Absent a vaccine or medication, the only solution we have to combat COVID-19 is to wear a mask.

Even so, some people are resistant to the idea. Controversy over mask usage intensified as states began to reopen and ease up social distancing restrictions and then closed down again after recent spikes in new coronavirus cases.

The decision is an easy one for the pro-mask camp: Its a piece of cloth! they argue. Whats so hard about wearing it? You have a responsibility, as a potential asymptomatic carrier, to not endanger others!

But non-mask wearers wont bend. A mandate encroaches on my personal freedom; its my individual right to not wear one.

How did protective masks become so politicized? Were quick to put on a seatbelt to protect ourselves and others, so what is about the mask that works people into a tizzy? (On both sides, to be honest; pro-mask Americans are just as fervent in this fight. In Orange County, California, pro-maskers put their personal safety on the line to urge local government to reinstate mask ordinances. Naturally, anti-mask protesters were there to meet them.)

David B. Abrams, a professor of social and behavioral sciences at the School of Global Public Health at New York University, said the stridency of opinions and extreme polarization over masks can be chalked up to one thing: Because this virus and pandemic feels so unfamiliar, were clinging hard to whatever makes us feel safe in the moment.

Humans, like other primates and other mammals, have a strong inherent, underlying survival instinct that gets hyper-stimulated under sudden threat of an unknown enemy, he told HuffPost. This leads to what psychologists call hot cognition with a strong and powerful set of emotions that completely override and erase the usual rational cool thinking.

Were in a fight or flight physiological state and, for some, the fight is directed at government mask ordinances.

In moments like this, people become hyper-vigilant and super-sensitive to any threat, Abrams told HuffPost. As their adrenal pumps, they respond with massive posturing of anger and a readiness for fight. It is like the rug has been pulled out from under them and the usual world order is gone. Some people become ready for anything.

Thats whats driving our behavior on masks on a psychological level, but the rationales we use when validating our decision on mask-wearing or abstaining vary person by person.

Any human behavior even seemingly simple behavior, such as wearing a mask or not is determined by multiple factors: political beliefs, ideology, social factors, education, said Joseph J. Trunzo, a professor and chair of the psychology department at Bryant University in Smithfield, Rhode Island.

Layer into this the context and all the changes from moment to moment with this virus, and you very quickly have very complicated reasons for any individuals behavior choices, he said.

Reasons vary, but there are some common arguments made by anti-maskers. Below, Abrams, Trunzo and other experts share seven of the most common reasons people refuse to wear a mask.

So much is uncertain right now. It makes me feel in control to choose to go out without a mask.

COVID-19 has ushered in one of the most uncertain eras in modern history, and uncertainty breeds fear, which naturally fuels a need for control, Trunzo said.

The mask gives us a modicum of control, he said.

When faced with uncertain situations over which we have no control, we tend to exercise it wherever we can, so we feel safe, he said. Some will feel safer exercising their control over not wearing a mask, while others will feel safer exercising their control to wear one.

If the need for control is the driving force for someone not wearing a mask, empathizing with their feelings of uncertainty can sometimes convince them to put one on, he said. Most of us pro-masks, anti-masks share that same baseline fear.

The mandate on wearing masks has been inconsistent. Why should I wear one now?

Since coronavirus first emerged earlier this year, guidelines on if we should wear masks have been inconsistent at best. Mixed messaging from leadership and the scientific community on proper precautions has made mask-wearing appear up for debate.

Shane G. Owens, a psychologist and the assistant director of campus mental health at Farmingdale State College (SUNY), went so far as to say that scientists and physicians bear a substantial part of the blame for our failure to wear masks and to keep our distance because the messaging was muddled.

In the beginning, they couldnt manage to say, We dont know yet with this virus, he said. The mixed messages weve all received are probably the main culprit for non-mask wearing. Inconsistent recommendations, along with historic polarization of political parties, magnify a common mistrust of government mandates.

Given the widespread distrust in the government and scientific community, Owens said he often wonders if people would have taken the recommendations more seriously if theyd been issued by a Dr. Phil or Dr. Oz.

Someone like that, as opposed to someone standing behind a podium with a seal, whos worried about reelection, he said.

Anthony Mujica / EyeEm via Getty Images

Ive done a cost-benefit analysis, and this pandemic doesnt personally affect me enough to wear one.

People who wear masks arent necessarily natural-born rule followers, but theyve decided, for a variety of reasons personal welfare, their familys health or just a desire to get this contained already that the benefit of following restrictive guidelines outweighs the costs.

Those who decide not to wear masks have gamed out that same cost-benefit analysis.

In many cases, theyve concluded that based on their assessment of the situation, that the benefits arent worth the cost, said Gavan J. Fitzsimons, a professor of marketing and psychology at Duke University.

Though coronavirus infection rates remain high, some mask rejecters have yet to see a friend or family member contract COVID-19. They can afford to be cynical about mask-wearing; the debate over face coverings is more of a thought exercise, since the coronavirus hasnt touched them in any concrete way. Its something thats happened to other people.

