People who refuse to follow coronavirus guidelines on wearing face masks could possess sociopathic traits, according to a new study by scientists in Brazil.
The research, conducted by Professor Fabiano Koich Miguel and colleagues at the Universidade Estadual de Londrina, surveyed about 1,600 adults about their compliance with Covid-19 measures.
Results from the study suggested those who refused to ignore social distancing rules were more likely to have the condition sociopathy, which often makes it difficult for people to understand the feelings of others.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Professor Miguel said: “Our findings indicated that antisocial traits, especially lower levels of empathy and higher levels of callousness, deceitfulness and risk-taking, are directly associated with lower compliance with containment measures.”
One question participants were asked was, “Do you think it is necessary to use a face mask, socially distance and wash your hands more frequently?”
Those who took part in the study were divided into two groups – an “empathy group” and an “anti-social group” - depending on their responses.
The empathy group was comprised of about 1,200 people, who all showed an understanding of why they needed to follow government measures, and were interested in “developing positive social interactions”.
There were about 400 individuals in the anti-social group. Each of them had shown signs of “societal risk to others” based on their lack of concern about the effects of spreading the virus.
However, Professor Miguel said the findings should be treated with some caution, according to The Times.
“We cannot state that if a person chooses not to wear a facemask, the only reason is because they are a sociopath. Although this is
possible, there are likely other factors involved,” he added.
Other factors include being exempt from wearing a mask because of health reasons.