Are we less tolerant of recommendations given by studies and organizations?
First, I think even before the pandemic, a lot of people were questioning what the science says and what the experts say. It’s as if everyone could become an expert on everything. Of course, I don’t suppose we should take everything for granted. Questioning and critical thinking remain important. But the people who were already in that way of thinking, they have surely become radicalized during the pandemic.
The more we know about human beings, science and medicine, the more recommendations we will make. I wonder how tired people are in general of feeling like they’re not up to it. There are a lot of “you have to”, “you have to do sports every day”, “you have to meditate”, “we have to practice this kind of parenthood with our children”… I think that when there is another which is added, it perhaps leads people to say to themselves: “Another business that I am not doing correctly. Many already feel that they are unable to adjust to the previous recommendations.
For [les recommandations concernant] alcohol is something cultural too. Our consumption is still high in the population, so I think that means for a lot of people having to adjust if they want to follow the new recommendation.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY JANICK COUTU
Psychologist Janick Coutu
So there would be a lot of pressure that would come with this new information?
I think people will put that pressure on themselves. People want to do well. I hear it in my office, some say to themselves: “I know I should do such a thing, but I can’t do it”, and that’s like a vicious circle.
We see it a lot with physical activity, people know all the benefits on their physical and mental health. However, many people have difficulty integrating it and know that they should. But, with this pressure, it reduces the motivation to do it and we are caught in a vicious circle.
How do you separate things from recommendations?
It depends on what recommendations we are talking about. You have to be flexible. Regarding alcohol, for example, the consequences of consuming it regularly can be dramatic. If science tells us that, then the important thing is that people know the consequences.
On the other hand, I believe that human beings are good at having magical thoughts or cognitive distortions. We’ve all heard people say, “Yeah, but I know people who smoked their whole lives and died at 95.” It’s a way of comforting yourself when you don’t follow certain recommendations.
What we should do is say, “Okay, that’s what the science says. After that, you have to see if the recommendation makes sense in your life, and how you could work gradually to integrate it, while being flexible.
Don’t we like being told what to do?
Of course, there are still social psychology studies that have shown that when you are ordered to do something, you are much less inclined to obey it. Afterwards, recommendations are recommendations, not a rule.
It may affect some people who have an oppositional side, but it also depends on how much you are particularly concerned. For other people, it will cause them to question themselves. It depends on each person’s personality.
Statements have been edited for clarity and conciseness.