About this Research Topic
The COVID-19 pandemic requires an integrated effort from governments, institutions, organizations, and communities to attack this crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic has imparted fundamental economic shocks to society on several levels.
First, it is a threat to individual health and survival, its onset changing human behavior in both the short- and long-term. This issue may lead to change in human behavior and affect mental life. The change of lifestyle during the COVID-19 pandemic can increase depressions and suicide.
Second, despite effective vaccines, it is still arguable that how people live and work in the future will change significantly in the aftermath of this modern plague. Therefore, there will be significant changes in specific behavior settings (e.g., schools, offices, hospitals) after the COVID-19 crisis. It seems likely that the nature of work everywhere will be transformed in the aftermath of this global pandemic; for example, online working from home is increasingly adopted by companies wishing to reduce fixed costs and minimize organizational risk. This issue will affect the emotion, mental fatigue, and stress of the workers. There will also be significant changes in networking and social interactions.
Third, the aircraft, motor, and transport industries will adapt themselves quickly to a post-pandemic world. Massive sales of bicycles may give a boost to local government initiatives to promote green forms of commuting. Simultaneously, the dramatic fall in pollution levels because of reduced car usage may hasten the shift towards electric vehicles and renewable energy supply sources. This change in lifestyle due to the COVID-19 can affect human psychology since there can be significant changes in everyday life's basic infrastructure (e.g., energy and transportation systems)
Fourth, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the discrepancies between healthcare services in developing countries and advanced economies. Potential determinants of healthcare services inequality (including maternal health) will also be an important issue.
Finally, on a societal level, people's attitudes towards one another may be transformed, as exemplified by voluntary groups' growth to support vulnerable members of the community. We may see that good neighborliness and altruism will exert pressure for change in the way government and businesses operate, especially in free-market economies, where economic considerations are now beginning to dominate the debate.
Given these backdrops, this special issue aims to understand different aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic that provides fundamental economic shocks to society and its consequences on human behavior and mental life. Particularly, we welcome interdisciplinary and empirical studies of psychological processes with behavioral economics and environmental psychology, which will provide concerns and implications for the post-COVID-19 crisis era.
Topics that are of interest to this Special Issue include but are not limited to:
• Economic shocks due to the COVID-19 and altruism;
• Economic shocks due to the COVID-19 and changes in the basic infrastructure of everyday life (e.g., energy and transportation systems);
• Economic shocks due to the COVID-19 and changes in specific behavior settings (e.g., schools, offices, hospitals);
• Economic shocks due to the COVID-19 and depression;
• Economic shocks due to the COVID-19 and emotion, mental fatigue, and stress of the workers;
• Economic shocks due to the COVID-19 and inequality in healthcare services;
• Economic shocks due to the COVID-19 and mental health problems in different countries (e.g., the difference between China and the United States);
• Economic shocks due to the COVID-19 and neighborliness;
• Economic shocks due to the COVID-19 and social interactions;
• Economic shocks due to the COVID-19 and suicide.
First, it is a threat to individual health and survival, its onset changing human behavior in both the short- and long-term. This issue may lead to change in human behavior and affect mental life. The change of lifestyle during the COVID-19 pandemic can increase depressions and suicide.
Second, despite effective vaccines, it is still arguable that how people live and work in the future will change significantly in the aftermath of this modern plague. Therefore, there will be significant changes in specific behavior settings (e.g., schools, offices, hospitals) after the COVID-19 crisis. It seems likely that the nature of work everywhere will be transformed in the aftermath of this global pandemic; for example, online working from home is increasingly adopted by companies wishing to reduce fixed costs and minimize organizational risk. This issue will affect the emotion, mental fatigue, and stress of the workers. There will also be significant changes in networking and social interactions.
Third, the aircraft, motor, and transport industries will adapt themselves quickly to a post-pandemic world. Massive sales of bicycles may give a boost to local government initiatives to promote green forms of commuting. Simultaneously, the dramatic fall in pollution levels because of reduced car usage may hasten the shift towards electric vehicles and renewable energy supply sources. This change in lifestyle due to the COVID-19 can affect human psychology since there can be significant changes in everyday life's basic infrastructure (e.g., energy and transportation systems)
Fourth, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the discrepancies between healthcare services in developing countries and advanced economies. Potential determinants of healthcare services inequality (including maternal health) will also be an important issue.
Finally, on a societal level, people's attitudes towards one another may be transformed, as exemplified by voluntary groups' growth to support vulnerable members of the community. We may see that good neighborliness and altruism will exert pressure for change in the way government and businesses operate, especially in free-market economies, where economic considerations are now beginning to dominate the debate.
Given these backdrops, this special issue aims to understand different aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic that provides fundamental economic shocks to society and its consequences on human behavior and mental life. Particularly, we welcome interdisciplinary and empirical studies of psychological processes with behavioral economics and environmental psychology, which will provide concerns and implications for the post-COVID-19 crisis era.
Topics that are of interest to this Special Issue include but are not limited to:
• Economic shocks due to the COVID-19 and altruism;
• Economic shocks due to the COVID-19 and changes in the basic infrastructure of everyday life (e.g., energy and transportation systems);
• Economic shocks due to the COVID-19 and changes in specific behavior settings (e.g., schools, offices, hospitals);
• Economic shocks due to the COVID-19 and depression;
• Economic shocks due to the COVID-19 and emotion, mental fatigue, and stress of the workers;
• Economic shocks due to the COVID-19 and inequality in healthcare services;
• Economic shocks due to the COVID-19 and mental health problems in different countries (e.g., the difference between China and the United States);
• Economic shocks due to the COVID-19 and neighborliness;
• Economic shocks due to the COVID-19 and social interactions;
• Economic shocks due to the COVID-19 and suicide.
Keywords: COVID-19 Crisis, Post-COVID-19, Economic Shocks, Economic Uncertainty, Risk Perceptions, Human Behavior, Mental Life
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