#alternate alternate alternate alternate publisher alternate * Food * Fitness * Wellness * Parenting * Vital Signs Edition * U.S. * International * Arabic * Español (BUTTON) (BUTTON) * Food * Fitness * Wellness * Parenting * Vital Signs ____________________ (BUTTON) Search Edition * U.S. * International * Arabic * Español __________________________________________________________________ * World + Africa + Americas + Asia + Australia + China + Europe + India + Middle East + United Kingdom * US Politics + 2020 Election + Facts First + Election 101 * Business + Markets + Tech + Media + Success + Perspectives + Videos * Health + Food + Fitness + Wellness + Parenting + Vital Signs * Entertainment + Stars + Screen + Binge + Culture + Media * Tech + Innovate + Gadget + Foreseeable Future + Mission: Ahead + Upstarts + Work Transformed + Innovative Cities * Style + Arts + Design + Fashion + Architecture + Luxury + Beauty + Video * Travel + Destinations + Food and Drink + Stay + News + Videos * Sports + Football + Tennis + Equestrian + Golf + Skiing + Horse Racing + Motorsport + Formula E + Esports * Videos + Live TV + Digital Studios + CNN Films + HLN + TV Schedule + TV Shows A-Z + CNNVR * Features + Call to Earth + Freedom Project + Impact Your World + Inside Africa + 2 Degrees + CNN Heroes + All Features * Weather + Climate + Storm Tracker + Wildfire Tracker + Video * More + Photos + Longform + Investigations + CNN Profiles + CNN Leadership + CNN Newsletters + Work for CNN __________________________________________________________________ Follow CNN * * * cough coronavirus masks kaye pkg vpx _00010130 cough coronavirus masks kaye pkg vpx _00010130 JUST WATCHED See how a mask affects how a cough travels Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH (16 Videos) cough coronavirus masks kaye pkg vpx _00010130.jpg cough coronavirus masks kaye pkg vpx _00010130.jpg See how a mask affects how a cough travels John King: It's a horrific time to become president LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 07: A dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is administered to a staff member at the Ararat Nursing Facility in the Mission Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles on January 7, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. Residents and staff at long term care facilities are on the CDC's highest priority list for vaccinations. While COVID-19 cases in nursing facilities represent just 5 percent of the total cases in California, they account for 35 percent of all Covid deaths in the state. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 07: A dose of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine is administered to a staff member at the Ararat Nursing Facility in the Mission Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles on January 7, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. Residents and staff at long term care facilities are on the CDC's highest priority list for vaccinations. While COVID-19 cases in nursing facilities represent just 5 percent of the total cases in California, they account for 35 percent of all Covid deaths in the state. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) Covid-19 vaccine safety: Why you still need to use caution Teachers feel pressure as schools weigh in-person classes Pandemic takes devastating toll on Black-owned businesses A man receives a dose of the Moderna coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at a vaccination site at South Bronx Educational Campus, in the Bronx New York on January 10, 2021. (Photo by Kena Betancur / AFP) (Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images) A man receives a dose of the Moderna coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at a vaccination site at South Bronx Educational Campus, in the Bronx New York on January 10, 2021. (Photo by Kena Betancur / AFP) (Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images) Coronavirus cases surge as states struggle to vaccinate Final texts from Covid-19 victims moves Brianna Keilar to tears Meredith Dodd hopes she can return to ministry, but she is not sure when. Meredith Dodd hopes she can return to ministry, but she is not sure when. How the pandemic disproportionately affects working moms Sara Sidner chokes up after reporting from hospital US President-elect Joe Biden receives the second course of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at Christiana Hospital in Newark, Delaware, on January 11, 2021 administered by Chief Nurse Executive Ric Cuming. (Photo by JIM WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images) US President-elect Joe Biden receives the second course of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at Christiana Hospital in Newark, Delaware, on January 11, 2021 administered by Chief Nurse Executive Ric Cuming. (Photo by JIM WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images) Biden