Pandemic fear has gripped the globe for an entire year and it continues to hold tight. Warnings of even more contagious and deadly disease variants are suspected to come in the near future, as the constant coverage of case numbers and death counts urge us to stay diligent or risk certain doom. The goal of this incessant message is to save lives, but the cost has been high. Living this past year on high alert has resulted in a sharp uptick in suicides, mental health problems, drug overdoses, and domestic abuse. Research shows that while fear messaging can effectively influence public behavior, it harms people in the process. In an article published in a June 2020 edition of the bimonthly journal Health and Behavior, researchers pointed to several studies that showed that fear-inducing public health campaigns can also inspire denial, backlash, avoidance, defensiveness, stigmatization, depression, anxiety, increased risk behavior, and …