For years, mass shootings have dominated headlines in the United States. Despite tragedy after tragedy occurring, it seems as if the country has got caught in a toxic, and unproductive routine, of sending “thoughts and prayers” and repeating it all again when the next crisis occurs.
The same kind of loop, fueled by burn-out and fatigue, can be applied to many of the crises and disasters the country faces at the moment like climate change, the COVID pandemic and the resurgence of fascism. While there are many theories around stress and burnout in an age where it seems like more bad is happening than good, a group of scientists have brought forth a biological perspective to this societal malaise. It’s not that people don’t want to change the status quo of tragedies, or take action against climate change as it feels like the world is on fire, but the effect of our brains being under siege by chronic stress might paralyze us from taking action.
