Week 1
Article 1: Using social and behavioural science to support COVID-19 pandemic response
Overview: the authors argue that social and behavioral sciences are essential to support
epidemiological measures by shaping public understanding, cooperation, and compliance.
1. Threat Perception
Fear responses: Fear motivates protective behaviors only when people feel efficacy
Optimism bias: People underestimate their own risk, leading to noncompliance.
Emotion and risk: Negative emotions heighten focus on negative information,
possibly distorting risk perception. Media framing emphasizing deaths over
recoveries may amplify fear.
Prejudice: Disease threats can increase ethnocentrism and prejudice toward out-
groups. Highlighting shared identity and cooperation reduces discrimination.
“Panic” myth: Disasters often evoke cooperation rather than chaos. The term “panic”
is misleading and can encourage selfish behavior.
2. Social Context
Social Norms
Behavior follows perceived norms—what others do (descriptive) and approve of
(prescriptive).
Norm interventions are effective when modeled by in-group or trusted individuals.
“Nudges” (changes in choice architecture) and highlighting majority compliance can
promote rapid adoption.
Social Inequality
Economic/racial disparities influence infection risk and ability to comply with
guidelines. Marginalized groups face barriers (no paid leave, crowded housing)
Public health messaging must partner with trusted community organizations.
Culture
Individualism vs. collectivism: collectivist societies accept restrictions.
Tight vs. loose cultures: Tight cultures coordinate better during threats.
Political Polarization
Polarization undermines unified response
Reducing polarization requires:
o Emphasizing shared fate/identity, highlighting bipartisan support, Correcting
misperceptions about opposing groups.
3. Science Communication
Conspiracy Theories
Arise during crises to explain events; satisfy needs for control and meaning.
Can decrease trust in health authorities and increase hostility.
Prebunking: Preemptive factual communication helps prevent belief formation.
Fake News and Misinformation
Fact-checking and corrections help but can’t keep pace.
Inoculation theory: exposing people to weakened misinformation increases
resistance (e.g., Bad News game).
Accuracy nudges: prompting users to reflect on content accuracy reduces false belief.
Persuasion
, Messages are more persuasive when from credible and trusted sources (leaders).
Effective messages:
o Emphasize self-benefit or protecting others, Appeal to moral values, Reflect
social consensus and group approval
Audience-specific tailoring and confidence-building strengthen attitude and behavior
change.
4. Aligning Individual and Collective Interests
Zero-sum thinking: People wrongly view others’ protection as their loss
Cooperation: Visibility of cooperative acts and moral cues (“do the right thing”)
promote prosocial behavior.
Social approval and norms strengthen collective compliance.
5. Leadership
Trust and compliance: Engagement of local voices and leaders increases adherence.
Identity leadership: create shared social identity (we’re in this together).
Modeling behavior: Leaders perceived as acting for the group, not selves, gain
influence.
Respectful communication increases voluntary compliance more than coercion.
Avoid collective narcissism: Overstating national superiority undermines cooperation
and promotes out-group blame.
6. Stress and Coping
Social Isolation
Replace “social distancing” with “physical distancing” to emphasize connection.
Active online interaction fosters social support; passive social media use does not.
Intimate Relationships
Quarantine and financial stress heighten conflict but also strengthen some
relationships.
Adjusting expectations and focusing on relational goals enhances resilience.
Healthy Mindsets
Stress is inevitable; stress mindset theory shows that perceiving stress as useful
promotes growth and resilience.
Short interventions reframing stress as a sign of caring and capacity can improve well-
being and performance.
, Article 2: Seven Models of Population Obesity
seven main models used across disciplines to explain population obesity.
1. Obesogenic Environments: modern environments promote energy surplus through both
increased food intake and reduced physical activity.
Physical, economic, social, and cultural contexts of industrialised societies encourage
overconsumption and inactivity.
Decline in manual labour; expansion of sedentary service, technology-based work.
Although these environments make obesity more likely, not everyone becomes
obese due to:
1. Genetic variation in susceptibility, and
2. Differential exposure to obesogenic settings within populations.
2. Thrifty Genotype: genes promoting efficient fat storage were advantageous in conditions
of food scarcity but are now maladaptive in contexts of abundance.
Obesity is polygenic, multiple gene interactions, producing variable phenotypes.