urges mask wearing after receiving second vaccine dose Carvalho says protocols to stop the spread of Covid are being followed more closely in schools than in the community at large. Carvalho says protocols to stop the spread of Covid are being followed more closely in schools than in the community at large. How this school district opened all its public schools coronavirus numbers us king ip vpx _00000000.png coronavirus numbers us king ip vpx _00000000.png King: We thought these Covid-19 numbers were bad. Look at this COLUMBIA, SC - DECEMBER 05: A sign encourages social distancing as Southside Christian plays Lake View during the South Carolina High School League Class A football championship game at Benedict College on December 5, 2020 in Columbia, South Carolina. The Class AA championship game, between Abbeville and Marion originally scheduled for December 4, was postponed after a team quarantine for COVID-19. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images) COLUMBIA, SC - DECEMBER 05: A sign encourages social distancing as Southside Christian plays Lake View during the South Carolina High School League Class A football championship game at Benedict College on December 5, 2020 in Columbia, South Carolina. The Class AA championship game, between Abbeville and Marion originally scheduled for December 4, was postponed after a team quarantine for COVID-19. (Photo by Sean Rayford/Getty Images) Covid-19 safety guidance has changed. Get caught up. APPLE VALLEY, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 06: Clinicians prepare to re-position a COVID-19 patient into the supine position at Providence St. Mary Medical Center amid a surge in COVID-19 patients at the hospital and across Southern California on January 6, 2021 in Apple Valley, California. The hospital is operating at over 200 percent of its normal ICU (Intensive Care Unit) capacity and is currently converting some patient rooms into ICU rooms to treat the increase in COVID-19 patients requiring ICU-level care. California has issued a new directive ordering hospitals with space to accept patients from other hospitals which have run out of ICU beds due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) APPLE VALLEY, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 06: Clinicians prepare to re-position a COVID-19 patient into the supine position at Providence St. Mary Medical Center amid a surge in COVID-19 patients at the hospital and across Southern California on January 6, 2021 in Apple Valley, California. The hospital is operating at over 200 percent of its normal ICU (Intensive Care Unit) capacity and is currently converting some patient rooms into ICU rooms to treat the increase in COVID-19 patients requiring ICU-level care. California has issued a new directive ordering hospitals with space to accept patients from other hospitals which have run out of ICU beds due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images) 'A hellscape': What Covid-19 looks like in rural California Registered nurse Kennoka Williamson wears personal protective equipment (PPE) as she attends to patients in a suspected Covid-19 patient triage area set up in a field hospital tent outside the emergency department of Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Community Hospital on January 6, 2021 in the Willowbrook neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. - Deep within a South Los Angeles hospital, a row of elderly Hispanic men in induced comas lay hooked up to ventilators, while nurses clad in spacesuit-looking respirators checked their bleeping monitors in the eerie silence. The intensive care unit in one of the city's poorest districts is well accustomed to death, but with Los Angeles now at the heart of the United States' Covid pandemic, medics say they have never seen anything on this scale. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images) Registered nurse Kennoka Williamson wears personal protective equipment (PPE) as she attends to patients in a suspected Covid-19 patient triage area set up in a field hospital tent outside the emergency department of Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) Community Hospital on January 6, 2021 in the Willowbrook neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. - Deep within a South Los Angeles hospital, a row of elderly Hispanic men in induced comas lay hooked up to ventilators, while nurses clad in spacesuit-looking respirators checked their bleeping monitors in the eerie silence. The intensive care unit in one of the city's poorest districts is well accustomed to death, but with Los Angeles now at the heart of the United States' Covid pandemic, medics say they have never seen anything on this scale. (Photo by Patrick T. FALLON / AFP) (Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images) Dr. Gupta explains why Covid-19 death projections keep increasing