humans tend to downplay their own susceptibility to being harmed – an attitude of ‘it won’t happen to me’ that could be hindering the collective response to the pandemic.
It’s hard to adopt a set of hard and fast rules with the advice changing so quickly. So it’s important you have a set of evidence-based principles to guide your decision-making about social contact.
Behavioral economists explain how widespread use of face masks, hand sanitizer and other preventive measures could counterintuitively encourage riskier behaviors around coronavirus.
Consumers may think Boeing’s planes are safer because the company donated 250,000 masks to China.
AP Photo/Vincent Yu
New research shows that when companies do things like give to charity or reduce their carbon footprint, consumers perceive their products as less risky.
There’s a lot of information to take in. So it’s OK to discuss options for managing your menopausal symptoms over several consultations with your GP.
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Your GP will discuss the risks and benefits of menopausal hormone therapy, taking into account a host of factors.
Dale Palmer prepares his home in NSW for the bushfires. The decision to stay and defend one’s property requires a person to be mentally, as well as physically, prepared.
AAP/Darren Pateman
In catastrophic fire conditions, leaving early is the only safe option. But in other conditions, one thing that’s often overlooked in decisions to stay or go is how mentally tough you need to be.
Organs from gay men or injecting drug users, often rejected for transplants, could safely be used, so long as donors test negative for infections such as HIV, and hepatitis B and C.
Eating lots of red meat increases your risk of cancer and a range of chronic diseases.
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Clinical trials are used to establish that medicines work. But these don’t take into account the genetic differences between us that can mean very different outcomes for different patients.
A government-commissioned report estimated that South Australia’s ban on genetically modified crops cost canola growers A$33 million since 2004.
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South Australia has lifted its moratorium on GM crops, while Tasmania has extended its ban. But the question should no longer be a simple binary of being “for” or “against” GM technology.
Surf threatens beach houses on Dauphin Island, Alabama, September 4, 2011 during Tropical Storm Lee.
AP Photo/Dave Martin
‘Building back better’ refers to making communities more disaster-proof and resilient after they take a hit. But instead, some US owners are building back bigger homes in vulnerable places.