The organisers describe the event as follows: “What happens to our perception of truth during a pandemic? What happens in our brains that makes us more susceptible to believing and spreading false information in times of crisis? Mixing storytelling and science, Christopher Bailey, Arts and Health Lead at the World Health Organization, will draw on real-life examples, taken from pandemics and wars, to explore how rumours and false narratives proliferate in a crisis. In telling these stories, Bailey, an actor and playwright from New York, strips away the layers of our psychology to reveal what makes us fearful, impressionable and fundamentally human.
‘When facing the unknown we often tell a story to help make sense of what we are experiencing, even, and sometimes especially, if few facts are available.’ ~ Christopher Bailey
The WHO’s Arts and Health program explores the evidence base for the health benefits of the arts, and the practical implementation of arts-based approaches to improve health at the local level.”
To register for this virtual discussion and special performance about the neurological science behind misinformation, visit the event website.
Once you have signed up via Eventbrite you will receive a Zoom link by email 48 hrs before, 2 hrs before and 10 minutes before the event, which takes place on Thursday, 23 July 2020, 15:00–16:00 BST.