The psychology of a pandemic is very different from the psychology of other natural disasters. Fires, floods, and earthquakes are all very tangible things. The dangerous elements are immediately apparent. They may be overpowering, but they operate at human scale.


![image.png](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmXBLhe7ajstgp9vWB6JWyWioFStTnVNgRq3zRoTy9g5Sq/image.png)


In a pandemic, the danger is invisible. Our minds attempt to project an unknown layer of risk on top of the world, and within this void a full range of emotions from denial to panic to calm can express itself. Superstition can run rampant when there's little to hook onto. 

Furthermore, your risk of exposure can vary by several orders of magnitude without you realizing it. In a way, this is similar to a nuclear meltdown / radiological fallout disaster, where you could be getting anywhere from minimal radiation to a fatal dose without realizing it. This brings back memories of watching the recent Chernobyl drama -- we don't have the equivalent of Geiger counters, but at least we have better information about what's happening and where the risks might be than 1980s Russian peasants.



With shared knowledge and preparation we'll get through this.