tag:theconversation.com,2011:/global/topics/social-interaction-59914/articlesSocial interaction – The Conversation2023-07-25T12:23:48Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1932792023-07-25T12:23:48Z2023-07-25T12:23:48ZLaughter can communicate a lot more than good humor – people use it to smooth social interactions<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539054/original/file-20230724-14014-5js0is.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=964%2C554%2C7074%2C4796&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">A well-deployed laugh can help grease a social interaction, even if nothing is funny.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/three-young-people-sit-around-a-table-and-giggle-as-royalty-free-image/1391836113">Catherine Falls Commercial/Moment via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Laughter is an everyday reminder that we humans are animals. In fact, when recorded laughter is slowed down, listeners <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2014.03.003">can’t tell whether the sound is from a person or an animal</a>.</p>
<p>We throw our heads back and bare our teeth in a monkeylike grin. Sometimes we double over and lose our ability to speak for a moment, reverting temporarily to hooting apes. And just as hoots and howls help strengthen bonds in a troop of primates or a pack of wolves, laughter <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2012.07.002">helps us connect with others</a>. </p>
<p>Laughter is <a href="https://doi.org/10.4161/cib.3.2.10944">evolutionarily ancient</a>. Known as a “play signal,” mammalian laughter accompanies playful interactions to signal harmless intentions and keep the play going. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0lV838pvdU">Chimps</a> laugh. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-84UJpYFRM">Rats</a> laugh. <a href="https://www.petalk.org/petalk.org/LaughingDog.pdf">Dogs</a> laugh. Perhaps even <a href="https://doi.org/10.1578/AM.31.2.2005.187">dolphins</a> laugh.</p>
<p>And laughter is an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JONB.0000023654.73558.72">essential feature</a> of human social interactions. We laugh when we’re amused, of course. But we also laugh out of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.122.3.250">embarrassment</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0310.1993.tb00478.x">politeness</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0167.39.1.39">nervousness</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/qup0000156">derision</a>.</p>
<p>I’m a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=pdDe_8wAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">psychology researcher who studies</a> how people use laughter to connect, and sometimes disconnect, with others. For humans, laughter has expanded from its original function as a play signal to serve a variety of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12383">social functions</a>.</p>
<h2>Laughter smooths social interactions</h2>
<p>Amused laughter is a response to <a href="https://theconversation.com/science-deconstructs-humor-what-makes-some-things-funny-64414">what scholars of humor call</a> a “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/pspi0000041">benign violation</a>” – a situation that could represent a threat but that the laughing person has concluded is safe. (Psychologists love to ruin good things like comedy by overexplaining them.) </p>
<p>Laughter is a way to communicate that an interaction is playful, harmless and unserious. It’s often not a reliable sign that a person is having a good time, even though people sometimes laugh when they are enjoying themselves. An awkward exchange, a misunderstanding, a mocking joke – all these potentially uncomfortable moments are smoothed over by laughter. </p>
<p>My colleagues and I were curious about whether the tendency to laugh is a trait that is consistent for each person regardless of context or whether it depends on whom they’re interacting with. In one study, we had people talk to 10 strangers in a series of one-on-one conversations. Then we <a href="https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2021.0187">counted how many times they laughed</a>.</p>
<p>To our surprise, we found that how often a person laughs – at least when talking to strangers – is fairly consistent. Some people are laughers, and others are not. Whom they were talking to didn’t have a strong effect. At least in our sample, there weren’t hilarious partners who made everyone they talked to laugh.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539055/original/file-20230724-17-fu7dml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Man smiling sitting beside a woman with an uncomfortable expression" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539055/original/file-20230724-17-fu7dml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539055/original/file-20230724-17-fu7dml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539055/original/file-20230724-17-fu7dml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539055/original/file-20230724-17-fu7dml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539055/original/file-20230724-17-fu7dml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539055/original/file-20230724-17-fu7dml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539055/original/file-20230724-17-fu7dml.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=534&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Laughter can be a response to an uncomfortable interaction.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/awkward-conversation-among-coworkers-man-thinks-hes-royalty-free-image/980443052">corners74/iStock via Getty Images Plus</a></span>
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<p>We found that the people who tended to laugh more enjoyed the conversations less. If you intrinsically enjoy talking to strangers and feel comfortable doing so, you may not feel the need to laugh a lot and smooth out the interaction – you trust it is going well. However, people felt they had more in common with these big-time laughers.</p>
<p>So in conversations between strangers, laughing a lot is not a sign of enjoyment, but it will make your partners feel similar to you. They will be likelier to agree that the two of you have something in common, which is a key ingredient in social connection. I suspect people borrow and transform the play signal of laughter to influence situations that, on their face, have nothing to do with play. </p>
<h2>Laughter sends a message</h2>
<p>We humans have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2016.01.002">remarkable control over our voices</a>. Not only can we speak, but we can also alter the meaning of our words by modifying our vocal pitch, vowel placement, breathiness or nasality. A breathy “hello” becomes a flirtatious advance, a growly “hello” becomes a threat, and an upturned, high-pitched “hello” becomes a fearful question. </p>
<p>This got me thinking: Maybe people change the sound of their laughter depending on what they want to communicate.</p>
<p>After all, while some forms of laughter are considered uncontrollable – the kind that leaves you <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(99)80023-3">physically weak</a> and running out of oxygen – <a href="https://www.internationalphoneticassociation.org/icphs-proceedings/ICPhS2011/OnlineProceedings/RegularSession/Tanaka/Tanaka.pdf">most everyday laughter</a> is at least somewhat under your control. </p>
<p>It turns out that there are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2016.04.005">already</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1109/ICASSP.2019.8683566">a lot</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2014.09.002">of studies</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JONB.0000023654.73558.72">looking at</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1524993113">different</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1109/TAFFC.2017.2737000">forms</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1121/1.1391244">of laughter</a>. Although their perspectives and methods differ, researchers agree that laughter takes many acoustic forms and occurs in many different situations.</p>
<p>The most popular approach for categorizing the many forms of laughter is to sort them by the internal state of the person laughing. Is the laughter “genuine,” reflecting a true positive state? Or is it the result of embarrassment, <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-does-it-feel-good-to-see-someone-fail-107349">schadenfreude</a> or mirth?</p>
<p>I wasn’t satisfied with those approaches. Laughter is a communicative behavior. To me it seems we should therefore categorize it according to how it influences the people listening, not based on how the person felt while laughing. The word “cat” transmits the same information to a listener regardless of whether the speaker loves or loathes felines. And the effect of a giggle on a listener is the same regardless of how the giggler feels, assuming the giggle sounds the same.</p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539056/original/file-20230724-29-atdae0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="three men talking and laughing in an office setting" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539056/original/file-20230724-29-atdae0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/539056/original/file-20230724-29-atdae0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539056/original/file-20230724-29-atdae0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539056/original/file-20230724-29-atdae0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539056/original/file-20230724-29-atdae0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539056/original/file-20230724-29-atdae0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/539056/original/file-20230724-29-atdae0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">There are different flavors of laughter, and context matters.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/co-workers-laughing-together-at-meeting-royalty-free-image/645973081">Klaus Vedfelt/DigitalVision via Getty Images</a></span>
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<h2>Pleasurable, reassuring or threatening</h2>
<p>With the communicative nature of laughter in mind, my colleagues and I proposed that laughter can be boiled down to three basic <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/spc3.12383">social functions</a> – all under the cloak of playfulness.</p>
<p>First, there’s reward laughter. This type is most clearly linked to laughter’s evolved role as a play signal. It is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9280.00346">pleasurable</a> to hear and produce, thus making a playful interaction even more enjoyable. </p>
<p>Then there’s affiliation laughter. It conveys the same message of harmlessness without delivering a burst of pleasure. People can use it to reassure, appease and soothe. This is the most common laughter in everyday conversations – people <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1439-0310.1993.tb00478.x">punctuate their speech</a> with it to ensure that their intentions aren’t misconstrued. </p>
<p>Finally, there’s dominance laughter. This type turns the nonserious message on its head. By laughing at someone, you are conveying that they are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2016.01.012">not worth taking seriously</a>. </p>
<p>My colleagues and I have <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0183811">identified</a> acoustic properties of laughter that make it sound more rewarding, friendly or dominant. I have also found that people change how their laughter sounds during conversations that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s42761-020-00022-w">emphasize those three social tasks</a>. The changes are subtle because the context – the situation, the people’s relationship, the conversation topic – does a lot to clarify a laugh’s meaning. </p>
<p>There is no such thing as a fake laugh. All laughter serves genuine social functions, helping you navigate complex social interactions. And because you look and sound so silly while doing it, laughter ensures no one takes themselves too seriously.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/193279/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Adrienne Wood receives funding from the National Science Foundation. </span></em></p>Laughter is so fundamental that animals like chimps, rats and dogs share the ability with humans. But in people it serves more serious social functions than just letting others know you’re having fun.Adrienne Wood, Assistant Professor of Psychology, University of VirginiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2096182023-07-19T12:38:20Z2023-07-19T12:38:20ZHow having five friends boosts the adolescent brain – and educational performance<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538263/original/file-20230719-27-y2s6uh.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=46%2C77%2C5184%2C3344&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/group-children-sitting-on-bench-mall-284520197">Monkey Business Images/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>As most parents of teenagers are acutely aware, there comes a time when children start prioritising their friends over their parents. While young children rely on their parents for social interactions and influences, there’s a notable switch during adolescence, where the influence from peers and friends <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31487478/">becomes more important</a>. </p>
<p>Research backs up the idea that friendships are <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24016274/">particularly important</a> during adolescent years. They seem to <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/BB81A7416EC4682862B6994A19E1DE70/S0033291704003915a.pdf/div-class-title-the-social-re-orientation-of-adolescence-a-neuroscience-perspective-on-the-process-and-its-relation-to-psychopathology-div.pdf">protect against</a> some problems with emotions and behaviour. Amazingly, it appears that our brains can even <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-017-02722-7">become synchronised with our friends’</a>. </p>
<p>And in our latest study, <a href="https://elifesciences.org/articles/84072">published in eLife</a>, we show that having roughly five friends during the beginning of adolescence is beneficial for cognition, mental health and educational performance.</p>
<p>Too few friends means that you have no one to interact with if some of them are busy or unavailable and too many friends means that they are probably not very closely connected to you. There is therefore a trade-off between the quantity and quality of friendships. </p>
<p>In addition, spending too much time on social activities may lead to insufficient time for study and thereby may <a href="http://etherplan.com/neocortex-size-as-a-constraint-on-group-size-in-primates.pdf">lower academic performance</a>.</p>
<h2>Digging into data</h2>
<p>Our results are based on a large amount of data from the <a href="https://abcdstudy.org">Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development</a> (ABCD) study cohort, which included 7,512 participants aged 9–11 years olds. The same cohort was followed-up two years later in early adolescence, with data from 4,290 of the participants available. All data was quality controlled. </p>
<p>We found relationships between the number of close friends and mental health, social problems and cognitive measures, including memory, reading and vocabulary. We showed that approximately five close friends was the optimal number – and these associations remained consistent two years later. </p>
<p>At fewer than four or greater than six friends, the advantages reduced. Using a second dataset of over 16,000 adolescents, we confirmed the associations between close friend network size and school attainment as well as wellbeing. </p>
<p>In terms of brain health, we found that the number of close friends was <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fnint.2013.00065/full">related to the area and volume of the cortex</a> (the outermost layer of the brain). This was specifically within the orbital frontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex and the temporal parietal junction, which are all involved in the brain’s network for social interactions. </p>
<p>Having five friends was linked to having more volume in these cortical regions. Importantly, these brain regions are also important for other forms of cognition, for example attention and regulating emotions. And we found that people who had found five friends had improved attention and social functioning. </p>
<h2>Pandemic impact</h2>
<p>But why are social interactions so important for the brain? Wouldn’t we be better at solving problems if we weren’t constantly chatting with our friends? According to one hypothesis, known as the social brain hypothesis, humans <a href="http://etherplan.com/neocortex-size-as-a-constraint-on-group-size-in-primates.pdf">have actually evolved</a> to manage complex social relationships. This means that facilitating social relationships is one of the brain’s main tasks. </p>
<p>Schooling was severely affected by the pandemic lockdowns. This is <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/education-recovery-in-schools-spring-2022/education-recovery-in-schools-spring-2022">continuing to impact</a> on pupils’ learning according to a UK report by education standards agency Ofsted. In addition to other areas, language – particularly students’ speaking and listening skills – was negatively affected. </p>
<p>But the lockdowns also affected children’s personal development. And young children entering school recently also often lack the interaction skills to share and take turns in class. This may be down to fewer pre-school social experiences with other children.</p>
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<img alt="Child wearing medical face mask lying his head on teddy bear." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538267/original/file-20230719-15-1v06zc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/538267/original/file-20230719-15-1v06zc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=434&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538267/original/file-20230719-15-1v06zc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=434&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538267/original/file-20230719-15-1v06zc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=434&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538267/original/file-20230719-15-1v06zc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=546&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538267/original/file-20230719-15-1v06zc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=546&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/538267/original/file-20230719-15-1v06zc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=546&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Children missed out on social interactions during Covid.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/child-wearing-medical-face-mask-lying-1684044766">Ann in the uk/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>The Ofsted report ultimately concluded that children do not learn as well remotely. Previous research has shown that in-person interactions help children learn because they <a href="https://www.jneurosci.org/content/41/26/5687">make the experience more familiar</a>.</p>
<p>Furthermore, the absence rate at school has increased from pre-pandemic levels. According to a UK government report, persistent absence rates in the 2022/2023 academic year was 22%, <a href="https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/pupil-attendance-in-schools">up from 10.9%</a> in the <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/875275/Absence_3term.pdf">2018/2019 academic year</a>.</p>
<p>Given the importance of social interactions for brain, cognitive and social development, it is essential that adolescents get back into school to engage in academic activities and the social routines which were established prior to the COVID pandemic. This is the best way to promote social cognition, which will in turn boost educational attainment and wellbeing.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/209618/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian receives funding from the Leverhulme Trust and the Lundbeck Foundation. Her research work is conducted within the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) Mental Health and Neurodegeneration Themes and the NIHR MedTech and in vitro diagnostic Co-operative (MIC). She consults for Cambridge Cognition. Cambridge Enterprise has technology transferred Decoder to PEAK and PopReach. She receives royalties from PopReach.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Christelle Langley is funded by the Leverhulme Trust. Her research work is conducted within the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) Mental Health and Neurodegeneration Themes and the NIHR MedTech and in vitro diagnostic Co-operative (MIC).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Chun Shen receives funding from the National Natural Sciences Foundation of China and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jianfeng Feng does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Too few friends or too many friends can hamper children’s learning and cognition.Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, Professor of Clinical Neuropsychology, University of CambridgeChristelle Langley, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Cognitive Neuroscience, University of CambridgeChun Shen, Postdoctoral research fellow, Fudan UniversityJianfeng Feng, Professor of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Fudan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1949692023-01-03T13:27:22Z2023-01-03T13:27:22ZKick up your heels – ballroom dancing offers benefits to the aging brain and could help stave off dementia<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/500091/original/file-20221209-19531-psjcx1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=16%2C0%2C5450%2C3663&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Not only is it good aerobic exercise, but dancing may help the elderly with reasoning skills and memory.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/senior-couple-dancing-together-in-community-center-royalty-free-image/858729852?phrase=ballroom%20dancing%20elderly&adppopup=true">Thomas Barwick/Stone via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p><em>The <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/topics/research-brief-83231">Research Brief</a> is a short take about interesting academic work.</em> </p>
<h2>The big idea</h2>
<p>Social ballroom dancing can improve cognitive functions and reduce brain atrophy in older adults who are at increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. That’s the key finding of my team’s <a href="https://doi.org/10.1123/japa.2022-0176">recently published study</a> in the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity.</p>
<p>In our study, we enrolled 25 adults over 65 years of age in either six months of twice-weekly ballroom dancing classes or six months of twice-weekly treadmill walking classes. None of them were engaged in formal dancing or other exercise programs.</p>
<p>The overall goal was to see how each experience affected cognitive function and brain health. </p>
<p>While none of the study volunteers had a dementia diagnosis, all performed a bit lower than expected on at least one of our dementia screening tests. We found that older adults that completed six months of social dancing and those that completed six months of treadmill walking improved their executive functioning – an umbrella term for planning, reasoning and processing tasks that require attention.</p>
<p>Dancing, however, generated significantly greater improvements than treadmill walking on one measure of executive function and on processing speed, which is the time it takes to respond to or process information. Compared with walking, dancing was also associated with reduced brain atrophy in the hippocampus – a brain region that is key to memory functioning and is particularly affected by Alzheimer’s disease. Researchers also know that this part of our brain can undergo neurogenesis – or grow new neurons – <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0611721104">in response to aerobic exercise</a>. </p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Research shows those who regularly dance with a partner have a more positive outlook on life.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While several previous studies suggest that dancing has beneficial effects <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afaa270">on cognitive function in older adults</a>, only a few studies have compared it directly with traditional exercises. Our study is the first to observe both better cognitive function and improved brain health following dancing than walking in older adults at risk for dementia. We think that social dancing may be more beneficial than walking because it is physically, socially and cognitively demanding – and therefore strengthens a wide network of brain regions. </p>
<p>While dancing, you’re not only using brain regions that are important for physical movement. You’re also relying on brain regions that are important for interacting and adapting to the movements of your dancing partner, as well as those necessary for learning new dance steps or remembering those you’ve learned already. </p>
<h2>Why it matters</h2>
<p>Nearly 6 million older adults in the U.S. and 55 million worldwide <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jalz.2019.01.010">have Alzheimer’s disease</a> or a <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dementia">related dementia</a>, yet there is no cure. Sadly, the efficacy and ethics surrounding recently developed drug treatments <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/21507740.2022.2129858">are still under debate</a>. </p>
<p>The good news is that older adults can potentially <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30367-6">lower their risk for dementia</a> through lifestyle interventions, even later in life. These include reducing social isolation and physical inactivity. </p>
<p>Social ballroom dancing targets both isolation and inactivity. In these later stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, a better understanding of the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/23337214211005223">indirect effects of COVID-19</a> – particularly those that increase dementia risk, such as social isolation – is urgently needed. In my view, early intervention is critical to prevent dementia from becoming the next pandemic.
