Most mornings, I am awoken by the shrill ring of my alarm clock alerting me that it is time to stumble out of bed and sleepily begin my day — an unsettling tactic, but also effective. However, this particular Wednesday morning, I was awoken by something much more troubling. While I grabbed my phone to turn off my alarm, I opened a picture message that caused my jaw to rapidly drop in disbelief. When my friend Meg thrust open her door to go to the bathroom, she was immediately confronted with the remnants of someone’s vomit splattered across the dimly lit hallway of West Quad. Of course, she had to document the moment, along with the caption, “Oh, hell no.”
For something that had once been mere distant chatter, the norovirus outbreak entered our lives in a manner similar to the suddenness with which it strikes its victims. Eating pre-packaged oatmeal safe in the confines of my dorm room, I grew more and more fearful as the reports of widespread vomiting accumulated — especially on Yik Yak, the perfect breeding ground for fear-mongering alarmists.
As the day wore on, I began to feel like I was starring in some sort of twisted quarantine-style horror film. I had already been wary of dining halls in the past, and the virus’s suspected connection to South Quad Dining Hall completely destroyed my appetite for any food that had been set out in the vicinity of potentially ill students. I didn’t take the buses due to reports of people getting sick on the already jam-packed transportation. The Ross Academic Center was closed early to be deep cleaned. A friend that had been perfectly healthy at lunchtime was puking by the afternoon. Despite how terrible the events occurring are, I heard multiple people make remarks that the mass hysteria was sort of “entertaining” and “exciting.”
Why is it that humans tend to lose all sense of rationality when outbreaks occur, and seem to delight in doing so?
Though the term “contagion” is usually used to refer to the spread of illness, the more specific phrase “social contagion” refers to the idea that moods and thoughts can become contagious in large group settings. As soon as individuals enter into a group, they begin to feel that they are both “anonymous and invincible” — a feeling accelerated today by the influx of social media apps and online messaging sites available. People say whatever they want, with no fear of the repercussions because they seemingly have the entire group on their side. Then the “contagion” occurs, and the members of the group fall susceptible to extreme suggestibility. High on emotion and fear, they engage in a period of extreme interaction, finely attuned to the stress that other group members face.
An “us against them” mentality is quickly created: students versus norovirus, or maybe even more so, students against the administration’s handling of the norovirus. This type of contagion was prevalent during such events as the French Revolution, the Cold War and the Ebola outbreak, and still exists today… right in the middle of campus.
However, these feelings of heightened fear can actually weaken one’s immune system rather than protect it. Worrying will not necessarily let germs into the body, but worrying increases the level of cortisol in one’s immune system, which will in turn reduce the antibodies that help fight infection. When one experiences a time of prolonged stress, his or her body needs white blood cells, but cortisol will continue to suppress these blood cells. A weak immune system, without the necessary cells needed for protection, is much more likely to become infected.
As I sat in West Quad realizing I was still healthy and unaffected by the virus, the humor behind my earlier hysterics rapidly set in. With my friends, it was so easy to get all wrapped up in the frenzy and pretend that we were all inevitably going to contract the sickness and go down in flames. But now, by myself, I realized that I was simply falling victim to the crowd mentality. With something like a sickness, this type of social contagion is a little more benign. But when a crowd gathers about ideas dealing with important societal issues, this behavior can quickly become insidious. How many times have you started believing something just because those around you said it was true?
As I’m writing this, the sun is shining brightly from a sky unblemished by clouds, the temperature is warm and two more of my friends spent their nights hunched over the toilet, victims of the norovirus. Yet, I’m OK.
In this situation, just as much as any situation, it’s extremely important to maintain a calm exterior and not let oneself get wrapped up into the craziness. I’m choosing to go about my routine as normal, with a little extra hand-washing thrown in of course, and calmly acknowledging the extra precautions the University has instituted to keep students safe and housecleaners brandishing disinfectants and face masks. Chief Health Officer Robert Winfield sent out an e-mail Feb. 17 reminding students to wash their hands frequently and isolate themselves for at least 48 hours after symptoms subside.
I can never predict what the future may bring. I’m sure that as the number of days remaining until Spring Break continues to dwindle, the sick toll will only rise. I myself have a very real chance of getting sick. Yet, unless I actually do, I’m going to actively try to reduce my own contribution to all of norovirus’ hype. Norovirus, in all of its grimy glory, is extremely unpleasant and worthy of discussion, but soon it will pass and students will find a new cause or issue to rally around. Students will begin to return to classes, vomit remnants will be scrubbed from the halls and one day — one fateful day — the South Quad dining hall will be restored to its former glory.
Kaela Theut can be reached at ktheut@umich.edu.