Zombies and COVID-19: An Examination of Psychological Contagions Through the Pandemic and Zombie Movies

Abstract

Much research has been done across various fields on the biological effects of COVID-19 on the human body for the sake of controlling the virus, but researchers across the world have conducted fewer studies regarding its psychological and socio-political impacts on the population. The spreading mechanism led to a similar behavioral impact worldwide: people, for fear of the virus, tended to follow the actions of a larger group. These groups are all affected by behavior contagion. These traits of the spreading mechanism of COVID-19, on the other hand, shows resemblance to zombie movies. This research paper argues that the spreading mechanism of COVID-19 tends to have similar psychological effects, such as fear and panic, to zombie movies because both involve a collective reaction like stockpiling, deliberate but unnecessary competition, and the population's increased rates of violence against one other. These collective reactions exemplify behavior contagion where the fear and its derived actions are magnified in a larger group of people.