Social dancing could be a particularly timely way to overcome the adverse cognitive and brain effects associated with isolation and fewer social interactions during the pandemic.</p>
<h2>What still isn’t known</h2>
<p>Traditional aerobic exercise interventions such as treadmill-walking or running have been shown to lead to modest but reliable improvements in cognition – <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691617707316">particularly in executive function</a>. </p>
<p>My team’s study builds on that research and provides preliminary evidence that not all exercise is equal when it comes to brain health. Yet our sample size was quite small, and larger studies are needed to confirm these initial findings. Additional studies are also needed to determine the optimal length, frequency and intensity of dancing classes that may result in positive changes. </p>
<p>Lifestyle interventions like social ballroom dancing are a promising, noninvasive and cost-effective path toward staving off dementia as we – eventually – leave the COVID-19 pandemic behind.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/194969/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Helena Blumen receives funding from National Institute on Aging</span></em></p>Dancing requires physical, social and cognitive engagement and, as a result, it may bolster a wide network of brain regions.Helena Blumen, Associate Professor of Medicine and Neurology, Albert Einstein College of MedicineLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1940392022-11-09T19:00:30Z2022-11-09T19:00:30Z‘Phubbing’: snubbing your loved ones for your phone can do more damage than you realise<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494347/original/file-20221109-18-o5zngv.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=22%2C44%2C7326%2C4858&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>It’s pretty normal to walk through a university campus and see students sitting together, yet ignoring each other for their smartphones – but not in Spain. I’m currently visiting the University of Navarra, where each time I pass the open space outside the <a href="https://en.unav.edu/web/institute-for-culture-and-society">Institute for Culture and Society</a>, I see the vast majority of students talking to each other without their phones in hand.</p>
<p><a href="https://en.unav.edu/web/institute-for-culture-and-society/groups/vinculos-creatividad-y-cultura/about-us">As Inés Olza</a>, a linguist from the institute, explains:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>In Spain people like to talk. For them, a conversation is a cooperative process; silence makes them uncomfortable.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This is great news for these students, because ignoring people in favour of a phone – an act known as “<a href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/words-at-play/phubbing-words-we%27re-watching#:%7E:text='Phubbing'%20is%20the%20act%20of,various%20media%20the%20world%20over.">phubbing</a>”, or phone snubbing – has dire consequences. </p>
<p>Earlier this month I published a book called <a href="https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-19-7045-0?sap-outbound-id=1D0544CDA8E55C52EC8B35B37FD2703EC49EE722">The Psychology of Phubbing</a>. In it, I build on my previous research into phubbing, and synthesise findings from 170 other studies – mostly on the effects of phubbing in important relationships such as with partners, supervisors, friends and family members.</p>
<p>Thr research reveals just how serious phubbing can be.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494066/original/file-20221108-12-s5qxvg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494066/original/file-20221108-12-s5qxvg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=172&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494066/original/file-20221108-12-s5qxvg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=172&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494066/original/file-20221108-12-s5qxvg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=172&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494066/original/file-20221108-12-s5qxvg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=217&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494066/original/file-20221108-12-s5qxvg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=217&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494066/original/file-20221108-12-s5qxvg.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=217&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">It’s nice to see students at the University of Navarra gathering and talking without their phones in the way.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Phubbing trends</h2>
<p>People phub in all situations: while commuting, at cafes, while waiting for the bus, during work meetings, in restaurants, at the dinner table, and in bed. They mostly phub others to browse the web, check their bank app, use Google maps and, of course, to <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-030-44267-5_36">check social media</a>.</p>
<p>People are also more likely to phub those closest to them. For instance, study participants phubbed their partners the most, followed by their closest friends, siblings, children and parents. Younger people phubbed more than older people, but there was no noticeable difference between how often males and females phubbed. </p>
<p>Here’s what the consequences were of phubbing one’s children, partners, staff, friends and family members.</p>
<h2>Children</h2>
<p>When parents phubbed their children, this sent the message their parents weren’t interested in them. The lack of acceptance felt by the children made them feel rejected and socially disconnected. This was associated with lower <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/CCH.12839">life satisfaction</a>, and increased <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/S11469-021-00535-W">anxiety</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00223980.2022.2044745">depression</a>. </p>
<p>Phubbed children were more likely to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CHILDYOUTH.2019.104426">become addicted</a> to their smartphones, and displayed <a href="https://doi.org/10.1002/ab.21994">hostile</a> behaviour online, such as by cyberbullying their peers. Some even experienced academic burnout.</p>
<h2>Partners</h2>
<p>In partnerships, phubbing led to increased conflict related to smartphone use. It often made the phubbed partner feel <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/690940">excluded</a>, which resulted in less <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CHB.2019.06.004">intimacy</a>, reduced satisfaction <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/J.CHB.2021.106932">with the relationship</a> and in turn led to reduced life satisfaction.</p>
<p>In some cases phubbed partners felt <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407521996454">jealous</a> because they were worried their partner may be pursuing someone else romantically. This intensified their <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407521996454">anxiety</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.3390/IJERPH17218152">depression</a> and lowered their wellbeing. </p>
<p>Phubbed partners would also spend excessive amounts of time on social media, possibly to regain some of the attention lost at the hands of their partner’s smartphone habit.</p>
<h2>Employees</h2>
<p>In workplace settings, a boss phubbing their employees diminished the employees’ <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/J.PAID.2019.109702">trust in their boss</a>. This led to lower engagement with their work, decreased <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/J.PAID.2019.109702">job satisfaction</a> and poorer <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2017.05.021">performance in general</a>. </p>
<p>Phubbing made employees feel socially excluded, lowered their motivation and even threatened their self-esteem. To retaliate, employees resorted to misusing the internet at work. </p>
<p>What’s worse is that being phubbed by a boss led to employees phubbing their other colleagues.</p>
<h2>Family and friends</h2>
<p>Being phubbed by a family member violated the phubbed person’s expectations and made them feel like they don’t matter to the phubber. This weakened their connection to the phubber, lowered their <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2050157919872238">life satisfaction</a>, and increased their <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0894439318754490">loneliness</a> and depression. </p>
<p>In a similar vein, phubbed friends felt <a href="https://doi.org/10.22122/ahj.v11i1.539">socially disconnected</a>. This lowered their friendship satisfaction and life satisfaction and – once more – increased their anxiety and depression. Phubbed friends were also driven to seeking attention on social media.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494348/original/file-20221109-13-a4qjc0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A group of young people sit at a round table, some occupied by their phones" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494348/original/file-20221109-13-a4qjc0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/494348/original/file-20221109-13-a4qjc0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494348/original/file-20221109-13-a4qjc0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494348/original/file-20221109-13-a4qjc0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494348/original/file-20221109-13-a4qjc0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494348/original/file-20221109-13-a4qjc0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/494348/original/file-20221109-13-a4qjc0.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">People who get phubbed by their friends are more likely to go to social media for attention.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>How to reduce phubbing</h2>
<p>If there’s someone in your life who phubs you, you should try to calmly bring it up. This might be as simple as saying “Hey, can I please have your attention?”</p>
<p>But this may only stop the act once. If it keeps happening – which will be more likely if the phubber is addicted to their phone and/or social media – you’ll need to have a more considered conversation.</p>
<p>Explain how being phubbed affects you and why it needs to stop. It can also help to set ground rules around phone use when you’re together. For instance, parents can establish rules around using phones while eating dinner, and partners can decide to put their phones away before going to bed. </p>
<p>If you’re concerned you may be a phubber, think long and hard about how you use your phone around others. If you catch yourself phubbing, stop and make a commitment to avoid it in the future. </p>
<p>If you’re with someone and absolutely <em>must</em> phub them, do this as considerately as possible. You could say “Sorry, I have to quickly check this/send this text”, or “This is urgent”. And try to keep it short. These small acts can go a long way in reducing the effect of phubbing on the phubbed person. </p>
<p>If your phubbing is out of control, you may have a problematic dependency on your smartphone and/or social media – or maybe a boss who expects you to work at all hours.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/want-to-delete-your-social-media-but-cant-bring-yourself-to-do-it-here-are-some-ways-to-take-that-step-176149">Want to delete your social media, but can't bring yourself to do it? Here are some ways to take that step</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Help us find out more</h2>
<p>Researchers don’t really know the effects of phubbing on family members other than partners and children. My colleagues and I are conducting a study on the impact on parents who are phubbed by their children. If this applies to you, you can <a href="https://csufobjbs.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2f5u5Lt1ImOdEJU">help us find out more</a>. </p>
<p>We’re also investigating the consequences of young people being phubbed by their friends. If you’re between 18 and 24, consider <a href="https://csufobjbs.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eaZS1JTJntwVAwe">participating in our study</a>.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/phubbing-phone-snubbing-happens-more-in-the-bedroom-than-when-socialising-with-friends-105966">Phubbing (phone snubbing) happens more in the bedroom than when socialising with friends</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/194039/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Visiting Research Fellow, Institute for Culture and Society (ICS), The University of Navarra, Spain</span></em></p>Phubbing or ‘phone snubbing’ is when prioritise your phone over the people in your company – and it sucks. Here’s how to stop it.Yeslam Al-Saggaf, Associate Professor, Charles Sturt UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1808512022-05-18T14:37:07Z2022-05-18T14:37:07Z‘How are you?’: Is it time for greater authenticity in how we ask and answer this question?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/461633/original/file-20220505-12066-y8sya8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=7%2C0%2C5160%2C3437&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">It’s safe to say that quite often, there’s an unspoken expectation that discourages honest replies.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Erika Giraud/Unsplash)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>As the effects of the pandemic and other global crises stack up, leaving many <a href="https://cmha.ca/how-are-we-feeling-canadians-are-worried-bored-stressed-lonely-and-sad/">feeling beleaguered and emotionally worn</a>, our usually polite answers to the question, “<a href="https://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/how+do+you+do">How are you?</a>” are being challenged. </p>
<p>Responding with, “Fine thanks, and you?” can feel inadequate, inappropriate and sometimes even unmanageable. Perhaps what we’ve actually been communicating through this interaction is, “I acknowledge your existence.” </p>
<p>As many of us continue to experience <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-81780-w">limited social interactions due to the pandemic</a>, those we do have might hold heightened importance. So we find ourselves asking whether there is room for greater authenticity in how we negotiate this established social grace. Can we respond in ways that extend beyond a mere greeting, in a manner that is both authentic and polite?</p>
<h2>Canadian politeness: fact or fiction?</h2>
<p>The “nice, polite Canadian” is an <a href="https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20150311-can-canada-teach-the-rest-of-us-to-be-nicer">internationally recognized</a> identity, that in reality is likely <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/canada-150/2017/06/28/are-canadians-really-that-polite-we-put-the-myth-to-the-rush-hour-test.html">something of a myth</a>. Fictitious or not, <a href="https://www.macleans.ca/culture/do-canadians-deserve-their-reputation-for-being-nice/">polite exchange is still valued</a> and abundantly common. </p>
<p>When we connect with others, at work and in our personal lives, many of us start by asking, “How are you?” Within this longstanding and widely accepted part of Canadian social discourse is another truism: <a href="https://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/iaccp_papers/157/">we don’t necessarily expect to give or receive honest answers</a> to this question.</p>
<p>In fact, it’s safe to say that quite often, there’s an unspoken expectation that discourages honest replies. In those situations when the customary answer, “Fine thanks,” is replaced by a lengthier, less positive response, a palpable awkwardness can be instantaneous.</p>
<p>Responding with “Fine thanks, and you?” keeps things tidy. It doesn’t ask the receiver to bare emotional burdens, and it keeps private the more intimate thoughts and feelings attached to personal struggles. Feelings of vulnerability and inadequacy, that are <a href="https://www.ted.com/talks/brene_brown_the_power_of_vulnerability">usually greater in times of personal struggle</a>, can also cause us to worry that we might be judged if we respond honestly. </p>
<p>And, in those times when it takes all we have to keep ourselves from falling apart, we might fear that being asked, “How are you?” could tip us into unravelling.</p>
<p>So, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0014387">we tend to play it safe</a>. But is this superficial social relational dance really about being polite? Or, are there other reasons that might explain why we tend to avoid getting too personal when we greet each other? Could there be something in the communal psyche that discourages us from sharing our truths?</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man and a woman fist bump" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/461636/original/file-20220505-19-mm1v2u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/461636/original/file-20220505-19-mm1v2u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461636/original/file-20220505-19-mm1v2u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461636/original/file-20220505-19-mm1v2u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461636/original/file-20220505-19-mm1v2u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461636/original/file-20220505-19-mm1v2u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461636/original/file-20220505-19-mm1v2u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Are simple greetings more important now than they’ve ever been?</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Seeing oneself as a bother</h2>
<p>Many worry that telling someone honestly how they’re doing <a href="https://fangirltherapy.medium.com/taking-up-space-the-anxiety-of-being-annoying-27266f6a362c">might be received as a bother</a>, and asking someone how they’re really doing might be construed as an intrusion. </p>
<p>But these well-honed efforts are often intended to prevent internal discomfort that might be felt, and <a href="https://medium.com/who-broke-your-heart/uncomfortable-authenticity-8f958c50309d">potential discomfort</a> that might result, when these widely regarded social-relational boundaries are overstepped.</p>
<p>On the one hand, it can be argued that telling someone how we are really doing is equal to asking them to “hold our stuff.” However, we also know that sharing intimate thoughts and feelings is a <a href="https://chironpublications.com/shop/the-sacred-cauldron/">core feature of psychotherapy</a>, and that telling our stories to enable physical and emotional healing is foundational to <a href="https://www.innertraditions.com/books/narrative-medicine">narrative medicine</a>. </p>
<p>As the saying goes, “a problem shared is a problem halved.” The value of releasing pent-up feelings as a means of unburdening has a lengthy history. The <a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-catharsis-2794968">notion of catharsis</a> — emotional release following the expression of repressed emotions — dates back to the time of Plato and his pupil, Aristotle, when it was felt that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/h0088525">a purging following dramatic arousal of emotion</a> had therapeutic value. </p>
<p>Not surprisingly, the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037%2F1089-2680.5.3.187">desire to self-disclose</a> is often stronger during times when emotional burdens feel heaviest, creating a more intense need for the feeling of release that comes with unburdening. </p>
<p>In addition, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.117.3.497">the need to belong</a> is a fundamental human desire, and sharing our feelings with others can enhance our sense of connectedness. The critical nature of this to <a href="https://worldhappiness.report/ed/2021/social-connection-and-well-being-during-covid-19/">overall well-being</a> has been further highlighted by the pandemic.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man reaches out his hand to someone else" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/461637/original/file-20220505-17-b465v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/461637/original/file-20220505-17-b465v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461637/original/file-20220505-17-b465v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461637/original/file-20220505-17-b465v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461637/original/file-20220505-17-b465v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461637/original/file-20220505-17-b465v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/461637/original/file-20220505-17-b465v.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The desire to self-disclose is often stronger during times when emotional burdens feel heaviest.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Is it time for greater authenticity?</h2>
<p>Just as important as it is to consider our responses to the age-old question, “How are you?” (or more accurately, “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00393274.2017.1358662%22%22">How do you do?</a>”), is introspection about why and how we ask it. </p>
<p>If we simply intend “How are you?” to serve as a greeting or a sort of social lubricant, perhaps we don’t expect or want an authentic response. If, however, we are intent on delving beyond this formality, toward <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00131946.2016.1269492">connection and meaning in our interactions with others</a>, perhaps there are ways we can ask this question that are more meaningful, genuine and compassionate.</p>
