We Secretly Love Social Distancing

You’re not alone if you fear that you will be found out that you have no friends to visit once the coronavirus lockdown is lifted.

Since the Covid-19 lockdown was implemented, people have developed a longing for social interaction. For some, social deprivation became so intolerable that they even risked their lives to go out for a chat or an underground party. Not only young people but also older people broke the rule to see their friends and even strangers. When they cannot meet in person, virtual meetings are arranged so that they can have a drink and play a game together.

This is not surprising for two reasons.

First, we human beings are social creatures. The need to engage with fellow human beings is simply in our DNA. Intellectual stimulation and information exchange are very important aspects of our survival and well being. According to a research by Queen’s University of Canada, intellectual activities and socialization can help manage cognitive aging.

Secondly, we humans are also creatures of habit. If you have been going out with your friends regularly for a drink after work or going to soccer practice routinely, you would feel confined if one day told that you cannot do that. We are not good at adapting to change, or at least it takes time to change the way we live.

Now, there are other types of people, who have been practicing social distancing for years for various reasons. I am one of them and the chances are that you also are. I have been a hermit for about ten years. Yes, I’m married with a kid and a full-time job. But meeting with people has become exhausting more and more as I got older. I found myself going out less and less. I received (or at least I felt) plenty of intellectual stimulation from my colleagues, my family, and the internet. I was already a less social creature even before Covid-19 hit us. But this is supposed to be my secret.

Thus, my social habit has not changed before and after the lockdown. As a creature of habit, my life was not inconvenienced in the slightest. In fact, now that many others are practicing social distancing, I almost feel a sense of belonging. Welcome to my world. We are one big hermit family connected through common behavior.

But now, my biggest fear is that once the lockdown is lifted and when people start venturing out into the street, they may notice that I’m staying in. They will see me standing by the window whispering goodbye. I will not join the party to celebrate the end of the lockdown, so go ahead, leave me behind. I’m fully aware of the mental health risk.

Captive animals often do not learn the necessary survival skills and are too habituated to their carers. Even once the cage door is removed, they refuse to leave. The longer the lockdown period becomes, the more difficult for people to leave their homes. I know some people will stay with me this time.