Modern terms such as “civilization syndromes” or “syndromes of impaired genetic
homeostasis” describe how formerly adaptive genotypes now predispose populations
to obesity and metabolic disease.
3. Nutrition Transition
This framework, developed by Popkin and others, links globalisation, urbanisation, and
westernisation to changing diets and physical activity patterns.
Diets have shifted toward energy-dense, high-fat, high-sugar, and processed foods.
Food has become cheaper, more abundant, and heavily marketed.
4. Obesogenic Behaviour
This model focuses on biological and behavioural drives to eat.
Many mammals overeat when exposed to palatable, energy-dense foods
Modern environments provide constant food cues
Technological processing has divorced taste from nutrition
Overeating thus reflects both evolutionary predisposition and behavioural
conditioning in abundant environments.
5. Culture
Cultural norms shape food practices, perceptions of body size, and ideals of beauty.
In human history, larger bodies were valued as signs of health and wealth.
Traditional norms of thrift, avoidance of waste, and preference for abundance have
become maladaptive in food-secure societies.
With globalisation, Western ideals of thinness have spread, though cultural shifts are
uneven and context-dependent.
Cultural lag in adjusting food habits and body ideals has contributed to the
persistence and spread of obesity.
6. Political Economy
, This model examines structural and economic factors influencing food environments and
choices.
Globalisation of food production and trade has made high-energy, low-cost foods
widely available.
Prices of fruits and vegetables have increased relative to processed foods,
encouraging energy-dense diets.
Among low-income groups, cost constraints lead to reliance on cheaper, calorie-rich
foods with low satiety value.
In many developed nations, income inequality correlates positively with obesity
7. Biocultural Approaches
Anthropological models integrate biological, cultural, and political-economic factors.
They view obesity as a product of interactions among genetic predispositions,
environmental conditions, cultural meanings, and historical processes.
Fieldwork on local dietary practices and body ideals helps explain variable responses
to obesogenic conditions.
Political and economic forces shape both environments and cultural adaptations,
producing distinctive local obesity patterns.
This integrative model highlights the need to study obesity as a biocultural
phenomenon, not solely biological or behavioural.
Article 1: Using social and behavioural science to support COVID-19 pandemic response
Overview: the authors argue that social and behavioral sciences are essential to support
epidemiological measures by shaping public understanding, cooperation, and compliance.
1. Threat Perception
Fear responses: Fear motivates protective behaviors only when people feel efficacy
Optimism bias: People underestimate their own risk, leading to noncompliance.
Emotion and risk: Negative emotions heighten focus on negative information,
possibly distorting risk perception. Media framing emphasizing deaths over
recoveries may amplify fear.
Prejudice: Disease threats can increase ethnocentrism and prejudice toward out-
groups. Highlighting shared identity and cooperation reduces discrimination.
“Panic” myth: Disasters often evoke cooperation rather than chaos. The term “panic”
is misleading and can encourage selfish behavior.
2. Social Context
Social Norms
Behavior follows perceived norms—what others do (descriptive) and approve of
(prescriptive).
Norm interventions are effective when modeled by in-group or trusted individuals.
“Nudges” (changes in choice architecture) and highlighting majority compliance can
promote rapid adoption.
Social Inequality
Economic/racial disparities influence infection risk and ability to comply with
guidelines. Marginalized groups face barriers (no paid leave, crowded housing)
Public health messaging must partner with trusted community organizations.
Culture
Individualism vs. collectivism: collectivist societies accept restrictions.
Tight vs. loose cultures: Tight cultures coordinate better during threats.
Political Polarization
Polarization undermines unified response
Reducing polarization requires:
o Emphasizing shared fate/identity, highlighting bipartisan support, Correcting
misperceptions about opposing groups.
3. Science Communication
Conspiracy Theories
Arise during crises to explain events; satisfy needs for control and meaning.
Can decrease trust in health authorities and increase hostility.
Prebunking: Preemptive factual communication helps prevent belief formation.
Fake News and Misinformation
Fact-checking and corrections help but can’t keep pace.
Inoculation theory: exposing people to weakened misinformation increases
resistance (e.g., Bad News game).
Accuracy nudges: prompting users to reflect on content accuracy reduces false belief.
Persuasion
, Messages are more persuasive when from credible and trusted sources (leaders).