<p>In this <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/sudbury/northeastern-ontario-covid-costs-1.6407380">sixth wave</a> of the pandemic, <a href="https://www.mhrc.ca/national-polling-covid">emotional weariness</a> is becoming increasingly evident, and is being compounded by numerous other global calamities. There’s a lot to take in, while <a href="https://time.com/6076596/relationship-lessons-during-covid-19/">so much about how we interact with each other has changed</a>. </p>
<p>As we consider how our growing collective emotional fatigue might be impacting our <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/family/archive/2020/04/should-i-still-say-how-are-you-during-a-pandemic/610639/">usually polite rules of social engagement</a>, we can’t help but ask if our longstanding allegiance to polite greeting is being confronted by a <a href="https://www.amazeworks.org/building-and-sustaining-relationships-through-this-ongoing-pandemic/">pandemic inspired thirst for greater authenticity</a>. Is it time for us to overhaul this longstanding symbol of social grace?</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/180851/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Is it time for us to overhaul this longstanding symbol of social grace?Marnie Wedlake, Assistant Professor of Mental Health & Wellness; Registered Psychotherapist, Western UniversityJennifer Irwin, Professor, Faculty of Health Sciences, Western UniversityShauna Burke, Associate professor, School of Health Studies, Western UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1767692022-02-24T13:54:01Z2022-02-24T13:54:01ZHow the presence of pets builds trust among people<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/447866/original/file-20220222-19-1ab9poz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C24%2C8164%2C6086&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Pet ownership can often enhance feelings of trust among strangers.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/seniors-friendly-talk-in-the-neighborhood-royalty-free-image/1055217100?adppopup=true"> FOTOGRAFIA INC./Collections E+ via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Companion animals are a core part of family life in the United States, with <a href="https://www.americanpetproducts.org/press_industrytrends.asp">90 million American households</a> having at least one pet. Many of us view pets as beloved family members who provide nonjudgmental <a href="https://doi.org/10.2752/089279309X12538695316149">emotional support and companionship during times of stress</a>. </p>
<p>That’s not all. Research shows our pets can also strengthen our relationships and trust with other people. In addition, pets contribute positively to trust in our broader social communities. </p>
<h2>Companion animals as social facilitators</h2>
<p>As many of us know, animals provide an avenue for approaching another person socially, serving as a conversational starting point for connection. Pet ownership alone could be a source of shared interest and knowledge, even among people who may not have similar interests otherwise. </p>
<p>Simply walking down the street with a dog can lead to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1348/000712600161673">significantly more social interactions</a> than walking without a dog. Assistance dogs can also facilitate these interactions. One study found that individuals using a wheelchair were more likely to be approached when their <a href="https://doi.org/10.2752/089279388787058696">assistance animal was present</a>. </p>
<p>The presence of an animal can also enhance perceptions of trustworthiness and responsibility, which in turn fosters positive social interactions. Researchers found that people were <a href="https://doi.org/10.2752/175303708X371564">more likely to help a stranger with a dog</a> than one without a dog, suggesting that the presence of an animal conferred perceptions of trust. </p>
<p>For children, interacting with a pet can also provide an additional opportunity to practice positive social interactions and <a href="https://doi.org/10.2752/089279309X12538695316383">develop empathy</a> and <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/14/5/490/htm">compassion</a>. Recent research indicates that living with dogs is associated with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2021.1878680">better social and emotional skills for children</a>. In our own research at the <a href="http://sites.tufts.edu/tpawlab/">Tufts Pets and Well-Being Lab</a>, we also found that teenagers with high levels of attachment to their pets were likely to have higher <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10888691.2014.864205">levels of social skills and empathy toward others</a> than those without such attachments. </p>
<h2>Pets and social capital</h2>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man walking his dog bends down to pet a woman's dog on a neighborhood street." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/447868/original/file-20220222-23-1jsr16x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/447868/original/file-20220222-23-1jsr16x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447868/original/file-20220222-23-1jsr16x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447868/original/file-20220222-23-1jsr16x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447868/original/file-20220222-23-1jsr16x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447868/original/file-20220222-23-1jsr16x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/447868/original/file-20220222-23-1jsr16x.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Two neighbors stop for a conversation while walking their dogs.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/living-with-pets-businessman-and-the-morning-dog-royalty-free-image/841762168?adppopup=true">Spiderplay/Collection E+ via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Pets have also been shown to foster social capital in communities. <a href="https://www.socialcapitalresearch.com/literature/definition/">Social capital</a> is a concept that encompasses the broader community and neighborhood networks of social relationships, and the degree to which the community has a culture of helping others. The trust inherent in these connections can <a href="https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230287624_5">lead to better health and well-being</a>. </p>
<p>Interestingly, pet owners have consistently reported <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2017.05.002">higher levels of social capital in their communities than people without pets</a>, both in the United States and internationally. </p>
<p>In addition to social facilitation, pets can contribute to social capital by strengthening social trust within communities. Neighbors may rely on one another to assist with animal care, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2005.01.017">which builds reciprocal trust</a>. Pet owners’ use of shared spaces, such as dog parks or green spaces, can lead to better social relationships.</p>
<p>In spite of it, during the COVID-19 pandemic <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2022.2027093">dog owners were more likely than those without dogs to go for regular walks outdoors</a>, providing an opportunity for community engagement during a period of extreme social isolation. The presence of an animal has even been found to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/08927936.2017.1270595">increase positive social interactions in the workplace</a>. </p>
<p>While evidence continues to support the idea that pets foster positive interactions between people, animals are not a universal solution for creating trust. There is still a lot we need to learn about the interrelated relationships between pets and people. </p>
<p>[<em>Get fascinating science, health and technology news.</em> <a href="https://memberservices.theconversation.com/newsletters/?nl=science&source=inline-science-fascinating">Sign up for The Conversation’s weekly science newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/176769/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Megan K Mueller receives funding from the National Institutes of Health, the Human Animal Bond Research Institute, and the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation. The content is solely the responsibility of the author and does not represent the official views of the funders.</span></em></p>The presence of pets makes people seem more trustworthy, research has found. People are more likely to help a stranger with a dog or another pet than a person without one.Megan K Mueller, Associate Professor of Human-Animal Interaction, Tufts UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1694622021-10-25T01:02:53Z2021-10-25T01:02:53ZHow to support a person with dementia as lockdowns ease<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/427718/original/file-20211021-19-i7n81o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C1%2C1000%2C664&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/female-home-carer-supporting-old-woman-1815235466">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Lockdowns lasting months in some states have seen tight restrictions on visitors to nursing homes. So as lockdowns ease, and if you’re vaccinated, you might be planning a happy reunion with your friend or family.</p>
<p>If your loved one has dementia, you might be wondering if their symptoms have worsened in lockdown, or if they remember who you are.</p>
<p>Here’s what to look out for on your first visit after lockdowns end, and how to support your loved one after that.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-people-with-dementia-dont-all-behave-the-same-100960">Why people with dementia don't all behave the same</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Expect some decline</h2>
<p>Lockdowns can result in decline in people with dementia, particularly those living in nursing homes.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/eclinm/article/PIIS2589-5370(21)00327-8/fulltext">Research</a> from lockdowns in 2020 showed people with dementia had more trouble thinking and problem solving. Their behaviour and mood worsened. Some studies showed people were less able to do things around the home or look after themselves. </p>
<p>Keeping mentally, physically and socially active helps people with dementia maintain their brain and thinking. But in lockdown, when people with dementia did less, they exercised their brains and bodies less.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-best-to-celebrate-christmas-with-a-person-with-dementia-21110">How best to celebrate Christmas with a person with dementia</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Lockdowns not only meant a ban on visitors to nursing homes, but limited stimulation from group activities, such as concerts, visits from schools and bus outings.</p>
<p>During lockdowns, nursing home residents (<a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/australias-health/dementia">more than half</a> have dementia) also got worse in terms of their <a href="https://ltccovid.org/2021/01/19/safe-visiting-at-care-homes-during-covid-19-a-review-of-international-guidelines-and-emerging-practices-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/">thinking and well-being</a>. </p>
<p>Residents sometimes didn’t understand why they couldn’t move freely around the nursing home, and why their loved ones had stopped visiting. This led to increases in behaviours, such as agitation.</p>
<p>After lockdowns began, there has been <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/laneur/article/PIIS1474-4422(20)30370-7/fulltext">an increase</a> <a href="https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.11.26.20239525v1.full-text">in prescriptions</a> of psychotropic medications reported internationally. These medications are used in nursing homes to manage behaviours such as aggression and agitation.</p>
<h2>The first visit can be difficult</h2>
<p>Some families might be worried about their first visit in several months to a person living with dementia. </p>
<p>They might be concerned their loved one has gotten worse, or scared they won’t recognise them. </p>
<p>But it may help to think of visits as providing really important mental stimulation and human connection for your loved one, even though visits might be difficult emotionally for you. </p>
<p>Introduce yourself: “Hi Dad, it’s Ali”, if it looks like your loved one can’t quite place who you are or your name. </p>
<p>Read their reactions to you. If they need time to warm up to you (which might be disappointing if you are close), chat with someone else who is there. The person might enjoy your company even if they aren’t actively participating in the conversation at first.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/427719/original/file-20211021-14-bal18c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Elderly lady doing crafts with a carer, outside at a table" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/427719/original/file-20211021-14-bal18c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/427719/original/file-20211021-14-bal18c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/427719/original/file-20211021-14-bal18c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/427719/original/file-20211021-14-bal18c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=358&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/427719/original/file-20211021-14-bal18c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/427719/original/file-20211021-14-bal18c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/427719/original/file-20211021-14-bal18c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=449&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Prepare an activity to do together, based on their interests.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/elderly-woman-caregiver-needle-crafts-occupational-1770495194">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Then invite them to participate in the conversation by asking them their opinion: “How is the dog going?” or “I’m looking forward to going to the hairdresser, how about you?”.</p>
<p>Prepare an activity to do together based on their interests. You could walk in the garden, browse a magazine about the royal family, sing along to a favourite album.</p>
<p>If it’s a noisy gathering, find a quiet spot for one-on-one conversation, as the person may have trouble focusing when there are several people talking at once.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/five-tips-on-how-to-talk-to-kids-about-dementia-46924">Five tips on how to talk to kids about dementia</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>Let them know when you’ll be back</h2>
<p>Because of your long separation, your loved one might be quite emotional or clingy when you are leaving. </p>
<p>Let them know when you’ll be coming again. You can write this down in their calendar, or on a card to give them. You can also tell the nursing home staff so they can remind them. </p>
<p>You can also leave a visual reminder of your visit. This could be a card or photograph, or some flowers with a note.</p>
<p>If possible, get back into a visiting routine.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/427721/original/file-20211021-18-4ruhtz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Elderly woman with bunch of flowers hugging child" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/427721/original/file-20211021-18-4ruhtz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/427721/original/file-20211021-18-4ruhtz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/427721/original/file-20211021-18-4ruhtz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/427721/original/file-20211021-18-4ruhtz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/427721/original/file-20211021-18-4ruhtz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/427721/original/file-20211021-18-4ruhtz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/427721/original/file-20211021-18-4ruhtz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">You could leave some flowers and card as a physical reminder of your visit.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/thank-you-my-dear-excited-aged-1822626431">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>If you notice a decline</h2>
<p>Families are more likely to notice small or marked changes in their loved one’s abilities if they have not seen them for several months. That might mean noticing early signs of dementia or worsening symptoms if they’ve already been diagnosed with it.</p>
<p>So this can be a <a href="https://www.health.qld.gov.au/news-events/news/dementia-signs-symptoms-recognise-what-to-do">delicate conversation</a> to have with your loved one.</p>
<p>Many people can be defensive or in denial about changes, put it down to “old age”, and are afraid about having dementia. </p>
<p>You might need to have the conversation several times to get them to see the doctor. Call the <a href="https://www.dementia.org.au/helpline">National Dementia Helpline</a> on 1800 100 500 for advice.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-check-if-your-mum-or-dads-nursing-home-is-up-to-scratch-123449">How to check if your mum or dad's nursing home is up to scratch</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>In the longer term, consider rehab</h2>
<p>Rehabilitation <a href="https://www.elsevier.com/books/dementia-rehabilitation/low/978-0-12-818685-5">helps people</a> with dementia. So it’s worth looking into what support services your loved one might need.</p>
<p>A psychologist can help with strategies to manage <a href="https://www.forwardwithdementia.org/au/article/therapies-to-help-memory-and-thinking/">memory and thinking</a>; an occupational therapist can help with doing <a href="https://www.forwardwithdementia.org/au/article/speech-and-occupational-therapy/">day-to-day things around the house</a>; an exercise physiologist or physiotherapist can help with mobility; and a speech pathologist can help with <a href="https://www.forwardwithdementia.org/au/article/speech-and-occupational-therapy/">communication</a>. </p>
<p>Family carers can talk to their loved one’s dementia specialist, or ask their GP for a <a href="https://www1.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/mbsprimarycare-chronicdisease-pdf-infosheet">Chronic Disease Management Plan</a> for some subsidised rehabilitation sessions.</p>
<h2>If you’re not the main carer</h2>
<p>If you’re not the main family carer, make sure that person has some support. Ask how they are feeling and what support you can offer. </p>
<p>Carers have been <a href="https://academic.oup.com/ageing/advance-article/doi/10.1093/ageing/afab156/6315067">providing more help</a> during lockdowns to people with dementia living in the community. That’s because there have been fewer services on offer, and as people with dementia needed help to comply with restrictions. </p>
<p>Offer to spend some time with the person with dementia so the carer can have a break. Or take the carer out for a meal and some social time now restrictions have eased.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/169462/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lee-Fay Low receives or has received funding from the NHMRC, Federal Department of Health, NSW Government, aged care providers such as HammondCare and The Whiddon Group, and not-for-profit organisations such as Dementia Australia and The Benevolent Society. </span></em></p>Keeping mentally, physically and socially active helps people with dementia maintain their brain and thinking. But in lockdown, when people with dementia did less, this can lead to a decline.Lee-Fay Low, Professor in Ageing and Health, University of SydneyLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1614672021-05-27T17:53:31Z2021-05-27T17:53:31ZGoing beyond ‘back to normal’ – 5 research-based tips for emerging from pandemic life<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/403145/original/file-20210527-23-1k3re5s.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=32%2C0%2C4997%2C3375&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">You don't need to pick up exactly where you left off; you can think about how you want your life to look.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/portrait-of-mature-businesswoman-working-on-laptop-royalty-free-image/1097994624">Thomas Barwick/DigitalVision via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>You’ve been waiting… and waiting… and waiting for this amazing, magical day when you could return to “normal life.”</p>
<p>For many people in the U.S., it feels like that dim light at the end of the pandemic tunnel is becoming brighter. My 12- and 14-year-old daughters now have their first shot, with the second one soon to follow. I was euphoric when the kids received their vaccinations, choking up under my mask at the relief that my family was now unlikely to get sick or pass the coronavirus on to others more vulnerable than we are. Finally our family could start returning to so-called normal life.</p>
<p>But what should those of us fortunate enough to be vaccinated return to? I didn’t exactly feel euphoric each day in my normal life pre-COVID-19. How should you choose what to rebuild, what to leave behind and what new paths to try for the first time? <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=zYSMPmcAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao">Clinical psychological science</a> provides some helpful clues for how to chart your course out of pandemic life.</p>
<h2>1. Set realistic expectations</h2>
<p>You are less likely to be disappointed if you <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.65.1.79">set reasonable expectations</a>.</p>
<p>For instance, you’ll likely feel some anxiety as you try to figure out what’s OK to do and what’s still risky. Even as the risk level has declined in many places, there is still uncertainty and unpredictability tied to the current coronavirus risks, and it’s natural to feel <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/a0016830">anxious or ambivalent when letting go of an established habit</a>, like wearing masks. So, be ready for some anxiety and realize it doesn’t mean something is wrong – it’s a natural reaction to a very unnatural situation.</p>
