Summary

The article discusses the challenges and adaptations to a contact-free world post-COVID-19, emphasizing the importance of touch in human interaction and the potential for new social norms.

Abstract

The author reflects on the impending shift to a contact-free society following the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly noting the cultural significance of touch in Italy, where the author has lived for over forty years. The article highlights the upcoming taboos around physical gestures like kissing, hugging, and handshakes, and introduces alternative practices such as using elbow greetings or tools to open doors without direct contact. It delves into the psychological and evolutionary importance of touch for expressing emotions and maintaining social bonds, referencing studies and experiments that illustrate variations in touch behaviors across cultures. The piece also addresses the stigma associated with illness, drawing parallels to the HIV epidemic of the 1980s, and suggests ways to adapt to the "new normal," including more comfortable air travel, virtual interactions, and the reevaluation of gestures like hugs and handshakes, potentially making them more meaningful.

Opinions

The author anticipates a period of adjustment to a less physically affectionate society, especially in cultures traditionally comfortable with touch.
There is skepticism about the enjoyment of alternative greetings, such as elbow bumps, despite their necessity for maintaining health safety.
The author views the adoption of tools like open door keychains as indicative of a significant shift in societal behavior due to the pandemic.
Touch is considered vital for emotional expression and compassion, with its absence potentially impacting communication and social bonding.
The article suggests that the stigma faced by those who have recovered from COVID-19 may be similar to that experienced by individuals during the HIV epidemic.
The author is optimistic about certain aspects of the new normal, such as more spacious air travel and the possibility of more intimate social gatherings.
There is an expectation that once-routine physical gestures will become more significant, and that non-physical expressions of connection, like laughter and storytelling, will gain greater importance.

Wellbeing

How To Adapt To Keeping Our Distance After COVID-19

We will miss the human touch

I am still trying to imagine what our new contact-free world will be like. Having lived in Italy for over forty years, you can imagine the loss of physical contact is going to feel quite strange at first. Read on to discover what we will miss and how we can adapt.

I still remember learning to cope with all the embracing and casual kiss greetings when I got to know people in Italy. It took a while and now it seems we will have to go back to our old reserved selves.

The new taboos

Kissing, hugging, and handshakes will be taboo for quite a while. I wrote a funny piece about how we can use our elbows but I am not really looking forward to it.

I have just seen an advertisement for open door keychains or hooks which we can use for opening doors so we can avoid touching them. This would have been unthinkable just 100 days ago!

Why is touch so important?

Tactile behavior is vital to express our emotions and feelings but also for conveying empathy and compassion to others. Touching the skin which is the largest organ in our bodies is so important for communication. It does depend on where you were brought up, though.

In one experiment conducted by Sidney Jourard, he found that the numbers of times friends chatting, touched each other during a one hour chat varied enormously.

UK = 0
USA = 2
France = 110
Puerto Rico = 180

This experiment was carried out in the 1960s when people were less touchy-feely than they are now. Behavior has certainly changed and it seems that hugging is now all the rage on TV shows, sports events, and even at political rallies.

Another study shows that touch is still of the utmost importance in communicating positive emotions and maintaining social bonds. This is part of our evolutionary inheritance in that when we were primates, the stroking of our hairy skin released endorphins which give us that positive feeling.

Not a question of if but when

People globally are generally very wary now about returning to the usual gestures of touching and close social contact as revealed in this chart here. Britain is less enthusiastic about easing the restrictions which is understandable as they were one of the last countries to go into lockdown.

Huge stigma associated with illness and disease

A friend of mine volunteered to visit and support HIV patients in the hospital in the 1980s. There were many people at the time who were convinced that she was at risk! They were convinced that close contact such as a handshake was dangerous even though this was a sexually transmitted disease! We may encounter a similar stigma to those who have had COVID-19 although they will no longer be infectious.

How can we adapt to the new normal?

1. I think air travel will become much more comfortable and bearable as they will have to be stringent about physical distancing. This might be a very good thing.

2. We have already noticed empty TV studios where guests are few and far between. All the other guests are invited to speak via Skype or Zoom. I still shudder when I see the old shows where the audience were so close to each other. I am already getting used to the new norm.

3. Greeting people with elbows and foot shakes will never be the same as a handshake but we will have to adapt. Otherwise, we would have to wash our hands every time after meeting a new acquaintance!

4. When we do use a hug or a pat on the back, it will become something special rather than a daily mundane occurrence and it will mean a lot more to the recipient.

5. We will probably aim for smaller and more intimate gatherings which is great because there was nothing worse than a crowded cocktail party where you never got to know anyone really well.

6. Waving, bows, head nods, and thumbs up are all safe so we will have to get used to using them more.

We will value laughing, singing, and telling stories now more than ever because these are still wonderfully safe ways to feel connected and loved.