Great article on a great topic. I've always believed men suffer the burden of thinking they must be ready to defend their safety or that of their loved ones at the drop of a hat.
This leads to hypervigilant paranoia.
The isolation from the pandemic has made us uncertain how to act in public. Do we shake hands or other demonstrable shows of affection? No one knows and everyone is afraid to make the first move.
I believe the proliferation of scams along with endless choice on questions of major consumer decision making has led to the phenomenon of decision fatigue. With the downside of a wrong decision increasingly perilous we are fearful and loathe to trust.