<p>It’s also likely that many social interactions will feel a little awkward at first. Most Americans are out of practice socializing, and <a href="https://www.apa.org/ptsd-guideline/patients-and-families/exposure-therapy">repeated practice is what helps us feel comfortable</a>.</p>
<p>Even if your social skills were at their peak, the current moment serves up a lot to navigate interpersonally. Chances are you won’t always agree with the people in your life on where to draw the lines about what’s safe and what’s not. There are going to be some complicated July Fourth parties to navigate given many families have some members vaccinated and some not. That will be frustrating after waiting so long to finally get together.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/403147/original/file-20210527-17-1ezzbh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="woman in a car's driver's seat covers her face with her hands" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/403147/original/file-20210527-17-1ezzbh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/403147/original/file-20210527-17-1ezzbh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403147/original/file-20210527-17-1ezzbh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403147/original/file-20210527-17-1ezzbh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403147/original/file-20210527-17-1ezzbh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403147/original/file-20210527-17-1ezzbh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403147/original/file-20210527-17-1ezzbh4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Pre-pandemic life wasn’t perfect – don’t idealize what it will be like to get back to the way things were.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/sad-businesswoman-driver-sitting-in-car-royalty-free-image/878990826">baona/E+ via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>And you won’t automatically have warm, fuzzy feelings about all your colleagues, family, friends and neighbors. Many of those little annoyances that cropped up in your interactions before you ever heard of COVID-19 will still be there.</p>
<p>So, expect some awkwardness, frustration and annoyance – everyone’s creating new patterns and adjusting to changed relationships. This should all get easier with time and practice, but having realistic expectations can make the transition smoother. </p>
<h2>2. Live your values</h2>
<p>To help plan which activities and relationships to put time into, think about your priorities.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kathleen-Palm-Reed/publication/232494484_Acceptance_Mindfulness_and_Trauma/links/00b7d51a7934787fb2000000/Acceptance-Mindfulness-and-Trauma.pdf#page=137">Living in ways that are consistent with your values</a> can promote well-being and reduce anxiety and depression. <a href="https://www.guilford.com/books/Acceptance-and-Commitment-Therapy/Hayes-Strosahl-Wilson/9781462528943">Many therapeutic exercises</a> are designed to help reduce the discrepancy between your stated values and the choices you make day to day.</p>
<p>Imagine you are asked to carve a pie to illustrate your different roles and how important each is to the way you feel about yourself and the values you prioritize. You might value your roles as a mother, a spouse and a friend most highly, assigning them the biggest pieces of your pie.</p>
<p><iframe id="OYom5" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/OYom5/1/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>Now, what if you were asked to carve that pie in a way that reflects how you actually allocate your time and energy, or how you actually tend to evaluate yourself. Is the time you spend with friends much lower than its value to you? Is the tendency to judge yourself based on rigid work demands much higher?</p>
<p><iframe id="zSYQc" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/zSYQc/3/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>Of course, time is not the only meaningful metric, and all of us have periods when certain parts of our lives need to dominate – think about life as a parent of a newborn, or a student during final exams. But this process of considering your values and trying to align what you value and how you live can help guide your choices during this complex time.</p>
<h2>3. Keep track</h2>
<p><a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2014-05860-011">Clinical psychologists recommend</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2016.06.046">engaging in activities that feel rewarding</a> in some way to stave off negative moods. Doing things that are pleasurable, that provide a sense of accomplishment or help you meet your goals can all feel rewarding, so this isn’t just about having fun.</p>
<p>For most people, some balance of fun, productive, social, active and relaxing activities in life is key to feeling like your different needs are being met. So, try keeping track of your activities and mood for a week. See when you feel more or less happy and when you feel like you’re meeting your goals, and adjust accordingly. It will take some trial and error to find the balance of activities that provides that sense of reward.</p>
<h2>4. Is this a time of growth or preservation?</h2>
<p>There is fascinating research showing that the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024569803230">perception of time can influence your goals and motivation</a>. If you feel time is waning – as often occurs for older adults or those experiencing a serious illness – you are likely to seek deeper connections with a smaller number of people. Alternatively, those who feel time is open-ended and expansive tend to seek new relationships and experiences.</p>
<p>As restrictions loosen, are you desperate to visit a close friend in the town you grew up in? Or more excited to travel to an exotic location and make new friends? There isn’t a right answer, but this research can help you consider your current priorities and plan that next reunion or trip accordingly.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/403149/original/file-20210527-19-1gn4tg5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="older man smiles up at younger man with his arm around his shoulders" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/403149/original/file-20210527-19-1gn4tg5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/403149/original/file-20210527-19-1gn4tg5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403149/original/file-20210527-19-1gn4tg5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403149/original/file-20210527-19-1gn4tg5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403149/original/file-20210527-19-1gn4tg5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403149/original/file-20210527-19-1gn4tg5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/403149/original/file-20210527-19-1gn4tg5.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Helping others ends up benefiting you, too.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/senior-man-smiling-at-young-man-royalty-free-image/946924454">Westend61 via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>5. Recognize your privilege and pay it forward</h2>
<p>If you are vaccinated and healthy and can return to more normal activities, then you are in a fortunate group after a year of such devastating losses. As you plan how to use this time, consider the research showing that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2018.02.014">your emotional health improves when you do things to benefit others</a>.</p>
<p>Being intentional about helping others is a win-win. Many people and communities are in need right now, so think about how you can contribute – be it time, money, resources, skills or a listening ear. Asking what your community needs to recover and thrive and how you can help address those needs, as well as considering what you and your household need, can boost everyone’s well-being.</p>
<p>As the return to so-called normal life becomes more of a reality, don’t idealize post-pandemic life or you are bound to be disappointed. Instead, be grateful and intentional about what you choose to do with this gift of a reboot. With a little thought, you can do better than “normal.”</p>
<p>[<em>Research into coronavirus and other news from science</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/science-editors-picks-71/?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=science-corona-research">Subscribe to The Conversation’s new science newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/161467/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bethany Teachman receives funding from the National Institute of Mental Health and grants from the University of Virginia. She is the Director of the MindTrails site.</span></em></p>After more than a year of idealizing life without COVID-19, people are starting to reenter ‘normal’ life. Clinical psychology provides guidance on how to prepare for your post-pandemic reboot.Bethany Teachman, Professor of Psychology, University of VirginiaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1562312021-03-02T09:19:54Z2021-03-02T09:19:54ZOnly 2% of conversations end when we want them to – here’s why that’s cause for celebration<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387008/original/file-20210301-15-1f6l0pk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=10%2C0%2C6699%2C4476&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/bad-first-impression-date-concept-dissatisfied-1892137996">Prostock-studio/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Everyone’s familiar with the sensation of being trapped in a conversation for too long – be that over the garden fence or by the office water cooler. On the other end of the spectrum, we’ve also experienced conversations that seem to end prematurely, leaving us dissatisfied and maybe even a little hurt.</p>
<p>Now, a <a href="https://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.2011809118">Harvard study</a> has found that this conversational disappointment may in fact be incredibly common. Involving 992 participants taking part in two-way discussions, the study found that less than 2% of conversations ended when both partners wanted them to. This figure was remarkably stable, irrespective of whether people were talking to a stranger or a lover.</p>
<p>The authors of the study believe this discrepancy is the result of a classic “coordination problem”, arising because people tend to hide their true desires, including when they want a conversation to end, in an effort to avoid being rude.</p>
<p>But our experience in conversation analysis would add that ending conversations elegantly is an elaborate social skill with many complex moves: akin to a final pirouette in a dance, or the crescendo in a piece of music. That means many conversations overrun for the sake of politeness and social solidarity, reaching a compromise that may suit neither party, but which crucially, and admirably, avoids offence. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man appears to be boring a woman in conversation in a bar" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387009/original/file-20210301-22-1m931bx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/387009/original/file-20210301-22-1m931bx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387009/original/file-20210301-22-1m931bx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387009/original/file-20210301-22-1m931bx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387009/original/file-20210301-22-1m931bx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387009/original/file-20210301-22-1m931bx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/387009/original/file-20210301-22-1m931bx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Even conversations with our romantic partners don’t end exactly when we want them to.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/sad-couple-having-conflict-relationship-problems-1035342085">NDAB Creativity/Shutterstock</a></span>
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</figure>
<h2>Speak easy</h2>
<p>Conversations may seem simple, but they’re actually incredibly <a href="https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/TEXT.2007.009/html">skillful affairs</a>. They involve our navigation between thousands of cues, often responding instantly and appropriately to the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/9781405198431.wbeal1018">subtlest of hints</a>. </p>
<p>We do all this automatically, often without recourse to conscious thought. And yet the Harvard study suggests that 98% of our conversations end unskillfully: reaching an unsatisfying conclusion either too early or too late.</p>
<p>In part, this communication gap is due to speakers hiding their desires from one another: the coordination problem. But it’s also a result of the rules that govern the way we talk with each other, and the way these rules compel us to cut short or extend our conversations.</p>
<p>Even free-flowing conversations follow a formal order and a set of rules, according to the <a href="https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Lectures-on-Conversation-by-Harvey-Sacks-Gail-Jefferson/9781557867056">systematic analysis of conversation</a>. Even though most of us are <a href="https://www.hachette.co.uk/titles/elizabeth-stokoe/talk/9781472140845/">unaware</a> of these rules, we tend to follow them automatically, drawing on learning gained very early in life. </p>
<h2>Dancing dialogue</h2>
<p>To understand why the rules that govern our chit-chat result in our conversations ending too early or too late, it helps to see a conversation as a <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/cooperative-action/409E1455713D43131F04C3F6B6815FF7">cooperative activity</a>, a little like a dance. </p>
<p>Just as partners in the tango respond to tiny hints and cues to direct their movements, conversations also involve a long string of micro-adjustments. And just as the tango ends with a flourish, conversations also tend to end with a set of moves that help partners reach a mutually agreed end point.</p>
<p>As one person speaks, they take in and adjust to the reactions of their partner. Facial expressions, shifts in gaze, body language, and even a cough can alter the trajectory of a speaker’s talk. This reciprocal behaviour is learned early: babies only a few weeks old are active participants in <a href="https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01492/full">turn-taking</a>, one of conversation’s fundamental rules.</p>
<p>These rules also contain a set of <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Paul-Drew/publication/299563444_Conversation_analysis_and_social_action/links/5702e18008aeade57a246b09/Conversation-analysis-and-social-action.pdf">social actions</a> which prepare conversations to hit off in particular directions. Asking someone, “have you eaten already?” is an example of a social action, and it’s used as a preliminary to set up a tangent about asking someone out to lunch. </p>
<p>Some actions even require <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1475-682X.1980.tb00018.x">preliminaries to preliminaries</a>, like when people delicately ask: “Can I ask you a question?” From these examples alone, it’s clear that much of what we say is a formality that naturally extends the duration of our conversations.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CN6anGiNMgs?wmode=transparent&start=2" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
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<h2>Endgame</h2>
<p>To end a conversation, a social action is often used to avoid making a faux pas. These social actions are called “<a href="https://web.stanford.edu/%7Eeckert/Courses/l1562018/Readings/SchegloffSacks1973.pdf">closing routines</a>”, during which speakers confirm to each other that they are truly done. Saying “anyway” or “alright” in a certain tone can help precipitate a closing routine.</p>
<p>These closing routines often follow very specific moves. They first require a pre-closing statement, which announces the intention to end the conversation. This must be accepted by both parties in order for the next stage to start, which might in turn build to a familiar conversational conclusion and final salutations. </p>
<p>The problem is, closing routines tend to skew conversations away from their ideal point of conclusion. A participant may begin a closing routine too early after misinterpreting a cue, as when their partner says “anyway” without intending to begin a closing routine. On the other hand, a correctly initiated closing routine can still take some minutes to wrap up, which extends conversations beyond what one or more participants may deem their ideal duration.</p>
<p>The Harvard research exposes a fascinating aspect of our conversational behaviour, but its findings shouldn’t lead us to regard the majority of our conversations as interminable drags or brutally shortened chats. </p>
<p>Instead, the finding that only 2% of our conversations end when both participants want them to is, in a sense, cause for celebration. It means that the remaining 98% are instead conforming to the rhythm of the conversational dance: cooperating and responding to cues and prompts until they can part company – all without stepping too heavily on each other’s toes.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/156231/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The duration of our conversations is rarely ideal – but that’s the price we pay for social solidarity.Alessandra Fasulo, Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychology, University of PortsmouthIris Nomikou, Senior Lecturer, Department of Psychology, University of PortsmouthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1552502021-02-25T17:12:11Z2021-02-25T17:12:11ZFace masks hide our facial expressions and can exacerbate racial bias<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/386290/original/file-20210224-21-gw1sp1.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=35%2C26%2C5955%2C2182&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Simply making an effort to consider the person behind the mask can help address the biases exacerbated by wearing one.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Wearing a face mask is a COVID-19 infection control staple. Many states, provinces and municipalities now mandate the use of masks in indoor public spaces to prevent viral spread. Over 90 per cent of American adults <a href="https://www.webmd.com/lung/news/20201022/mask-use-by-americans-now-tops-90-poll-finds#1">wear them</a>, and some are double masking. </p>
<p>But how do face masks affect social interactions?</p>
<p>It turns out we are not only less able to recognize one another, but we also see each other as less human. It is harder to recognize emotions correctly and we tend to over-perceive anger. Physical masks may even exacerbate racial bias.</p>
<h2>Parts of a whole</h2>
<p>Masks fundamentally <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-78986-9">alter face perception</a>, making facial identification less accurate. They disrupt holistic processing, so that instead of a unified whole, the face breaks down into a collection of separate features: two eyes, eyebrows, a nose, mouth and chin.</p>
<p>“If your car differed from the other cars in the parking lot by just a couple of millimetres or centimetres, you would never find it,” <a href="https://hugenberg.lab.indiana.edu/">says social psychologist Kurt Hugenberg</a>. “But finding your friend in a crowd is no problem” — thanks to holistic processing.</p>
<p>It allows us to tell each other apart easily, even though our faces are objectively extremely similar, Hugenberg says. It also lets us extract other signals, like facial expressions. “And finally, this sort of holistic face processing sends a signal that a person is a person. It provides this flash of recognition of the humanness of another person,” says Hugenberg.</p>
<p>“When we undermine that ability to recognize a face as a face,” says Hugenberg, “it takes away — at least in part — some of its humanness.”</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QLW8mACX88w?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">DW News looks at how face masks are affecting our social interactions.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Discriminating faces</h2>
<p>This type of dehumanization also affects our perception of people of other races — something called the other-race effect. People process <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9280.2006.01752.x">faces of their own race more holistically than those of other races</a>, so they are better at recognizing and remembering them.</p>
<p>Social psychologist Nicholas Camp measured how white participants responded <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1822084116">to white and Black faces</a>. Even when participants saw very similar white faces, their brains reacted as if it was a new stimulus every time. However, even if Black faces were very different, “they responded as if they had already seen that person before,” Camp says.</p>
<p>“That happens early in perception,” says Camp. He notes that viewing others as interchangeable is the first step towards stereotyping and discrimination.</p>
<p>There are two primary <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1088868311418987">explanations for the other-race effect</a>: exposure and socialization. People may have more experience with faces in their own race group due to segregation, so the brain gets better at identifying them. Or people care more about their own social group, and the brain prioritizes understanding those faces more than others. Both of these processes likely drive this perceptual bias.</p>
<p>“De-individuation might relate to how fear spreads across individuals,” Camp says. “If you’re not really distinguishing between different members of racial out groups, it could be that negative associations or experiences just spill over when you encounter other people.” This infectious psychology may allow cultural stereotypes to bias perceptual processes.</p>
