Second a study published in the magazine Psychological science on January 24th, “ hiding illnesses seems to be a widespread behavior”. Indeed, around 75% of people interviewed by scientists have already hidden their illness from those around them or from work colleagues. Obviously the severity of the symptoms comes into play in hiding a contracted virus or disease. The study’s lead author, researcher Wilson Merrell, said in a press release that the less obvious the disease, the more likely patients are to hide it:
“Participants were more likely to imagine hiding their illness when symptom severity was low, and less likely to hide it when symptoms were severe and highly communicable.”
So we might ask: why? Is it due to lack of vigilance? For fear of missing important events (the famous FOMO) or for fear of having to request sick leave and being “badly seen” by your employer?
The fear of interrupting one’s social life
Most of the people who responded to the study justified their lack of vigilance with the fear of interrupting their social life. Travel, outings with friends, exhibitions, cinema, evenings… It seems that many of them have already gotten on a plane or attended certain events while they were not yet recovered.
The fear of confronting your employer
We all know someone who came to work when they should have stayed in bed. Fear of missing a professional event could be the reason. According to the author of the study this suggests that “sick and healthy people evaluate the consequences of concealment in different ways.” Sick people are relatively insensitive to the spread and severity of their illness to others.” At the same time, the cause may also be the waiting periods of employees who have joined the company less than a year ago and institutional policies. Losing your job also means losing your pay and therefore potentially becoming insecure.
Fortunately, we don’t have much time left before spring arrives and the seasonal ailments recede. In the meantime, the use of a mask remains recommended for sick people who still wish to frequent public places to protect others.
What if the movie you were going to see tonight was a dump? Each week, Kalindi Ramphul gives you her opinion on which movie to see (or not) on the show The Only Opinion That Matters.
Source: Madmoizelle
Mary Crossley is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. She is a seasoned journalist who is dedicated to delivering the latest news to her readers. With a keen sense of what’s important, Mary covers a wide range of topics, from politics to lifestyle and everything in between.
