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Psychology Professor Explains How Tight-Loose Theory Works Throughout History When Societies Face Threats To understand how COVID-19 could impact the way societies operate in the future, it may help to look deeper into history, says Distinguished University Professor of Psychology Michele Gelfand.

Authorities shrugging off risk—or ordering everyone to mask up. The virus surging in locales that dropped their guards too soon. Death rates that cut along racial lines, impacting African Americans with particular ferocity.What might sound like recent news stories from the COVID-19 pandemic describe the 1918 influenza pandemic just as well, according to a new study from a University of Maryland researcher, published this week in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health.

During the early months of 2020, a new phrase entered the public vocabulary: “flattening the curve.” As the COVID-19 crisis escalated, countries around the world—including the United States—took steps to prevent a rapid spike in the number of cases. Graphs published in the online magazine Vox helped mobilize public opinion in favor of social distancing and, later, stay-at-home orders.