Masking and vaxxing for the public good

There's been resistance to wearing masks and many people report they're reluctant to getting a COVID vaccine. This hour, how to get people to think and act more pro-socially.

Air Date: December 3, 2020

A pedestrian wearing a mask walks past a sign advising that COVID-19 vaccines are not available yet at a Walgreen’s pharmacy store during the coronavirus outbreak in San Francisco, Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

Getting a vaccine not only protects you, but also leads to community or herd immunity. Wearing a mask may offer some protection for the individual, but its more effective at ensuring that we don’t infect those around us. Likewise, with self-quarantining and social distancing, much of what public health experts are asking of us during the pandemic is for the good of society as a whole. It slows the spread of the disease and protects the most vulnerable among us. Yet, we’ve seen a lot of resistance to wearing masks and many people report they are reluctant to getting a COVID vaccine. This hour, how to get people to think and act in more pro-social and altruistic ways. University of Pennsylvania’s DAMON CENTOLA and MIT’s EREZ YOELI join us.

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