Have you watched a television show or video from the time before Covid-19 and caught yourself wince at how close people are standing to each other? Or dreamt of large, crowded parties, laughing with friends, only to note upon waking that you didn’t think once about your mask or your distance in the dream? After lockdown, quarantine and social distancing, it is hard to imagine being nearby others and feeling at ease. It is hard to picture sharing an elevator with strangers or reaching out your hand to introduce yourself to one.
The opposite is easier to imagine: the feeling that being with others is risky and potentially harmful. We can imagine approaching a room full of people with trepidation. Or envision someone coming towards us in a hallway, our body tensing up and not knowing what to do or say. Even after we get the Covid-19 vaccine, our bodies will take some time to feel safe again. Although heightened hygiene may be a lingering benefit of these times, there will also be lingering disadvantages, including being out of practice in our social interactions.
Even before the pandemic, social isolation was an issue, so much so that the UK government established a Minister of Loneliness in 2018. Japan’s new prime minister followed suit this month. Studies show that eye contact in face-to-face interactions improves people’s perception and memories of each other. Additionally, a growing body of research on touch has found that it has both physiological and psychological effects. For example, certain types of touch lower our blood pressure, heart rate and cortisol, while stimulating memory and hormones associated with positive emotions.
Although social anxiety and isolation were known issues before the pandemic, there is reason to believe that this is a great moment to address them. It appears that the majority of CEOs agree. In a recent Fortune/Delloite survey (2021) of 100 CEOs, 98 expressed the belief that mental health and well-being will be a priority even after the pandemic is gone. One of the first steps in prioritizing mental health and well-being will be to celebrate all of the ways we have managed to stay healthy and connected over the last year. The second will be to acknowledge that the simplest of human interactions, such as looking someone in the eye or giving a hug, can profoundly affect our mental health and well-being.
In Moving Minds, this is where we start. We know that eye contact and touch are cornerstones of communication and collaboration, facilitating decision-making and innovation. If you want to trust someone with your ideas, feelings or opinions, you have to be able to look each other in the eye or extend your hand out to touch them. You have to feel safe to do so. Although these simple gestures once seemed so commonplace, we can’t take them for granted anymore. Nor can we take for granted how meaningful it will feel when we finally get to do it.