<h2>Recognizing emotion</h2>
<p>Psychologist Amy Halberstadt studies racialized emotion recognition. She trained child actors to express very specific emotions and found that teachers falsely interpreted the Black children as angry more than the white children — <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/emo0000756.supp">even when they were not showing any anger at all</a>.</p>
<p>While different ethnic groups frequently <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11931516/">misperceive emotions of other groups</a>, this over-perception of aggression in Black faces reflects a systemic bias that likely arises out of a cultural fear of Black anger built by a long history of European American scare tactics and fear mongering. This stereotype reinforces racist patterns of thinking about Black people as less human or more frightening.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/386241/original/file-20210224-15-1lgyhyk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A composite photo of a black child and a white child's face." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/386241/original/file-20210224-15-1lgyhyk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/386241/original/file-20210224-15-1lgyhyk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=396&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/386241/original/file-20210224-15-1lgyhyk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=396&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/386241/original/file-20210224-15-1lgyhyk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=396&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/386241/original/file-20210224-15-1lgyhyk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=498&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/386241/original/file-20210224-15-1lgyhyk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=498&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/386241/original/file-20210224-15-1lgyhyk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=498&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">In a study, teachers misidentified Black children as showing more aggression than white children, reflecting systemic bias.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>During the pandemic, face masks may only worsen emotional recognition errors. Psychologist Claus-Christian Carbon discovered that face masks not only reduce accuracy of facial readings, but create specific confusions: <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.566886">disgusted faces are often interpreted as angry and other emotions, like happiness and sadness, frequently appear neutral</a>.</p>
<p>“For people who think that they know what other people are thinking, the masks are going to exacerbate the mistakes that they make,” says Halberstadt, potentially leading to more racist emotional bias.</p>
<p>But if we can acknowledge that the masks are inhibiting our perception, adds Halberstadt, they could give us the opportunity to ask more questions.</p>
<p>Hugenberg also notes that motivation can mitigate the other-race effect. Simply tell white participants: “Be sure to pay attention to what distinguishes between racial out group members.” Instructions like that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2006.02.010">improve recognition of other-race faces</a>. This finding suggests that simply trying harder can combat perceptual racism.</p>
<p>Face masks are a necessary part of our everyday lives in the pandemic. As a clinical researcher, I often have confusing, socially awkward exchanges with masked participants. My timing feels off or I can’t quite understand them. But now I see masks as a reminder to interact with more humility, ask questions, and make a conscious effort to see the human beyond the mask.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/155250/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Robin Blades does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Wearing face masks hides our facial expressions and affects our social interactions. They make it harder for us to read facial expressions and can contribute to racist perceptions.Robin Blades, Global Journalism Fellow, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of TorontoLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1516502021-02-05T13:06:37Z2021-02-05T13:06:37ZDo you see red like I see red?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382552/original/file-20210204-14-a5xafl.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=752%2C783%2C6122%2C3968&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">It's disconcerting to think the way two people perceive the world might be totally different.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/man-and-woman-standing-in-a-gallery-space-with-royalty-free-image/839180292">Mads Perch/Stone via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Is the red I see the same as the red you see?</p>
<p>At first, the question seems confusing. Color is an inherent part of visual experience, as fundamental as gravity. So how could anyone see color differently than you do?</p>
<p>To dispense with the seemingly silly question, you can point to different objects and ask, “What color is that?” The initial consensus apparently settles the issue.</p>
<p>But then you might uncover troubling variability. A rug that some people call green, others call blue. A <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_dress">photo of a dress</a> that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2015.04.053">some people call blue and black, others say is white and gold</a>.</p>
<p>You’re confronted with an unsettling possibility. Even if we agree on the label, maybe your experience of red is different from mine and – shudder – could it correspond to my experience of green? How would we know?</p>
<p>Neuroscientists, <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=LNgp00MAAAAJ">including</a> <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=6I_zDKUAAAAJ">us</a>, have tackled <a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/color-ontology-and-color-science">this age-old puzzle</a> and are starting to come up with some answers to these questions. One thing that is becoming clear is the reason individual differences in color are so disconcerting in the first place. </p>
<h2>Colors add meaning to what you see</h2>
<p>Scientists often explain why people have color vision in cold, analytic terms: Color is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-vision-091517-034231">for object recognition</a>. And this is certainly true, but it’s not the whole story.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://doi.org/10.1167/18.11.1">color statistics of objects</a> are not arbitrary. The parts of scenes that people choose to label (“ball,” “apple,” “tiger”) are not any random color: They are more likely to be warm colors (oranges, yellows, reds), and less likely to be cool colors (blues, greens). This is true even for artificial objects that could have been made any color.</p>
<p>These observations suggest that your brain can use color to help recognize objects, and might explain <a href="https://theconversation.com/languages-dont-all-have-the-same-number-of-terms-for-colors-scientists-have-a-new-theory-why-84117">universal color naming patterns across languages</a>. </p>
<p>But recognizing objects is not the only, or maybe even the main, job of color vision. In <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-019-10073-8">a recent study</a>, neuroscientists Maryam Hasantash and Rosa Lafer-Sousa showed participants real-world stimuli illuminated by low-pressure-sodium lights – the energy-efficient yellow lighting you’ve likely encountered in a parking garage.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382625/original/file-20210204-20-zdq64j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="people and fruit lit by yellow low sodium lights" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382625/original/file-20210204-20-zdq64j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382625/original/file-20210204-20-zdq64j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=911&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382625/original/file-20210204-20-zdq64j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=911&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382625/original/file-20210204-20-zdq64j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=911&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382625/original/file-20210204-20-zdq64j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1145&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382625/original/file-20210204-20-zdq64j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1145&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382625/original/file-20210204-20-zdq64j.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1145&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The eye can’t properly encode color for scenes lit by monochromatic light.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Rosa Lafer-Sousa</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The yellow light prevents the eye’s retina from properly encoding color. The researchers reasoned that if they temporarily knocked out this ability in their volunteers, the impairment might point to the normal function of color information. </p>
<p>The volunteers could still recognize objects like strawberries and oranges bathed in the eerie yellow light, implying that color isn’t critical for recognizing objects. But the fruit looked unappetizing. </p>
<p>Volunteers could also recognize faces – but they looked green and sick. Researchers think that’s because your expectations about normal face coloring are violated. The green appearance is a kind of error signal telling you that something’s wrong. This phenomenon is an example of how <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1933-1592.2010.00481.x">your knowledge can affect your perception</a>. Sometimes what you know, or think you know, influences what you see. </p>
<p>This research builds up the idea that color isn’t so critical for telling you what stuff is but rather about its likely meaning. Color doesn’t tell you about the kind of fruit, but rather whether a piece of fruit is probably tasty. And for faces, color is literally a vital sign that helps us identify emotions like anger and embarrassment, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889159116304986">as well as sickness</a>, as any parent knows. </p>
<p>It might be color’s importance for telling us about meaning, especially in social interactions, that makes variability in color experiences between people so disconcerting. </p>
<h2>Looking for objective, measurable colors</h2>
<p>Another reason variability in color experience is troubling has to do with the fact that we can’t easily measure colors.</p>
<p>Having an objective metric of experience gets us over the quandary of subjectivity. With shape, for instance, we can measure dimensions using a ruler. Disagreements about apparent size can be settled dispassionately.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382374/original/file-20210203-16-14psnr2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="spectral power distribution of various wavelengths of light" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382374/original/file-20210203-16-14psnr2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382374/original/file-20210203-16-14psnr2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382374/original/file-20210203-16-14psnr2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382374/original/file-20210203-16-14psnr2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382374/original/file-20210203-16-14psnr2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382374/original/file-20210203-16-14psnr2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382374/original/file-20210203-16-14psnr2.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The spectral power distribution of a 25-watt incandescent lightbulb illustrates the wavelengths of light it emits.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Spectral_power_distribution_of_a_25_W_incandescent_light_bulb.png">Thorseth/Wikimedia Commons</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>With color, we can measure proportions of different wavelengths across the rainbow. But these “spectral power distributions” do not by themselves tell us the color, even though they are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S0140525X03000013">the physical basis for color</a>. A given distribution can appear different colors depending on context and assumptions about materials and lighting, as <a href="https://doi.org/10.1167/17.12.25">#thedress proved</a>.</p>
<p>Perhaps color is a <a href="https://aardvark.ucsd.edu/color/hatfield.html">“psychobiological” property</a> that emerges from the brain’s response to light. If so, could an objective basis for color be found not in the physics of the world but rather in the human brain’s response? </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382371/original/file-20210203-20-1agq2g7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="cross section of retina with different cell types" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382371/original/file-20210203-20-1agq2g7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382371/original/file-20210203-20-1agq2g7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382371/original/file-20210203-20-1agq2g7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382371/original/file-20210203-20-1agq2g7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=389&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382371/original/file-20210203-20-1agq2g7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382371/original/file-20210203-20-1agq2g7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382371/original/file-20210203-20-1agq2g7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=488&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Cone cells in the eye’s retina encode messages about color vision.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/illustration/eye-anatomy-rod-cells-and-cone-cells-royalty-free-illustration/1091261988">ttsz/iStock via Getty Images Plus</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>To compute color, your brain engages <a href="https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-vision-091517-034202">an extensive network of circuits</a> in the cerebral cortex that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-vision-121219-081801">interpret the retinal signals</a>, taking into account <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1073858419882621">context and your expectations</a>. Can we measure the color of a stimulus by monitoring brain activity?</p>
<h2>Your brain response to red is similar to mine</h2>
<p>Our group used magnetoencephalography – MEG for short – to monitor the tiny magnetic fields created when nerve cells in the brain fire to communicate. We were able to classify the response to various colors using machine learning and then <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2020.10.062">decode from brain activity the colors</a> that participants saw.</p>
<p>So, yes, we can determine color by measuring what happens in the brain. Our results show that each color is associated with a distinct pattern of brain activity.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382764/original/file-20210205-13-17w8sz4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Person seated in MEG machine looking at screen with color projection" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382764/original/file-20210205-13-17w8sz4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/382764/original/file-20210205-13-17w8sz4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382764/original/file-20210205-13-17w8sz4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382764/original/file-20210205-13-17w8sz4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=378&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382764/original/file-20210205-13-17w8sz4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382764/original/file-20210205-13-17w8sz4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/382764/original/file-20210205-13-17w8sz4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=475&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Researchers measured volunteers’ brain responses with magnetoencephalography (MEG) to decode what colors they saw.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Bevil Conway</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">CC BY-ND</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But are the patterns of brain response similar across people? This is a hard question to answer, because one needs a way of perfectly matching the anatomy of one brain to another, which is really tough to do. For now, we can sidestep the technical challenge by asking a related question. Does my relationship between red and orange resemble your relationship between red and orange? </p>
<p>The MEG experiment showed that two colors that are perceptually more similar, as assessed by how people label the colors, give rise to more similar patterns of brain activity. So your brain’s response to color will be fairly similar when you look at something light green and something dark green but quite different when looking at something yellow versus something brown. What’s more, these similarity relationships are preserved across people. </p>
<p>Physiological measurements are unlikely to ever resolve metaphysical questions such as “what is redness?” But the MEG results nonetheless provide some reassurance that color is a fact we can agree on.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/151650/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Bevil R. Conway receives funding from the Intramural Research Program (IRP) of the National Eye Institute (NEI). </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Danny Garside receives funding from the Intramural Research Program (IRP) of the National Eye Institute (NEI). </span></em></p>Neuroscientists tackling the age-old question of whether perceptions of color hold from one person to the next are coming up with some interesting answers.Bevil R. Conway, Senior Investigator at the National Eye Institute, Section on Perception, Cognition, and Action, National Institutes of HealthDanny Garside, Visiting Fellow in Sensation, Cognition & Action, National Institutes of HealthLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1509292020-12-16T13:15:46Z2020-12-16T13:15:46ZWhy being stuck at home – and unable to hang out in cafes and bars – drains our creativity<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375155/original/file-20201215-13-v4zqdd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=15%2C212%2C4445%2C3199&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">By encouraging random encounters and free-flowing conversation, coffee shops are engines of innovation.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/lively-crowd-in-a-paris-cafe-1886-a-painting-by-hugo-birger-news-photo/77056942?adppopup=true">Hulton Archive/Stringer via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>While the pandemic has caused thousands of small businesses to temporarily close or <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/on-small-business/small-businesses-are-dying-by-the-thousands--and-no-one-is-tracking-the-carnage/2020/08/11/660f9f52-dbda-11ea-b4f1-25b762cdbbf4_story.html">shutter for good</a>, the disappearance of the corner coffee shop means more than lost wages.</p>
<p>It also represents a collective loss of creativity.</p>
<p>Researchers have shown how creative thinking can be cultivated by simple habits like <a href="https://www.huffpost.com/entry/exercise-creativity-physical-activity_n_4394310">exercise</a>, <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/05/sleep-creativity-theory/560399/">sleep</a> and <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1871187111000447">reading</a>. But another <a href="https://www.gensler.com/research-insight/blog/fostering-casual-collisions-and-creativity-in-a-virtual">catalyst</a> is unplanned interactions with close friends, casual acquaintances and complete strangers. With the closure of coffee shops – not to mention places like bars, libraries, gyms and museums – these opportunities vanish.</p>
<p>Of course, not all chance meetings result in brilliant ideas. Yet as we bounce from place to place, each brief social encounter plants a small seed that can gel into a new idea or inspiration. </p>
<p>By missing out on chance meetings and observations that nudge our curiosity and jolt “a-ha!” moments, new ideas, big and small, go undiscovered.</p>
<h2>It’s not the caffeine, it’s the people</h2>
<p>Famous artists, novelists and scientists are often seen as if their ideas and work come from a singular mind. But this is misleading. The ideas of even the most reclusive of poets, mathematicians or theologians are part of larger conversations among peers, or are reactions and responses to the world.</p>
<p>As author Steven Johnson wrote in “<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/299687/where-good-ideas-come-from-by-steven-johnson/">Where Good Ideas Come From</a>,” the “trick to having good ideas is not to sit around in glorious isolation and try to think big thoughts.” Instead, he recommends that we “go for a walk,” “embrace serendipity” and “frequent coffeehouses and other liquid networks.”</p>
