Time August 2/August 9, 2021 |The View| Society| “A pandemic experiments with human relationships” By Belinda Luscombe
Read the Time article for the details.
Summary offered by 2244
Most of us would agree that living through the COVID pandemic has been stressful so some social scientists have probed this unsolicited “pandemic experiment.”
What did these social scientists discover about our human relationships during the “pandemic experiment?”
“Gender roles in the home got more, not less, defined.”
Man and woman pitched in more with household chores but man less so. A sore spot for the woman only if the man didn’t pick-up extra effort in the childcare arena.
“Contrary to expectations, lonely people who wanted a partner didn’t lower their standards.”
Singles were more interested in finding a partner but didn’t lower standards “not even about looks.”
“People who don’t like video chat ignored lockdown orders.”
Ultimately, “the need for connection was stronger that the fear of infection” for those that don't relate well by video chat etc.
“Same-sex couples who avoided fighting were less happy than those who voiced their complaints.”
One-fifth of same-sex partners in a study “decided to move in together because of the pandemic-which made them less anxious generally but also made the relationship less stable.” Those who didn’t complain about relationship issues during the pandemic reported “more anxiety and depression and leaned more heavily on substance use during COVID-19.”
“When people couldn’t meet in person, the famous felt like friends.”
Although participants reported maintaining “stable relationships with friends” they viewed more content on their personal and other devices and began to attach more with celebrities and even fictional characters that were portrayed.
“Five resilience-building habits seemed to help couples soldier on.”
The habits are.
“Maintaining a semblance of normality with routines.”
“Talking to spouses as well as sympathetic others about their concerns.”
“Reminding themselves of who they are and what they believe.”
“Reframing their situation in a more positive or different way”
“Focusing on how good things will be when the crisis is over”
The study also showed that humor helped but “didn’t always improve marital harmony.”
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