My theory. Everybody knows that some day they will die. Most don't dwell on it because it's depressing. But that knowledge is there, lurking in the shadows. But what many people have not faced is the fact that they can be killed. It takes an event like this, or some sudden exposure to sudden violent death before that realization happens. And the media's constant reporting of infections and fatalities stokes those fears.
Also, emotion will always defeat reason. I have acid reflux. When it flares up, the symptoms mimic a heart attack. My mind knows this but my body is screaming that I'm dying. Same with the virus. No matter how logical the argument, showing hospitals full of patients and reporting of climbing deaths will override it.
And why are wives more susceptible? At the risk of sounding sexist, I believe that it's because they are more emotional. If not, many of us men would still be single.
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