<p>Just as today’s freelance writers might use coffee shops as a second office, it was the tea- and coffeehouses of London in the 18th century that spurred the <a href="https://www.archdaily.com/353496/can-architecture-make-us-more-creative">Age of Enlightenment</a>. Then, as now, people intuitively knew they were “more productive or <a href="https://www.creativitypost.com/business/the_real_reason_coffee_shops_boost_productivity#sthash.YrQZsnpi.dpuf">more creative</a> when working from coffee shops,” according to David Burkus, author of “The Myths of Creativity.” As research shows, it’s not the caffeine; it’s the people. Simply being around other people who are working <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2090717-do-you-get-your-best-work-done-in-coffee-shops-heres-why/#:%7E:text=The%20idea%20that%20working%20in,improves%20performance%20on%20creative%20tasks">can motivate us to do the same</a>.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A painting of a cafe with tables and people closely packed together." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375161/original/file-20201215-16-dvh0yu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375161/original/file-20201215-16-dvh0yu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=430&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375161/original/file-20201215-16-dvh0yu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=430&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375161/original/file-20201215-16-dvh0yu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=430&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375161/original/file-20201215-16-dvh0yu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=540&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375161/original/file-20201215-16-dvh0yu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=540&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375161/original/file-20201215-16-dvh0yu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=540&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Crowded, chaotic – and brimming with inspiration.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/cafe-1940-found-in-the-collection-of-collezione-giuseppe-news-photo/919871468">Heritage Images via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In other words, creativity is social.</p>
<p>It’s also contextual. The built environment plays a hidden but crucial role. Architectural researchers in the U.K., for instance, found that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.buildenv.2015.02.013">classroom design impacts the speed at which students learn</a>. They found that classroom features, such as furniture and lighting, have as much impact on learning as teachers. Similar aspects of cafe design can enhance creativity.</p>
<h2>Designing for creativity</h2>
<p><a href="https://9foundations.forhealth.org/">Buildings influence a wide range of human functions</a>. Temperature and humidity, for example, affect our ability to concentrate. Daylighting is positively linked to productivity, stress management and immune functions. And air quality, determined by HVAC systems as well as the chemical composition of furnishings and interior materials like carpet, affects both respiratory and mental health. <a href="https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6247700">Architectural design has even been connected to happiness</a>.</p>
<p>Likewise, a well-designed coffee shop can facilitate creativity – where the unplanned friction between people can ignite sparks of innovation. </p>
<p>Two newly completed coffee shops, the <a href="https://www.archdaily.com/948251/kilogram-coffee-shop-pranala-associates?ad_source=search&ad_medium=search_result_projects">Kilogram Coffee Shop</a> in Indonesia and <a href="https://www.designboom.com/architecture/davidson-rafailidis-cat-cafe-buffalo-ny-zig-zag-brick-wall-12-11-2020/">Buckminster’s Cat Cafe</a> in Buffalo, New York, were designed with this kind of interactivity in mind.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Ceiling-to-floor windows and compact tables are features of the cafe." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375239/original/file-20201215-15-1a3h7ny.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/375239/original/file-20201215-15-1a3h7ny.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375239/original/file-20201215-15-1a3h7ny.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375239/original/file-20201215-15-1a3h7ny.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375239/original/file-20201215-15-1a3h7ny.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375239/original/file-20201215-15-1a3h7ny.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/375239/original/file-20201215-15-1a3h7ny.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Buckminster’s Cat Cafe in Buffalo, N.Y.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Florian Holzherr</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Each has open, horizontal layouts that actually encourage congestion, which fosters chance encounters. Lightweight and geometric furniture enables occupants to rearrange seating and accommodate groups of various size, such as when a friend unexpectedly arrives. There are views outside, <a href="https://theconversation.com/if-youre-not-getting-enough-nature-during-the-lockdown-try-bringing-it-indoors-with-these-simple-hacks-138176">which promote calmness</a> and offer more opportunities to daydream. And there is a moderate level of ambient noise – not too high or low – which induces <a href="https://doi.org/10.1086/665048">cognitive disfluency</a>, a state of deep, reflective thinking.</p>
<h2>Restoring the soul of the coffee shop</h2>
<p>Of course, not all coffee shops have closed. Many shops have reduced indoor seating capacity, limited patrons to exterior seating or have restricted services to takeout only as a means to stay open. All of them have faced the difficult task of implementing safeguards while retaining the atmosphere of their establishments. Some design elements, like lighting, can easily be retained amidst social distancing and other safety measures. Others, like movable seating for collaboration, are harder to achieve safely.</p>
<p>While these tweaks allow businesses to stay open and ensure the safety of customers, they sap spaces of their souls.</p>
<p>Philosopher <a href="https://midnightmediamusings.wordpress.com/2014/06/29/the-practice-of-everyday-life-by-michel-de-certeau-a-summary/">Michel de Certeau</a> said that the spaces we occupy are a backdrop on which the “ensemble of possibilities” and “improvisation” of everyday life occur. </p>
<p>[<em>You’re smart and curious about the world. So are The Conversation’s authors and editors.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters/weekly-highlights-61?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=weeklysmart">You can get our highlights each weekend</a>.]</p>
<p>When social life fully transitions into the digital realm, these opportunities become limited. Conversations become prearranged, while the side chats that take place before or after a meeting or event have been quashed. In video meetings, participants speak to either the whole room or no one.</p>
<p>For cafe owners, employees and customers, the post-pandemic era can’t come soon enough. After all, while customers ostensibly stop by their local coffee shop for a jolt of caffeine, the true draw of the place is in its haptic and hectic spirit.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/150929/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>By missing out on chance encounters and observations that jolt ‘a-ha’ moments, new ideas, big and small, go undiscovered.Korydon Smith, Professor of Architecture and Co-Founder of Global Health Equity, University at BuffaloKelly Hayes McAlonie, Adjunct Instructor of Architecture, University at BuffaloRebecca Rotundo, Associate Director of Instructional Design, University at BuffaloLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1484912020-10-22T16:16:36Z2020-10-22T16:16:36ZHow to stay socially connected as lockdown returns - according to science<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/365001/original/file-20201022-19-sk8jng.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/best-friends-drinking-toasting-online-on-1705976194">giuseppelombardo/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>After a fairly relaxed summer, more and more places are bringing back tighter restrictions in response to rising COVID-19 cases, with some even returning to full or near-full lockdowns.</p>
<p>We all know that social distancing makes sense: the fewer people we meet (and the further away from them we stay), the less likely we are to get ill or to spread the virus. But sticking to social distancing is hard. And the longer we do it, the harder it seems to get. </p>
<p>Recent findings from social neuroscience may offer some insights on how we can nonetheless stay socially connected. Hopefully, this will help us cope better – if only just a little.</p>
<h2>Getting in synch</h2>
<p>Being socially connected to others makes us feel safe and cared for, and this feeling affects our <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5130107">body and brain</a>. We worry less about potential dangers and feel less stressed, sleep better, have lower heart rate and blood pressure, our baseline energy requirement is lower, and our immune system works more efficiently. We are also less prone to depression.</p>
<p>This is because when calculating the available cognitive and bodily resources, our brain naturally takes our <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25825706/">nearest social surroundings</a> – the people we interact with – into account. It treats social and metabolic resources almost interchangeably. If we can count on other people to support us in times of need, our own resources can either be preserved or dedicated to other issues, as if they were literally increased.</p>
<p><a href="https://academic.oup.com/scan/advance-article/doi/10.1093/scan/nsaa024/5775599">Recent social neuroscience</a> findings suggest that these beneficial effects have a lot to do with becoming synchronised with others, by paying attention to or thinking about the same thing at the same time and to have the ability to react to one another instantly. </p>
<p>We usually do this through physical touch, eye contact, talking to each other, sharing our emotions, and following each other’s behaviour – such as bodily gestures. We call this <a href="https://ruthfeldmanlab.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/TiCS.Neurobiology-of-attachment.2017.pdf">bio-behavioural synchrony</a>. </p>
<p>There is <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022103116306114">growing evidence</a> that being in synchrony with others increases cooperation, social connection and positive thoughts about others, and also lifts our spirits. It can also <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/115/11/E2528">ease our pain</a>, reduce stress and <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/wps.20729">boost our resilience</a> – our ability to stay positive and healthy despite facing adversity.</p>
<h2>Virtual connections</h2>
<p>This means we should embrace virtual interaction for our work meetings, quick chats and socially distanced workouts, quizzes or movie nights. It won’t be the same as before, but we can still get some of this feeling of synchrony with others that is so important for us.</p>
<p>What’s more, recent insights reveal that virtual interactions can stimulate comparable bodily and brain responses to those from real-world interactions. For example, making eye contact with someone over a video call <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/psyp.13587">has similar effects</a>, physiologically and psychologically, as a “real” interaction involving eye contact.</p>
<p>There is <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20096792">also evidence</a> that brain areas related to social reward and mind-reading show stronger activation during a live online social interaction than when watching the same interaction content as a recorded video. Hearing a loved one’s voice <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3277914/">may even be enough</a> to decrease the stress hormone cortisol and increase the social bonding hormone oxytocin - but you don’t get this reaction from just reading a text from the same person.</p>
<p>Other <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/108/28/11721">research even shows</a> that imagining a loved one’s presence (with the help of a photo) when anticipating or feeling pain significantly decreases brain activity related to pain, as well as your subjective experience of it – very much as if the loved one was with you holding your hand. </p>
<figure class="align-Video calls can produce similar effects to real world conversations. ">
<img alt="Video call split-screen shot of two couples and two women" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/365003/original/file-20201022-13-4nwup9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/365003/original/file-20201022-13-4nwup9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/365003/original/file-20201022-13-4nwup9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/365003/original/file-20201022-13-4nwup9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/365003/original/file-20201022-13-4nwup9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/365003/original/file-20201022-13-4nwup9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/365003/original/file-20201022-13-4nwup9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">shutterstock.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/laptop-webcam-screen-view-multiethnic-families-1704143776">Fizkes/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Be kind</h2>
<p>Social connection is a strongly subjective, inner experience. We can have a thousand friends but still feel lonely. It is not physical, objective social isolation that makes our body and mind ill, but our <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5130107">perceived social isolation</a> or loneliness.</p>
<p>One way to maintain or even create a stronger sense of social connection from within is to be kind and compassionate towards and help others. There is <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1207/s15327558ijbm1202_4">ample evidence</a> that by acting “prosocially” in this way, we become happier and healthier by ourselves. </p>
<p>This is because generating a compassionate attitude from within is associated with activation of positive emotion- and reward-related brain regions and hormonal pathways. We can even put ourselves in this state by being on our own and simply wishing others well and good health <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313220123_Compassion_and_the_Brain">through meditation</a>. In this sense, we can literally help ourselves by helping others.</p>
<h2>Reach out</h2>
<p>We also shouldn’t be afraid of reaching out to others, to follow our natural tendency to let others know that we are not fine and need support. Almost always, somebody will respond, because we are not only made to shout out if we need help (using our innate attachment system), but we are also made for helping others if they need it (using our <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cortex.2020.01.010">innate caregiving system</a>.</p>
<p>Although the virtual space can be hostile sometimes, it has <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/unemployed-mans-i-am-not-22866082">recently shown</a> to also be full of compassion and social warmth. And the same <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8736329/Lonely-pensioner-poster-asking-friends-left-overwhelmed-response.html">appears to hold true</a> when reaching out in a more old-fashioned, analogue way.</p>
<p>The field of positive psychology says that we have a unique ability to <a href="https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Learned_Optimism.html?id=bT9ecAYHKq0C">learn optimism</a> in the face of adversity, and that we should build upon our propensity for getting through periods of trauma with a developed sense of <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2004-11807-003">personal growth</a> and an increased inner-strength. Social neuroscience has shown us that we can do it best if we do it together.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/148491/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Pascal Vrticka received funding from the Swiss National Science Foundation, the Stanford Center for Cognitive and Neurobiological Imaging, the Stanford Child Health Research Institute and the Max Planck Society for parts of his work on the social neuroscience of social connection and attachment described in this piece.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Philip J. Cozzolino does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Recent findings from social neuroscience show us how we can make virtual interactions almost as beneficial as real world ones.Pascal Vrticka, Lecturer in Psychology, University of EssexPhilip J. Cozzolino, Lecturer in Social Psychology, University of EssexLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1420192020-09-10T12:19:52Z2020-09-10T12:19:52ZWhy our screens leave us hungry for more nutritious forms of social interaction<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/357210/original/file-20200909-16-m7mi64.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=412%2C226%2C4172%2C2832&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/facial-expression-female-teenager-screaming-while-564380758">Shutterstock/LukyToky</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>COVID-19 has seen all the rules change when it comes to social engagement. Workplaces and schools have closed, gatherings have been banned, and the use of social media and other online tools <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/simonchandler/2020/09/08/coronavirus-depression-spike-suggests-social-media-is-no-substitute-for-real-life/#ddaeacd61033">has risen</a> to bridge the gap.</p>
<p>But as we continue to adapt to the various restrictions, we should remember that social media is the refined sugar of social interaction. In the same way that producing a bowl of white granules means removing minerals and vitamins from the sugarcane plant, social media strips out many valuable and sometimes necessarily challenging parts of “whole” human communication. </p>
<p>Fundamentally, social media dispenses with the nuance of dealing with a person in the flesh and all the signalling complexities of body language, vocal tone and speed of utterance. The immediacy and anonymity of social media also remove the (healthy) challenges of paying attention, properly processing information and responding with civility.</p>
<p>As a result, social media is a fast and easy way to communicate. But while the removal of complexity is certainly convenient, a diet high in connections through social media has been widely shown to have a <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/mental-wealth/201402/gray-matters-too-much-screen-time-damages-the-brain">detrimental effect</a> on our physical and emotional wellbeing. </p>
<p>Increased <a href="http://www.anxiety.org/strong-online-social-media-identity-can-lead-to-anxiety">anxiety and depression</a> are well-known side-effects. There are also consequences for making decisions based on simplistic, “refined” sources of information. We may be less discerning when it comes to evaluating such information, responding with far less reflection. We see a tweet, and we are triggered by it immediately – not unlike a sugar hit from a bar of chocolate.</p>
<p>More complex kinds of communication demand more of us, as we learn to recognise and engage with the complexities of face-to-face interaction – the tempo, closeness and body language that make up the non-verbal cues of communication that are missing in social media.</p>
<p>These cues may even exist because we have evolved to be with others, to work with others. Consider, for example, the hormone oxytoxin, which is associated with trust and <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28864973/">lower stress levels</a> and triggered when we are in the physical company of others. </p>
<p>Another indicator of trust and engagement is the fact that <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28864973/">group heart rates synchronise</a> when working together. But achieving such rhythm of communication takes effort, skill and practice. </p>
<h2>Pause for thought</h2>
<p>There’s an interesting element of elite athletic performance known as “quiet eye”. It refers to the brief moment of pause before a tennis player serves or a footballer takes a penalty to <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27633956/">focus on the goal</a>. Good communicators, too, seem to take this pause, whether it’s in a presentation or a conversation – a moment lost in social media’s rush for an immediate anonymous response.</p>
<p>Having said all this, I don’t believe social media – or table sugar for that matter – is fundamentally wrong. As with a slice of cake on a special occasion, it can be a delight, a treat and a rush. But problems appear when it is our dominant form of communication. As with only eating cake, it weakens us, leaving us far less able to thrive in more challenging environments. </p>
<p>COVID-19 has meant a greater proportion of many people’s lives are spent online. But even Zoom meetings and gatherings, while more intimate than a tweet or social media post, also have limitations and <a href="https://theconversation.com/finding-endless-video-calls-exhausting-youre-not-alone-137936">lead to fatigue</a>. </p>
<p>In physiological terms, part of the reason for these experiences being so challenging is that we are supposed to connect with each other in person. We are wired to deal with every aspect of physically present personal contact – from the uncomfortable conversations to the hugely gratifying exchanges. </p>