Many dont have that luxury. The coronavirus has disproportionately affected those in the Black and Latinos communities. While many Americans have jobs that allow the option of working from home, those two groups are over-represented in essential service jobs that heighten their risk for exposure.

Preliminary reports do suggest that there could be differences in mask-wearing based on race and ethnicity, said Jagdish Khubchandani, an associate chair and professor of health science at Ball State University. Many racial minorities are taking low-paying essential service work. They have to go out to make a living, which is why they may be more likely to wear a mask.

Im young and wont catch it.

Call it the invisibility argument: Because older people are more likely than younger people to die of COVID-19, some (but surely not all) younger Americans feel more brazen about going out in public without a mask. The existential threat just isnt the same for them, Khubchandani said.

Its true that some younger individuals perceive lower risk and have higher risk behaviors than older populations, he said. That risky behavior includes mask-wearing.

kmatija via Getty Images

Wearing a mask encroaches on my civil liberties.

Not wearing a mask can be an expression of resistance or defiance: You cant tell me what to do, they might say. I dont believe the government or health experts. The virus isnt that serious. As an American, I value my individual freedom and dont want to be told what to do.

For them, the request to wear a mask is a constitutional overreach, Khubchandani.

Democracy is a double-edged sword in the case of mask-wearing, he said. There are legal issues, constitutional rights, individual freedom and civil liberties that have to be accounted for. And, unlike other public health laws (e.g. seat belts in cars), this is a situation where the public is required to observe a behavior without a conventional law-making process (debate, discussion, proposal, voting, approval, act of law).

Owens said theres a way to get through to someone with this mindset.

If youre dealing with a person who reveres civil liberties, you can point out that government mandates and choosing life and liberty are, in this case, the same thing, he said. These days, the best way to live a long and free life is to wear a mask, keep your distance and ask that everyone else do the same.

It makes me look weak or unmasculine.

The optics of mask-wearing is an issue for some including President Donald Trump. According to The Associated Press, Trump has told aides that he wont wear a mask in public out of concern that it will project weakness and defeat that he would be preoccupied with health instead of focused on reopening.

In early April, while announcing the recommendation from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that masks be worn in public spaces, the president said he wouldnt be following his administrations guidance: Wearing a face mask as I greet presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens I dont know, he said. Somehow, I dont see it for myself.

Apparently, hes not alone. Researchers have found that men are more likely to opt out of wearing masks, believing them to be shameful, a sign of weakness, and not cool in spite of the data showing that men are at higher risk than women of dying of a coronavirus infection.

Making the situation worse, they also have lower perceived vulnerability to disease, Khubchandani said.

I dont see our government leaders wearing one. It cant be that bad.

Abrams said that watching what others do is one of the most powerful forms of rapid learning of new behaviors. Even as campaign staffers and Secret Service personnel come down with the virus, Trump remains mask-free. Vice President Mike Pence, who has encouraged mask-wearing recently, sometimes wears one, but hes just as likely to forgo one.

Wearing a mask wouldnt just be helpful here; its essential to have leaders who are on the same page for guidance and as clear role models, especially when people are hyper-vigilant, have strong hot emotions, and are looking for guidance with an unknown threat and are doubting science, Abrams said.

For many, Trumps and Pences blatant disregard for their administrations own advice on mask-wearing speaks volumes: If theyre not wearing masks, the threat must not be so bad, so why should I put one on?

I think the image of Vice President Pence not wearing a mask while actually touring the Mayo Clinic and standing next to sick patients (or older war veterans) is burned into many minds. And the hospital medical staff and chief doctor allowed him to do that? Abrams said. Then add to that Trumps lack of modeling mask-wearing behavior. These pictures are worth a thousand words.

Jim Mone/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Here are a few ways to try to get through to a non-mask wearer

Effective communication with someone who disagrees with you on masks will depend on whom youre trying to convince. The reality is some will remain steadfast in refusing to wear a mask.

That said, if youre trying to convince someone who reveres science but is confused by inconsistent messages, Owens said it might be helpful to point out that states with stay-at-home and mask directives have minimized the diseases spread.

More often than not, its better to leave politics out of the mask discussion, he added.

By making the mask issue political, you automatically turn off almost half of the people youre trying to convince, he said.

The single best way to get people to wear masks is to model that behavior.

Whenever youre out, wear your mask securely over your mouth and nose, Owens said. Use peer pressure to your advantage.

Experts are still learning about the novel coronavirus. The information in this story is what was known or available as of press time, but its possible guidance around COVID-19 could change as scientists discover more about the virus. Please check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the most updated recommendations.

Experts are still learning about the novel coronavirus. The information in this story is what was known or available as of press time, but its possible guidance around COVID-19 could change as scientists discover more about the virus. Please check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the most updated recommendations.

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The Psychology Behind Why Some People Refuse To Wear Face Masks - HuffPost