Some find it difficult to return to pre-Corona habits

The “love hormone” is still suffering due to the pandemic

The crisis turned life and habits upside down.

Reuters (archive)

Since the Corona virus began to settle in the respiratory tract of humans, and turn our lives upside down, people have begun to practice social distancing habits, in the hope of limiting its spread, to the extent that it made them maintain a distance even with close friends, or made them avoid personal interactions with Others completely, and replaced it with video conferencing via the Internet through dedicated electronic applications.

There are those who did not resort to these alternative solutions.

According to a representative international survey, nearly a third of respondents said that their relationships with friends in general had become less close since the outbreak of the Corona pandemic in early 2020. The London-based YouGov International Research Data and Analytics Institute, The survey, as part of its project called "Cambridge Globalization".

Although strict restrictions on people's contact with one another have now been relaxed in many places, it is not always easy to get back to work where you left off.

Psychologist Horst Heidebrink, a professor and researcher in social relations at the Distance Learning University of Hagen in Germany, was not surprised by the survey results.

“There is something paradoxical about the pandemic,” Heidbrink said, “people usually get close to each other in times of crisis, but during this pandemic we were asked not to see our friends anymore if we wanted to do something good for them.”

In particular, fleeting friendships and acquaintances suffered, for example, with whom one talked while working out in the gym, co-workers with whom one regularly drank coffee before the outbreak of the pandemic, or companions with whom one played cards in the café.

"The pandemic has shown how important such places are for social interaction," Heidebrink added.

In the wake of the pandemic continuing in waves, the making of new acquaintances and the revival of old ones has the difficulty of feeling anxious about what was considered normal face-to-face communication, as one now has to think twice before giving or accepting a kiss on the cheek for the purpose of greeting, or Embracing a person in a normal way to show affection.

"Suddenly touching others is dangerous to one's health and to others," said Romy Simon, chair of the Department of Microsociology at Dresden University of Technology.

She explained that touch is an essential component of social bonding, adding that "when people touch each other, their bodies release oxytocin, which is called (the love hormone), which enhances trust and empathy between them," noting that this effect cannot be affected. It is repeated through digital communication via electronic screens.

ancient places

• Clubs, gyms and restaurants closed for long periods, as part of measures to combat the outbreak of the Corona virus.

And if one now returns to the places where he preferred to go before, he may not see the same people he used to see before the outbreak of the pandemic.

Therefore, he may lose the reassuring feeling that he knows he will see familiar faces there, and will need to renew that feeling, if the places are still there.

It's hard to intentionally end a friendship, telling someone that you no longer want to spend time with them.

It is much easier to simply let the relationship come to an end by not seeing each other.

Romy Simon:

• “In the time of (Corona) touching others suddenly became a danger to one’s health and others.”

Although restrictions on communication have eased in many places, it is not always easy to get back to work where you left off.

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