Age, pregnancy, allergies. Is the vaccine right for you? The psychology behind why some people won't wear masks By Scottie Andrew, CNN Updated 1653 GMT (0053 HKT) May 6, 2020 (CNN)Most Americans have never had to wear a mask for their health before, let alone while they shop for groceries or go for a run. So, even as businesses or states increasingly require them, rebellion is natural -- to a degree, says Dr. David Aronoff, director of Vanderbilt University Medical Center's Division of Infectious Diseases and professor of medicine. But he urges Americans to think of the mask guidance not as forced conformity, but as a necessary act of solidarity: Wearing a cloth mask could stop seemingly healthy people from infecting others with coronavirus if they're asymptomatic. Coronavirus, face masks and America's new fault line Coronavirus, face masks and America's new fault line Coronavirus, face masks and America's new fault line "We're all hopeful that this pandemic disappears," he said. "Then we can stop doing as much risk mitigation. But for now, we really depend on the trust and kindness of others to protect our wellbeing. And that's part of being an American." READ MORE: How to make your own face mask, whether or not you know how to sew Some think it infringes on their civil liberties Read More Unmasked protesters in Michigan try to enter the state's House of Representatives chamber but are blocked by masked Michigan State Police. Unmasked protesters in Michigan try to enter the state's House of Representatives chamber but are blocked by masked Michigan State Police. Unmasked protesters in Michigan try to enter the state's House of Representatives chamber but are blocked by masked Michigan State Police. Even though wearing masks isn't compulsory in much of the US, adhering to these rules may feel like, to some, a forfeiture of their freedoms. People naturally rebel when they're told what to do, even if the measures could protect them, said Steven Taylor, a clinical psychologist and author of "The Psychology of Pandemics." "People value their freedoms," he said. "They may become distressed or indignant or morally outraged when people are trying to encroach on their freedoms." Aronoff compared the mask guidance to the ban on smoking cigarettes in restaurants or schools. "There are rules about not smoking in enclosed restaurants and bars because that smoke can be deleterious to someone else's health," he said. "Now we're in a situation where, if I'm infected with the Covid-19 virus, my breath can be lethal to someone else." But while that legislation is permanent, wearing masks won't be, Aronoff said. But to vocal opponents, even temporary guidance is too much of a concession. A security guard was shot after telling a customer to wear a face mask, officials say. His widow calls the killing 'senseless and stupid' A security guard was shot after telling a customer to wear a face mask, officials say. His widow calls the killing 'senseless and stupid' A security guard was shot after telling a customer to wear a face mask, officials say. His widow calls the killing 'senseless and stupid' In Michigan, where up to 700 protesters recently descended on the state Capitol to protest stay-at-home orders, masks are required in stores and businesses. This month, police say a Michigan Family Dollar security guard was shot and killed by customers who he'd asked to wear masks before entering the store. Also in Michigan, a customer wiped his face on a Dollar Tree employee's shirt after police say the employee told him to wear a mask. And within a day of issuing an emergency proclamation requiring masks, the city of Stillwater, Oklahoma, amended the proclamation after citizens threatened violence. "Many of those with objections cite the mistaken belief the requirement is unconstitutional, and under their theory, one cannot be forced to wear a mask," city manager Norman McNickle said in a statement. "No law or court supports this view." Some think it could make them look weak To some, wearing a mask means admitting a fear they may not have consciously confronted yet, said David Abrams, a clinical psychologist and professor of social and behavioral science at New York University's School of Global Public Health. Many view the mask as a walking symbol of vulnerability that tells others you're scared about contracting the virus. So to compensate for that fear, and as a show of strength, they may reject the masks entirely, he said. READ MORE: How to stop your glasses from fogging up when you wear a mask To the people who choose not to wear them, "Putting on that mask is about as blatant as saying, 'Hey, I'm a scaredy cat,'" Abrams said. But this moment in history is scary, he said, and even though fear is natural, many of us dare not deign to show it. We may owe that particular trait to our animal ancestors -- in the mammalian world, species disguise fear and don't show