As Covid hysteria grips the United States and the world once again due to the Omicron variant, a new study conducted by McGill University and the Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital found that Covid hysterics are worst at information processing and have a distorted view of risk.  The Daily Mail Reports–

“A new study has found that those who are worried about the COVID-19 pandemic are slower at processing information, worse at retaining information and more likely to overestimate negative odds than their less anxious counterparts.

The study, conducted by McGill University and the Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital, surveyed 1,500 Americans online from April to June 2020.

The authors concluded that people more worried about coronavirus and its effects performed worse at information processing tests and had a distorted view of risk levels.”

The study also found a marked decline in cognitive processing among the general population as the pandemic progressed.

“As the pandemic progressed, test takers in the third wave – around June 2020 –  showed slower processing speeds, a lower ability to maintain goals in mind, and were more sensitive to risk than those in the first wave, according to McGill.”

The researchers used a ‘classical economic choice task’ to measure risk preferences.  Participants were asked to choose between a 100% probability of winning $75 and a 75% probability of winning $100 with a 25% probability of winning $0.  Those who were more sensitive to the risks associated with Covid-19 were more likely to choose the latter option than those who were not.