JACKSONVILLE, Fla — First Coast News has been stressing facts, not fear, since the pandemic started. We know people have different opinions when it comes to different parts of the COVID crisis, but what about the facts that are backed up by reputable science that some still disagree with?
Dr. David Chesire, a psychologist at the University of Florida Health, said COVID-19 isn't separate from other issues in the world, where everyone brings in their own views. He said those thoughts are difficult to change, even when there are facts to back it up.
"It's a more complicated question than it actually sounds like," he said.
Cheshire said people should think of it like being asked to switch their football team mid-season.
"We've gotten to the muddying in the waters with COVID with political affiliations as well. It’s kind of like asking people to choose a different favorite football team," he said.
"Just like we’re not going to change if we’re a Gators fan or a Bulldogs fan, we’re probably not going to change how we feel about COVID from the Republican point of view to the Democratic point of view," Chesire said.
Chesire used the mask debate as an example.
"As we talked about before with the confirmation bias, people were seeking out a political message that confirmed what they were feeling about those early days wearing a mask and that has pervaded through to today," he said.
He also said some people may not believe certain facts or figures related to the virus because it hasn't personally affected them.
“Unless you’re seeing someone suffer from the virus, or you work at a hospital or something like that, you probably - you’re listening to news reports, and it’s not as real as when you’re actually watching someone try to recover from it," Chesire said.
It's "point of view" that Dr. Marek Hirsch, an inpatient psychiatrist at Memorial Hospital, agreed is one reason why reason why facts may not change someone's mind.
“Everyone has their own background, their own sense of beliefs and values and perspective on issues and the world, and those are elements of a person’s character that are fixed," Hirsch said.
He said if someone is set in that viewpoint, it's going to be hard to change his or her opinion, no matter the reasoning.
To move forward, especially in this pandemic, however, we need to listen to each other, Chesire said.
“When we close our minds and become entrenched and don’t listen to other people, be they politicians or scientists or doctors, then we’re just kind of closed off and we don’t have the ability to change and grow," he said.