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confinement strategies implemented in the majority of the COVID-19-hit countries
after China to prevent further disease transmission.
This unpredictable, fast-spreading infectious disease has caused universal
awareness, anxiety, and distress, all of which, according to WHO, are natural
psychological responses to the randomly changing condition. Adverse
psychosomatic outcomes among ordinary people are nevertheless expected to
increase significantly due to the pandemic itself and also due to the constant flow
of readily available information and reinforce messaging obtained via online social
networking services of almost all forms. Prior studies elucidated that mental well-
being had been profoundly affected in this kind of global pandemic.
Therefore, it is imperative to determine the various possible ways in which the
COVID-19 pandemic will be impacting the world’s mental health. In this
background, we evaluate the significant psychological consequences and impact of
COVID-19 in various modern society strata.
Chapter 1: Herd mentality
Herd mentality, mob mentality, and pack mentality, also lesser known as gang
mentality, describes how people can be influenced by their peers to adopt certain
behaviors on a mostly emotional, rather than rational, basis. When individuals are
affected by mob mentality, they may make different decisions than they would
have individually. For example, if one individual is in a new city and is looking for
a place to eat. It is early evening, and he sees two Greek restaurants right across
the street from each other. The one is crowded, and the other restaurant is empty.
From here, most people choose a busy restaurant in an empty restaurant. In
contrast, some may rationally conclude that the busier restaurant probably has
better food. This may or may not be correct, however, many are just making their
decision based on the decision of others.
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