it with other species to keep themselves safe. It's an evolutionary trait that might explain our tendencies today, when our collective security is threatened, he said. Some find the guidance confusing Within three months, masks went from unnecessary for healthy people to recommended for anyone who goes out in public. The conflicting guidance has given Americans a bit of whiplash. But that guidance has changed when researchers learned about the high probability of asymptomatic transmission. Wearing a cloth mask isn't foolproof, but if someone is infected and doesn't know it, the mask prevents their breath from traveling far and potentially infecting others. "It's confusing for us frontline health care workers, too," Aronoff said. And people who followed the CDC's initial advice -- to avoid wearing a mask if you're healthy -- may have felt cheated or wronged when the CDC recommended them in mid-April. Vice President Mike Pence visited the Mayo Clinic on April 28 without a mask, in violation of the health care facility's rules. He later said he should've worn one. Vice President Mike Pence visited the Mayo Clinic on April 28 without a mask, in violation of the health care facility's rules. He later said he should've worn one. Vice President Mike Pence visited the Mayo Clinic on April 28 without a mask, in violation of the health care facility's rules. He later said he should've worn one. There are also mixed messages at the federal level: While the CDC recommends the public wear masks, President Donald Trump didn't wear a mask during a visit to a Honeywell mask factory. Vice President Mike Pence apparently flouted hospital policy when he visited the Mayo Clinic without a mask on. All that muddles the message even further for Americans, Abrams said. "The ambivalence of mixed messages makes it far easier for people to do whatever they want and make up their own mind," he said. Some find it uncomfortable A woman adjusts her child's mask as they wait in line to be screened for Covid-19 in New York. A woman adjusts her child's mask as they wait in line to be screened for Covid-19 in New York. A woman adjusts her child's mask as they wait in line to be screened for Covid-19 in New York. In the presence of uncertainty, people tend to seek out rituals that make them feel secure. For many Americans, wearing masks in public isn't one of those, Abrams said. "When people are told what to do, and it's not the conforming, usual way to behave, there's a tendency to question that and to resist," he said. "It's the psychological tendency to react to people telling you what to do." Up until this point, Americans haven't been asked to wear masks in public. It's a phenomenon they may associate with some east Asian countries, where wearing face masks in public is widely accepted and perhaps a reason why some of those countries have been successful in reining in outbreaks. "If everybody started wearing masks, suddenly, the old way of life is gone," he said. "You've suddenly admitted that this is the new normal. But you don't want to believe that." Not to mention, masks aren't physically comfortable either. That may be enough to steer some people away from them. CNN's Brandon Tensley contributed to this report. * * ____________________ (BUTTON) Search * World + Africa + Americas + Asia + Australia + China + Europe + India + Middle East + United Kingdom * US Politics + 2020 Election + Facts First + Election 101 * Business + Markets + Tech + Media + Success + Perspectives + Videos * Health + Food + Fitness + Wellness + Parenting + Vital Signs * Entertainment + Stars + Screen + Binge + Culture + Media * Tech + Innovate + Gadget + Foreseeable Future + Mission: Ahead + Upstarts + Work Transformed + Innovative Cities * Style + Arts + Design + Fashion + Architecture + Luxury + Beauty + Video * Travel + Destinations + Food and Drink + Stay + News + Videos * Sports + Football + Tennis + Equestrian + Golf + Skiing + Horse Racing + Motorsport + Formula E + Esports * Videos + Live TV + Digital Studios + CNN Films + HLN + TV Schedule + TV Shows A-Z + CNNVR * Features + Call to Earth + Freedom Project + Impact Your World + Inside Africa + 2 Degrees + CNN Heroes + All Features * Weather + Climate + Storm Tracker + Wildfire Tracker + Video * More + Photos + Longform + Investigations + CNN Profiles + CNN Leadership + CNN Newsletters + Work for CNN __________________________________________________________________ Follow CNN * * * __________________________________________________________________ * Terms of Use * Privacy Policy * Accessibility & CC * AdChoices * About Us * Modern Slavery Act Statement * Advertise with us * CNN Store * Newsletters * Transcripts * License Footage * CNN Newsource * Sitemap © 2021 Cable News Network.A Warner Media Company.All Rights Reserved.CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network. 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