from The Atlantic:

The people who still aren’t listening—and how to deal with them

Wash your hands. Don’t touch your face. Don’t go to the bar. Don’t go anywhere at all. Wash your hands again.

It’s a lot. We’re currently participating in “the world’s largest natural experiment in behavior change.” And, as last weekend’s partying showed, some people just aren’t willing to commit, whether out of selfishness or ignorance.

For the loved ones of those refusing to comply, this creates a moral and practical quandary: How do you convince a particularly stubborn relative to take the coronavirus pandemic seriously?

For starters, two Wharton psychologists, Adam Grant and Reb Rebele, argue that moral responsibility can be a powerful motivator.

Also here to help is our staff writer Joe Pinsker, who asked a few experts to weigh in. They suggested the following:

• (Gently) remind people it’s not all about them.

• Avoid numbers; tell stories.

• Don’t just ask people not to do something—ask them to do something else.

• Don’t forget to be nice.

For further explanation—and even a prewritten script you can use on that difficult relative—read Joe’s comprehensive guide.

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22 March 2020

A top World Health Organization official warned Sunday that lockdowns are ineffective without programs to identify and isolate the sick and anyone they have contacted, otherwise when they’re lifted, ”the danger is the disease will jump back up.”

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