Effective messages:
o Emphasize self-benefit or protecting others, Appeal to moral values, Reflect
social consensus and group approval
Audience-specific tailoring and confidence-building strengthen attitude and behavior
change.
4. Aligning Individual and Collective Interests
Zero-sum thinking: People wrongly view others’ protection as their loss
Cooperation: Visibility of cooperative acts and moral cues (“do the right thing”)
promote prosocial behavior.
Social approval and norms strengthen collective compliance.
5. Leadership
Trust and compliance: Engagement of local voices and leaders increases adherence.
Identity leadership: create shared social identity (we’re in this together).
Modeling behavior: Leaders perceived as acting for the group, not selves, gain
influence.
Respectful communication increases voluntary compliance more than coercion.
Avoid collective narcissism: Overstating national superiority undermines cooperation
and promotes out-group blame.
6. Stress and Coping
Social Isolation
Replace “social distancing” with “physical distancing” to emphasize connection.
Active online interaction fosters social support; passive social media use does not.
Intimate Relationships
Quarantine and financial stress heighten conflict but also strengthen some
relationships.
Adjusting expectations and focusing on relational goals enhances resilience.
Healthy Mindsets
Stress is inevitable; stress mindset theory shows that perceiving stress as useful
promotes growth and resilience.
Short interventions reframing stress as a sign of caring and capacity can improve well-
being and performance.
, Article 2: Seven Models of Population Obesity
seven main models used across disciplines to explain population obesity.
1. Obesogenic Environments: modern environments promote energy surplus through both
increased food intake and reduced physical activity.
Physical, economic, social, and cultural contexts of industrialised societies encourage
overconsumption and inactivity.
Decline in manual labour; expansion of sedentary service, technology-based work.
Although these environments make obesity more likely, not everyone becomes
obese due to:
1. Genetic variation in susceptibility, and
2. Differential exposure to obesogenic settings within populations.
2. Thrifty Genotype: genes promoting efficient fat storage were advantageous in conditions
of food scarcity but are now maladaptive in contexts of abundance.
Obesity is polygenic, multiple gene interactions, producing variable phenotypes.
Modern terms such as “civilization syndromes” or “syndromes of impaired genetic
homeostasis” describe how formerly adaptive genotypes now predispose populations
to obesity and metabolic disease.
3. Nutrition Transition
This framework, developed by Popkin and others, links globalisation, urbanisation, and
westernisation to changing diets and physical activity patterns.
Diets have shifted toward energy-dense, high-fat, high-sugar, and processed foods.
Food has become cheaper, more abundant, and heavily marketed.
4. Obesogenic Behaviour
This model focuses on biological and behavioural drives to eat.
Many mammals overeat when exposed to palatable, energy-dense foods
Modern environments provide constant food cues
Technological processing has divorced taste from nutrition
Overeating thus reflects both evolutionary predisposition and behavioural
conditioning in abundant environments.
5. Culture
Cultural norms shape food practices, perceptions of body size, and ideals of beauty.
In human history, larger bodies were valued as signs of health and wealth.
Traditional norms of thrift, avoidance of waste, and preference for abundance have
become maladaptive in food-secure societies.
With globalisation, Western ideals of thinness have spread, though cultural shifts are
uneven and context-dependent.
Cultural lag in adjusting food habits and body ideals has contributed to the
persistence and spread of obesity.
6. Political Economy
, This model examines structural and economic factors influencing food environments and
choices.
Globalisation of food production and trade has made high-energy, low-cost foods
widely available.
Prices of fruits and vegetables have increased relative to processed foods,
encouraging energy-dense diets.
Among low-income groups, cost constraints lead to reliance on cheaper, calorie-rich
foods with low satiety value.
In many developed nations, income inequality correlates positively with obesity
7. Biocultural Approaches
Anthropological models integrate biological, cultural, and political-economic factors.
They view obesity as a product of interactions among genetic predispositions,
environmental conditions, cultural meanings, and historical processes.
Fieldwork on local dietary practices and body ideals helps explain variable responses
to obesogenic conditions.
Political and economic forces shape both environments and cultural adaptations,
producing distinctive local obesity patterns.
This integrative model highlights the need to study obesity as a biocultural
phenomenon, not solely biological or behavioural.
