Security steps in Paris, Brussels, may be spreading anxiety
- 8 years ago
In the aftermath of the devastating Nov. 13 attacks on Paris, the center of Brussels has often been deserted as armed soldiers patrol tourist sites amid repeated government warnings that a terrorist attack is "serious and imminent."
Some experts say it will take months for Europeans to psychologically adapt to life after the Paris attacks and warn that some government measures intended to reassure people may backfire, creating instead the impression of cities under siege.
"We go about our daily lives and every so often they're punctuated by something outrageous like a terrorist attack on an average Friday night," said Dr. David Purves of the British Psychological Society.
"After that shock, something that is highly statistically unusual may suddenly feel much more likely to happen."
Purves said measures meant to reassure people, like machine gun-toting soldiers and closed subways, might actually feel like the opposite.
Some experts say it will take months for Europeans to psychologically adapt to life after the Paris attacks and warn that some government measures intended to reassure people may backfire, creating instead the impression of cities under siege.
"We go about our daily lives and every so often they're punctuated by something outrageous like a terrorist attack on an average Friday night," said Dr. David Purves of the British Psychological Society.
"After that shock, something that is highly statistically unusual may suddenly feel much more likely to happen."
Purves said measures meant to reassure people, like machine gun-toting soldiers and closed subways, might actually feel like the opposite.