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We’re being asked to suppress our profoundly human and evolutionarily hard wired impulses for connection: seeing our friends, getting together in groups, or touching each other,” says Nicholas Christakis, a social scientist and physician at Yale University. So how do we adapt so we can follow the advice but avoid a sense of loss at not being able to hug, kiss, shake hands – or even just be in the company of others. Julianne Holt-Lunstad, a research psychologist at Brigham Young University, points out that research on altruism has found that giving support can be even more beneficial than receiving it. “Any one of us can pick up a phone and call to see how people are doing and what they might need. Not only will helping others potentially help them, but it can help us to still feel connected as well.” Texting, email, and apps like Skype and FaceTime can definitely help people stay in touch. “We are fortunate to live in an era where technology will allow us to see and hear our friends and family, even
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Any one of us can pick up a phone and call to see how people are doing.
from a distance,” says Nicholas Christakis. They’re not as good as face to face interactions, but they’re infinitely better than no interaction.”
WHAT IS SOCIAL DISTANCING? Until a few weeks ago the words social distancing were the stuff of psychology textbooks. Now we all need to know so we can do it. So what does it mean? According to the Government website social distancing measures are steps you can take to reduce the social interaction between people. It’s being used now to reduce the transmission of coronavirus (COVID-19).