<p>We suffer without it. We see this in energy levels, overall health and mental stability. It’s physical as well as emotional in effect. Indeed, researchers have shown for over a decade now that <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20668659/">loneliness kills</a>. What research has yet to show is if social media mitigates this. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-experts-in-evolution-explain-why-social-distancing-feels-so-unnatural-134271">Coronavirus: experts in evolution explain why social distancing feels so unnatural</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Again, virtual meetings are not intrinsically wrong. But they are not sufficient, in human physiological terms, to sustain what we have come to need after 300,000 years of evolution. </p>
<p>Even in the days before coronavirus, social media had been evolving into a dominant means of communication for many. Fast and easy, but also often mean, judgemental, fleeting – something that does not bring out the best in us. </p>
<p>The hope in offering this analogy is that by contextualising how social media works in terms of our physiology, we can start to understand how we may need to balance social media with other more challenging, but ultimately more satisfying forms of communication. And also how we may need to design virtual methods of communication that embrace more of the <a href="https://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/news/6676">physiology of social contact that we need</a>, and which helps us to thrive.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/142019/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>mc schraefel receives funding from UKRI EPSRC. </span></em></p>Social media is the refined sugar of human communication.mc schraefel, Professor of Computer Science and Human Performance, University of SouthamptonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1385122020-06-05T12:07:14Z2020-06-05T12:07:14ZSummer visitors to American parks choose safety first over freedom to roam<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/335235/original/file-20200514-77251-qf9kqu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=9%2C192%2C3277%2C2015&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Utah's Bryce Canyon National Park hosted more than 2.5 million visitors in 2019.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://unsplash.com/photos/gFtJO8ciK90">Anqi Lu/Unsplash</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>In a typical summer, <a href="https://irma.nps.gov/Datastore/DownloadFile/637876">millions of Americans</a> head outdoors to national parks, hiking trails and rivers across the U.S. This summer, because of COVID-19 precautions, getting outdoors will be different, although how different isn’t certain.</p>
<p>My colleagues and I are part of a <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/lab/Protected-Areas-Research-Collaborative-PARC-Peter-Newman">research team</a> at Pennsylvania State University that studies <a href="https://hhd.psu.edu/rptm">outdoor recreation and park management</a>. Our team recently conducted a national survey of more 1,000 outdoor enthusiasts across 47 states with the <a href="https://lnt.org/research-resources/leave-no-trace-covid-19-research/">Leave No Trace</a> Center for Outdoor Ethics. </p>
<p><a href="https://osf.io/fy8s6/">The survey</a> asked several key questions that included how those who use parks were considering a return to outdoor recreation this summer and how parks might be managed for COVID-19 to ensure the safety and security of park users. </p>
<p>The responses to the survey suggested that this summer, we may be entering a new era of park management. Outdoor recreationists not only say they want stricter enforcement of rules to keep people safe but that they welcome new guidelines and even limits to their freedoms so that all visitors can experience the benefits of nature without compromising their health due to COVID-19.</p>
<h2>‘Wildness is a necessity’</h2>
<p>The renowned naturalist John Muir wrote that “thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity; and that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life.” The world has changed immensely since <a href="https://vault.sierraclub.org/john_muir_exhibit/writings/our_national_parks/chapter_1.aspx">he wrote this in 1901</a>. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cQcmfoJIGJU?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">There are so many reasons why so many people visit America’s national parks.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>People, <a href="https://doi.org/10.31219/osf.io/3wx5a">now more than ever</a>, seek <a href="https://youtu.be/l1onR8OVL6o">the benefits of nature</a> regardless of whether they live in rural Colorado or Manhattan. Experiencing the <a href="http://www.georgewright.org/353manning.pdf">sights and sounds of nature</a> has long been thought to make people feel better. The desire to seek out those experiences is, perhaps, <a href="https://doi.org/10.5822/978-1-61091-036-1_15">even biologically driven</a>. Today, there is a <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/263806493_What_is_the_value_and_implications_of_viewing_park_resources_as_health_resources">growing body of scientific evidence</a> that shows the positive links between exposure to the natural world and humans’ <a href="https://doi.org/10.18666/JPRA-2016-V34-I3-6893">cognitive</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.2979/rptph.1.1.07">physiological</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jort.2019.100272">social</a> well-being. </p>
<h2>Balancing recreation and risk</h2>
<p>Our survey, carried out in April and May, examined how outdoor recreation behaviors across all types of parks and protected areas may be changing in response to the pandemic and with it, expectations of park management.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/336169/original/file-20200519-152315-1trip89.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/336169/original/file-20200519-152315-1trip89.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/336169/original/file-20200519-152315-1trip89.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=427&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336169/original/file-20200519-152315-1trip89.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=427&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336169/original/file-20200519-152315-1trip89.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=427&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336169/original/file-20200519-152315-1trip89.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=536&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336169/original/file-20200519-152315-1trip89.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=536&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336169/original/file-20200519-152315-1trip89.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=536&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Great Chimney Rock at Acadia National Park.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Maine-Daily-Life/3a7da3973c284323b4c1b7aa2bf59b0b/14/0">AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Through their online list serve, individuals associated with the <a href="https://lnt.org/research-resources/leave-no-trace-covid-19-research/">Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics</a> served as potential respondents for this research. This community consists largely of outdoor enthusiasts who are <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00222216.2011.11950226">highly dependent on outdoor recreation</a> as a form of leisure. More than 1,800 surveys were completed in two phases and consisted of questions related to behavioral changes, making decisions about recreation and expectations for park management.</p>
<p>Findings from our research, “<a href="https://osf.io/fy8s6/">Evaluating the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic to outdoor recreation and predicting long-term trends</a>,” suggest that not only are recreational behaviors shifting and affecting certain demographics more than others, but expectations of park management have changed, too. Our survey reported that, in general, people are yearning to get back outside. </p>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/336138/original/file-20200519-152315-1w7bpct.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/336138/original/file-20200519-152315-1w7bpct.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336138/original/file-20200519-152315-1w7bpct.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336138/original/file-20200519-152315-1w7bpct.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=800&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336138/original/file-20200519-152315-1w7bpct.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336138/original/file-20200519-152315-1w7bpct.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336138/original/file-20200519-152315-1w7bpct.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1005&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Travel-Peaceful-Yosemite/f9331fa9e9b549d493ec6ec50cba8ef3/46/0">AP Photo/Amanda Lee Myers</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Nearly 85% of those surveyed reported that they are very to extremely likely to return to public lands as soon as restrictions ease. The survey also reported that outdoor enthusiasts support increased preventive health measures in the parks including limits on visitor capacities and strict social distancing. </p>
<p>Urban dwellers, who have faced the most barriers to accessing parks, have, on average, significantly decreased their frequency of outdoor recreation by more than three days per week, while back-country travel has been reduced by nearly three miles. This is likely due to heightened restrictions on travel outside the home and increased park closures <a href="https://ce.naco.org/?dset=COVID-19&ind=Emergency%20Declaration%20Types">in and around major cities</a>. </p>
<p>As a result, the U.S. may be in for an <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/14616688.2020.1759131">overcorrection or rebound</a> in activity once cities and states begin to relax safer-at-home orders and open their park systems. It may be that urban dwellers return to their favorite activities and recreation areas at even higher rates than before the pandemic. </p>
<p>How can we ensure a safe, healthy experience in our parks while balancing the health risks of a pandemic? <a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=umn.31951d02960007y&view=1up&seq=25">Not without sacrifice</a>. </p>
<h2>Playing by new rules</h2>
<p>By definition, an outdoor enthusiast appreciates <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00222216.1972.11970069">the lack of constraints to explore the natural world</a>. Outdoor enthusiasts are normally <a href="https://youtu.be/0EfTy5f3SJQ">not keen on limiting their freedom</a> to roam as they please. Mandatory permit systems and capacity limits at popular recreation sites <a href="https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uiug.30112020130834&view=1up&seq=413">have long been the bane of the outdoor adventurer</a>. Our research shows that COVID-19 has <a href="https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/dghba">changed this perspective</a>, at least for the time being. </p>
<p><a href="https://doi.org/10.31235/osf.io/dghba">Our research</a> shows that outdoor enthusiasts like hikers, canoeists, rock climbers and mountain bikers are largely supportive of park and protected area agencies like the National Park Service or Bureau of Land Management keeping greater control over visitor volume on public lands and trails. More than 75% either completely or strongly agreed that parks should implement capacity limits in response to COVID-19.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/336160/original/file-20200519-152292-17rx03o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/336160/original/file-20200519-152292-17rx03o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/336160/original/file-20200519-152292-17rx03o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=904&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336160/original/file-20200519-152292-17rx03o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=904&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336160/original/file-20200519-152292-17rx03o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=904&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336160/original/file-20200519-152292-17rx03o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1136&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336160/original/file-20200519-152292-17rx03o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1136&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/336160/original/file-20200519-152292-17rx03o.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1136&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">More than 3.4 million people visited Acadia National Park last year, earning it the rank of seventh most visited national park in the U.S.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="http://www.apimages.com/metadata/Index/Associated-Press-Domestic-News-Maine-United-Sta-/ca2f8fd3dee6da11af9f0014c2589dfb/149/0">AP Photo/Christina Hinke</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These increased rules, which may include limiting usage and allowing people to enter a trail or park at timed entry allotments, are designed to keep people safe and allow for physical distancing. </p>
<p>Our survey demonstrated that over 95% of outdoor enthusiasts also want park and protected area staff to use personal protective equipment such as masks, encourage all visitors to wear masks and provide visitors with sanitary amenities like hand sanitizer. Those who perceive themselves as being at higher risk of serious illness as a result of COVID-19 are significantly more supportive of heavier restrictions and increased safety measures.</p>
<p>Our research suggests that <a href="https://osf.io/preprints/socarxiv/prnz9/">people will be guided</a> by two things this summer when deciding whether or not to visit parks. One, the importance of their physical and mental well-being as a result of outdoor recreation. And two, guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization and federal and state agencies. Above all, outdoor enthusiasts are eager to get back outside and do the things they love, safely. </p>
<p>[<em>Get facts about coronavirus and the latest research.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=upper-coronavirus-facts">Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter.</a>]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/138512/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>B. Derrick Taff receives funding for research from the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics, the partnering non-profit organization on this research, through his academic appointment at Pennsylvania State University. He is affiliated with the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics as a dues-paying member, and as a "Master Educator". </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Newman receives funding from the National Park Service.
Peter Newman is a dues paying member of the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>William L. Rice does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>A new survey finds that Americans are willing to accept limits on visitors to public lands to reduce crowds, and want staff and visitors to wear masks.B. Derrick Taff, Assistant Professor, Recreation, Park and Tourism Management, Professor-in-Charge of Graduate Studies, Penn StateLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1355302020-05-01T12:18:31Z2020-05-01T12:18:31ZHow cafes, bars, gyms, barbershops and other ‘third places’ create our social fabric<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/330869/original/file-20200427-145566-7eq7yk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Empty cafes with tipped chairs are a common sight worldwide during the coronavirus pandemic.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/march-2020-hessen-offenbach-two-caf-chairs-stand-tilted-to-news-photo/1207925696?adppopup=true">Frank Rumpenhorst/picture alliance via Getty Images</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Social distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic implies many painful losses. Among them are so-called “<a href="https://www.dacapopress.com/titles/ray-oldenburg-phd/the-great-good-place/9781569246818/">third places</a>” – the restaurants, bars, gyms, houses of worship, barber shops and other places we frequent that are neither work nor home.</p>
<p>The third place is a concept in sociology and urban planning that <a href="https://www.curbed.com/2018/5/31/17414768/starbucks-third-place-bathroom-public">recognizes the role</a> these semi-public, semi-private places play in fostering social association, community identity and civic engagement. In giving people a familiar setting for social interaction among regulars, they encourage “<a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0885412205286160">place attachment</a>” – that is, the bond between a person and a place.</p>
<p>Now, experiencing the coronavirus from the fortress of our living spaces, we may enjoy the feeling of being in a haven that protects against this invisible new enemy. But we’ve lost the social and psychological intimacy of third places. </p>
<p>It is a significant loss. My three decades of research on urban spaces finds that both <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=k1UMLAQAAAAJ&hl=en">public spaces and third places</a> contribute to a healthy and flourishing society. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/330867/original/file-20200427-145499-weckew.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/330867/original/file-20200427-145499-weckew.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/330867/original/file-20200427-145499-weckew.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330867/original/file-20200427-145499-weckew.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330867/original/file-20200427-145499-weckew.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330867/original/file-20200427-145499-weckew.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330867/original/file-20200427-145499-weckew.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330867/original/file-20200427-145499-weckew.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A barber shop in Ferguson, Missouri.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/bartender-chuck-mcardle-at-the-eire-pub-in-the-dorchester-news-photo/612208284?adppopup=true">Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis via Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Places to ‘feel at home’</h2>
<p>Third spaces have probably always existed. From attending social clubs and religious gatherings to neighborhood festivals and burial societies, people have long formed associations that bring groups together. </p>
<p>Most of these associations reflected genealogical, religious, gender, cultural or class homogeneity. Often, they were formed to fulfill a social function like raising funds or completing a group task. They were not necessarily geographically located in a particular place.</p>
<p>Contemporary third places, in contrast, are always space-based. When <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Public-Space-Design-and-Social-Cohesion-An-International-Comparison/Aelbrecht-Stevens/p/book/9781138594036">urbanists use the term</a>, they’re referring to a physical setting with a boundary or entrance designed to allow, even encourage, access to a variety of people – like a coffee shop with a bright sign and an open door.</p>
<p>Staff and regulars are part of the scene here. But so are strangers. While not as diverse or accessible as public spaces, third places rely on a certain amount of heterogeneity to convey social importance and bring vitality.</p>
<p>In this way, third places complement <a href="http://www.cambridge.org/9780521359603">public spaces</a> like parks, plazas, playgrounds, streets and sidewalks – free and open places that offer <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13604810801933495">contact</a>, <a href="https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300188288/together">cooperation</a> and even <a href="https://www.guilford.com/books/The-Right-to-the-City/Don-Mitchell/9781572308473">conflict</a> with a range of mostly unknown people. </p>
<p>If public spaces expand our social relationships and <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1745691617752324">liberalize our world view</a>, third places anchor us to a community where we are recognized and our needs accommodated. Third places are predictable and comfortable – a setting where we feel “at home.”</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/331580/original/file-20200429-51500-1fiiz0c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/331580/original/file-20200429-51500-1fiiz0c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/331580/original/file-20200429-51500-1fiiz0c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331580/original/file-20200429-51500-1fiiz0c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331580/original/file-20200429-51500-1fiiz0c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331580/original/file-20200429-51500-1fiiz0c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331580/original/file-20200429-51500-1fiiz0c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/331580/original/file-20200429-51500-1fiiz0c.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Guests enjoy one last pint at the Red Lion pub on March 20, 2020, the day it closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/two-women-are-seen-drinking-inside-the-red-lion-pub-on-news-photo/1207850938?adppopup=true">Peter Summers/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>‘It is not the same’</h2>
<p>Those sheltering in place are now missing their third places acutely.</p>
<p>Recently, I spoke with some young men who are still gathering in a local state park near my home. They were sharing a pizza, hidden from view. They told me how hard it is not to be able to hang out at the pizza shop itself. It was their third place.</p>
