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It’s worth also considering the case of ski helmets. Since these have became common on the slopes head trauma has actually increased because wearers take more r

It’s worth also considering the case of ski helmets. Since these have became common on the slopes head trauma has actually increased because wearers take more risks.

swader999 5y ago
Probably related to the uptake in snow boarding.
lostlogin 5y ago
I had previously read that WW1 saw an increase in head injuries when helmets were used, due to victims surviving previously fatal injuries. However on searching it doesn't seem that clear-cut.
AuryGlenz 5y ago
I definitely noticed a change in behavior at stores and at weddings I photographed once the mask mandate happened. Before it happened? Small backyard ceremonies with just families. In stores people straight up avoided being close to others. After? Normal, but with masks.
function_seven 5y ago
Yeah, or the idea that maybe helmets in gridiron football increase CTE. I see the possibility, but my own anecdotal experience with mask wearers and non-wearers jives with the other correlation: that non-wearers generally didn’t take the pandemic seriously. The people that I know who shunned masks also ignored the COVID threat in other ways: Large gatherings, vacations to another state to escape lockdown restrictions, etc. Whereas my religiously-masked friends were basically isolated last year. And because I have several such anecdotes, I now have data :)
- ixacto 5y ago
  I wore a mask indoors. Then I got the vaccine. COVID is effectively over, unless we need booster shots this fall. But feel free to wear a mask as much as you want, at this point it is effectively a security blanket though.
  - function_seven 5y ago
    Same here. The only time I'm wearing a mask now is when the establishment asks me to. Otherwise, I'm back to normal. Pre-vaccination, I was an indoor-only wearer.
kelnos 5y ago
Or is it that people are taking the same amount of risks, but accidents that used to cause death are now "merely" causing head trauma? (I don't know either way, just curious to know if this angle has been investigated.)
- astrange 5y ago
  This is probably more likely. Risk compensation (people behaving more dangerously when they have more safeguards) basically doesn't happen - it's an excuse to not use the safeguards. When seatbelts were introduced lots of people were opposed because it encouraged driving, or because they wanted the chance to just roll out of the car if it was about to crash.
rcxdude 5y ago
This is not clear cut: see this review which concludes that this is not the case (helmets neither increase injuries nor risky behaviour). In general the idea of risk compensation is frequently brought up in these cases, and while it may seem intuitive, it usually does not appear in the data. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3989528/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3989528/

It’s worth also considering the case of ski helmets. Since these have became common on the slopes head trauma has actually increased because wearers take more risks.

swader999 5y ago

Probably related to the uptake in snow boarding.

lostlogin 5y ago

I had previously read that WW1 saw an increase in head injuries when helmets were used, due to victims surviving previously fatal injuries. However on searching it doesn't seem that clear-cut.

AuryGlenz 5y ago

I definitely noticed a change in behavior at stores and at weddings I photographed once the mask mandate happened. Before it happened? Small backyard ceremonies with just families. In stores people straight up avoided being close to others. After? Normal, but with masks.

function_seven 5y ago

Yeah, or the idea that maybe helmets in gridiron football increase CTE. I see the possibility, but my own anecdotal experience with mask wearers and non-wearers jives with the other correlation: that non-wearers generally didn’t take the pandemic seriously. The people that I know who shunned masks also ignored the COVID threat in other ways: Large gatherings, vacations to another state to escape lockdown restrictions, etc. Whereas my religiously-masked friends were basically isolated last year. And because I have several such anecdotes, I now have data :)

ixacto 5y ago
I wore a mask indoors. Then I got the vaccine. COVID is effectively over, unless we need booster shots this fall. But feel free to wear a mask as much as you want, at this point it is effectively a security blanket though.
- function_seven 5y ago
  Same here. The only time I'm wearing a mask now is when the establishment asks me to. Otherwise, I'm back to normal. Pre-vaccination, I was an indoor-only wearer.

kelnos 5y ago

Or is it that people are taking the same amount of risks, but accidents that used to cause death are now "merely" causing head trauma? (I don't know either way, just curious to know if this angle has been investigated.)

astrange 5y ago
This is probably more likely. Risk compensation (people behaving more dangerously when they have more safeguards) basically doesn't happen - it's an excuse to not use the safeguards. When seatbelts were introduced lots of people were opposed because it encouraged driving, or because they wanted the chance to just roll out of the car if it was about to crash.

rcxdude 5y ago

This is not clear cut: see this review which concludes that this is not the case (helmets neither increase injuries nor risky behaviour). In general the idea of risk compensation is frequently brought up in these cases, and while it may seem intuitive, it usually does not appear in the data. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3989528/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3989528/