<p>Grace, an older friend of mine from Manhattan, told me she feels “cut off” because she can’t go to the neighborhood restaurant where she knows the chef by name and enjoys sitting at the bar after work. </p>
<p>I still get coffee every morning at the <a href="https://www.goldenpearcafe.com">Golden Pear</a> on the east end of Long Island, where I live, wearing a mask and gloves. Normally, I’d eat breakfast there while exchanging greetings and conversing in English and Spanish with friends and staff. </p>
<p>Now I take my coffee to an empty beach to drink. It is not the same. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/330865/original/file-20200427-145553-f5iir.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=83%2C0%2C7856%2C5304&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/330865/original/file-20200427-145553-f5iir.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330865/original/file-20200427-145553-f5iir.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330865/original/file-20200427-145553-f5iir.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330865/original/file-20200427-145553-f5iir.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330865/original/file-20200427-145553-f5iir.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330865/original/file-20200427-145553-f5iir.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Many restaurants, such as Patsy’s in New York City, are delivering through the coronavirus lockdown, but people miss the social aspects of dining in.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/restaurant-delivery-worker-on-his-bike-stops-by-a-sign-in-news-photo/1220900477?adppopup=true">Cindy Ord/Getty Images</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>As my colleague Judy Ling Wong <a href="https://psrg.commons.gc.cuny.edu/2020/04/19/the-evolving-covid-19-lockdown-in-london-by-judy-ling-wong/">observes</a>, from London, where she lives alone, this lockdown is a time of “severe disorientation.” </p>
<p>Phoning friends has almost a “ritualistic feel to it,” she writes. It is “done to maintain our hold on social connections.”</p>
<h2>Gated against coronavirus</h2>
<p>Our collective loneliness during the pandemic exposes how dependent we are on one another for happiness – and how interconnected we really are.</p>
<p>Healthy societies depend on continuing interaction among people who are different in a multiplicity of ways. Third places are prime venues for such interactions because our shared enjoyment of its services – a love of coffee, music, or for working out – assures that even strangers have at least one thing in common.</p>
<p>I have studied people who live in <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Behind-the-Gates-Life-Security-and-the-Pursuit-of-Happiness-in-Fortress/Low/p/book/9780415950411">gated communities</a> – places bereft of such diverse interactions. I found that even in a supposedly secured space, they worry about crime and feel anxiety when they walk outside the gates of their neighborhood. Children who grow up in such places learn, implicitly or intentionally, to fear those who are outside the walls, including their own families’ workers, nannies or delivery people.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/330868/original/file-20200427-145525-1rwt8xc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/330868/original/file-20200427-145525-1rwt8xc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/330868/original/file-20200427-145525-1rwt8xc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330868/original/file-20200427-145525-1rwt8xc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330868/original/file-20200427-145525-1rwt8xc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330868/original/file-20200427-145525-1rwt8xc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330868/original/file-20200427-145525-1rwt8xc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/330868/original/file-20200427-145525-1rwt8xc.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Gyms are a third place between work and home for many people.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/people-work-out-at-a-golds-gym-march-16-2020-in-washington-news-photo/1212852245?adppopup=true">Alex Wong/Getty Images</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>Because of the potential of contagious strangers, the coronavirus creates a similar <a href="https://www.routledge.com/Spatializing-Culture-The-Ethnography-of-Space-and-Place/Low/p/book/9781138945616">us-versus-them mentality</a>. Without third places and public spaces where people come into regular contact with others outside their circle, such thinking can become ingrained. It can metastasize from prudent public health advice to paranoia and prejudice.</p>
<p>The coronavirus, in other words, challenges not only our physical, mental and economic health but also our social health.</p>
<p>Third places provide the daily glue that binds us to a particular location and to the people who frequent it. With them, we construct a chosen community, a broader public realm. Without them, I worry, the associations that weave a complex society together will fray.</p>
<p>[<em>You need to understand the coronavirus pandemic, and we can help.</em> <a href="https://theconversation.com/us/newsletters?utm_source=TCUS&utm_medium=inline-link&utm_campaign=newsletter-text&utm_content=upper-coronavirus-help">Read The Conversation’s newsletter</a>.]</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/135530/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Setha Low does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>We sorely miss our regular haunts during the coronavirus lockdown not only because we like them but also because a healthy society needs places where people can gather, mix and mingle.Setha Low, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, Geography and Psychology and Director of the Public Space Research Group, CUNY Graduate CenterLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1342502020-03-23T06:49:34Z2020-03-23T06:49:34ZNice to meet you, now back off! How to socially distance without seeming rude<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/322232/original/file-20200323-22610-1xdrmmm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C24%2C5444%2C3518&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption"></span> </figcaption></figure><p>Depending on your culture, you are probably used to greeting someone with a handshake, <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.2466/02.17.21.CP.1.13">hug</a> or <a href="https://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/96504348/hongi-our-national-greeting">nose bump</a>. Well, not any more.</p>
<p>As introverts everywhere silently (of course) celebrate the need for social distance, the rest of us are struggling to navigate how to project our feelings <a href="https://66.media.tumblr.com/4987e6f7b0e2348cffe89c4ad9fbfbb4/tumblr_n3y8cjHu5q1sial0xo1_500.gif">without touch</a>. </p>
<hr>
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<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/social-distancing-can-make-you-lonely-heres-how-to-stay-connected-when-youre-in-lockdown-133693">Social distancing can make you lonely. Here's how to stay connected when you're in lockdown</a>
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<p>How much we touch someone when we greet them <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00987051">varies by culture, personality and gender, as well as relationship</a>. Besides being an important <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=a4qRw8Wp1pEC&lpg=PA1&ots=qqcOkuZbhJ&dq=cultural%20significance%20of%20touch%20when%20greeting&lr&pg=PA2#v=onepage&q=cultural%20significance%20of%20touch%20when%20greeting&f=false">greeting ritual</a>, appropriate touch can also serve to strengthen <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/112/45/13811.short">emotional bonds</a> and help to establish the relationship status of two people, whether family, friends, business colleagues, or strangers. </p>
<h2>Hands off</h2>
<p>Important as handshakes are, the need for personal safety trumps everything. You absolutely don’t have to shake someone’s hand just because they offer it.</p>
<p>How should we deal with any awkwardness that arises? The <a href="https://qz.com/work/1815292/coronavirus-drove-emily-post-to-change-handshake-policy/">best advice</a> is to talk about it, but not at length. It doesn’t require an apology or a long explanation.</p>
<p>When <a href="https://qz.com/work/1813557/an-etiquette-expert-on-how-to-decline-a-handshake/">refusing a handshake</a>, do so simply and without fuss, and mention the coronavirus at the first opportunity. Say something simple and concise, such as: “Due to the virus I am not shaking hands at the moment.” </p>
<p>Or, to make it totally clear that it’s nothing personal, you could try saying: “I am not shaking anyone’s hand.” </p>
<p>The tone in which you say these things is crucial. It should be light and maybe even playful. You could further put the other person at ease by saying something friendly like: “It’s lovely to see you again.”</p>
<p>Whatever you do, do it with a smile. The gesture on your face is more important than the ones with your hands. If you’re feeling awkward, make a conscious effort to remember to smile, especially if you are a bloke – one study found that men <a href="http://homepages.gac.edu/%7Ejwotton2/PSY225/meta.pdf">tend to smile less often than women</a>.</p>
<p>With handshakes and even elbow-bumps now off the table, you could try non-contact options such as a thumbs-up, a “namaste”-style prayer gesture, or even an ironic <a href="https://images.app.goo.gl/gL44fxHLEzYwZKp66">jazz hands</a> if you think you can pull it off.</p>
<p><img width="100%" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Covid-19-Handshake-Alternatives-v3.gif"></p>
<h2>Heading off a hug</h2>
<p>While it’s vital to prioritise your own health and safety, a guiding principle of etiquette is to put the other person at ease by showing you value their feelings and comfort over your own. Make it less about the “I” and more about the “you”. </p>
<p>For example, you can head off a potential hug by getting on the front foot, saying “I’m so glad to see you, I’m sorry we can’t hug” rather than waiting for it to happen and then diving out of the way. Being proactive shows you value the other person’s feelings and have considered them in advance. </p>
<p>Another way to do it is to emphasise this is part of a collective effort to tackle the virus. Make it clear you’re avoiding physical contact for the other person’s safety, as well as your own. This might be a particularly useful strategy with older relatives. </p>
<h2>Manners maketh meetings</h2>
<p>Although there are no hugs or handshakes online, the same basic etiquette principles apply here too. If working from home, you can show others you value their feelings by logging in on time to meetings, muting yourself until ready to speak, and making sure any distractions are minimised (not always easy with kids or pets around).</p>
<p>Support the person chairing the meeting, and be just as willing to engage as you would be if you were in the same room. If you think about a situation in advance and believe that action will make others more comfortable, even if your effort fails, you will be perceived as polite.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/working-at-home-to-avoid-coronavirus-this-tech-lets-you-almost-replicate-the-office-133350">Working at home to avoid coronavirus? This tech lets you (almost) replicate the office</a>
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</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>As we strive to get used to the strange new feeling of social distancing, remember manners and respect are what make society work. This used to mean shaking hands, but now it means demonstrating our concern for each other’s health by <em>not</em> shaking hands. </p>
<p>Etiquette is a cornerstone of social interaction, and what we learn from it is this: it is not the distance that matters. Showing each other we care is what brings us closer together.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/134250/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Nathalie Collins is a certified Emily Post Business Etiquette Trainer.</span></em></p>Don’t want to shake hands, but don’t want to cause offence? Just smile, have a short sentence ready in advance, and make sure the other person knows you care about their feelings.Nathalie Collins, Academic Director (National Programs), Edith Cowan UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1252992019-12-04T03:04:09Z2019-12-04T03:04:09ZHaving problems with your kid’s tantrums, bed-wetting or withdrawal? Here’s when to get help<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/305068/original/file-20191204-70174-1oybf9q.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Problems sometimes arise when a child is going through a big change, such as starting school or welcoming a new sibling to the family.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/sad-child-325087436">Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Remember anxiously waiting for your child to take their first steps or speak their first words? It’s exhilarating when they reach a new stage in their development. </p>
<p>Every child grows and develops differently. Some will change at a steady pace and amaze us each day with a new skill or word, whereas others appear slow to change before taking a huge developmental leap. </p>
<p>These differences make us all unique – but they also make it a challenge to know when the worry is justified and when to seek help. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/whats-in-a-milestone-understanding-your-childs-development-50894">What’s in a milestone? Understanding your child’s development</a>
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</em>
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<p>A new <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/plan-to-help-gps-identify-mental-health-problems-in-babies-and-children-20191004-p52xmn.html">Australian government initiative</a> may ease parents’ concerns by supporting GPs to better understand infant and childhood development and, particularly, the early signs of mental health concerns. </p>
<p>A range of infant and child behaviours cause parents concern including tantrums, bed-wetting and withdrawal. So, what’s normal and when should you see your GP or other health practitioner?</p>
<h2>Tantrums</h2>
<p>Tantrums are a typical part of development for most children, and may look like emotions and behaviour that are out of control, such as crying, yelling, pushing, kicking or slamming doors. </p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/no-i-dont-wanna-wahhhh-a-parents-guide-to-managing-tantrums-87175">'No, I don't wanna... wahhhh!' A parent's guide to managing tantrums</a>
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<p>Tantrums are most common in toddlers but can still occur for some primary school age children. Children’s brains develop at a rapid pace from infancy, and at around three to four years of age they begin to develop skills to better manage or “self-regulate” their emotions and behaviour. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/305067/original/file-20191204-70149-1hy9no7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/305067/original/file-20191204-70149-1hy9no7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305067/original/file-20191204-70149-1hy9no7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305067/original/file-20191204-70149-1hy9no7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305067/original/file-20191204-70149-1hy9no7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305067/original/file-20191204-70149-1hy9no7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305067/original/file-20191204-70149-1hy9no7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Young children are still working out how to regulate their emotions.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/strong-screaming-due-tantrum-yelling-high-1311282617">Leon Rafael/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Just like adults, when a child is going through a change (even if it’s an exciting one like the arrival of a new sibling or starting school) it becomes more difficult for them to self-regulate. This is when parents may notice an increase in tantrums or difficult behaviour. </p>
<p><strong>When should you get help?</strong></p>
<p>Parents might want to see their GP if their child has really long tantrums (more than 30 minutes), or has frequent tantrums (nearly every day for at least two weeks) that cause stress or distress in the child and/or those around them. </p>
<h2>Bed-wetting</h2>
<p>Bed-wetting is when children are able to use the toilet, and wet the bed at night without meaning to. </p>
<p>There is a wide window for the normal development of toileting skills. Timing depends on many factors including genetics, the child’s physical, emotional and cognitive development and readiness, and their environment. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-how-do-you-stop-children-from-wetting-the-bed-11407">Explainer: how do you stop children from wetting the bed?</a>
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</p>
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<p><strong>When is bed-wetting a concern?</strong> </p>
<p>Bed-wetting is not considered to be of medical concern until <a href="https://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/fact_sheets/Bedwetting/">six or seven years of age</a>. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/305066/original/file-20191204-70105-pjyg11.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/305066/original/file-20191204-70105-pjyg11.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305066/original/file-20191204-70105-pjyg11.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305066/original/file-20191204-70105-pjyg11.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305066/original/file-20191204-70105-pjyg11.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305066/original/file-20191204-70105-pjyg11.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305066/original/file-20191204-70105-pjyg11.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">There is a wide window of normal development for staying dry through the night.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/boy-bed-his-eyes-open-child-1388937995">Zdan Ivan/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>However, parents should take note of changes in toileting, or any “regressions” – where children seem to lose skills or go backwards from whatever stage they’d previously reached. </p>
<p>Changes in toileting, including bed-wetting, can be a common response when children experience stress or change. Parents might want to see their GP if they are concerned about a <a href="https://raisingchildren.net.au/preschoolers/health-daily-care/toileting/toilet-training-guide#setbacks-and-accidents-while-toilet-training-nav-title">change in their child’s usual toileting behaviour</a> that lasts more than two weeks. </p>
<h2>Withdrawal</h2>
<p>Children vary a lot in terms of their natural level of social engagement. Some appear shy or are slow to warm up but in their own home or other familiar settings engage and communicate easily. </p>
<p>Withdrawal doesn’t refer to a shy child, but indicates a change in usual behaviour, or a persistent pattern where a child shows a lack of social interest and interaction, even in familiar settings. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/is-my-child-being-too-clingy-and-how-can-i-help-115372">Is my child being too clingy and how can I help?</a>
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<p>Withdrawn children may avoid eye contact, talk less, and avoid social play and interaction with adults and children. </p>
<p><strong>When to see your GP?</strong> </p>
<p>It can be difficult for parents to know the difference between their child’s normal nature and temperament, versus behaviour that may be of concern. Parents may want to see a GP if their child has never engaged well socially, such as avoiding eye contact, physical closeness, or avoiding social interactions. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/305065/original/file-20191203-70126-pjtv59.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/305065/original/file-20191203-70126-pjtv59.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=317&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305065/original/file-20191203-70126-pjtv59.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=317&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305065/original/file-20191203-70126-pjtv59.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=317&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305065/original/file-20191203-70126-pjtv59.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305065/original/file-20191203-70126-pjtv59.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/305065/original/file-20191203-70126-pjtv59.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Some children withdraw by avoiding interaction with adults and other children.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/one-young-elementary-school-girl-age-466855274">Shutterstock/ChameleonsEye</a></span>
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</figure>
<p>Parents may also want to see a GP if they notice a change in their child’s social interactions, where the child suddenly avoids social interactions in one or more settings (home, school or childcare) where they were previously engaged and interactive.</p>
<h2>How to get help</h2>
<p>Parenting can be incredibly stressful, overwhelming and all-consuming. If you haven’t been around many children before or are new to parenting, it can be difficult to know if your child’s behaviour is normal or not. </p>
<p>For these reasons, it’s so important to have good support networks in place, including a trusted family GP. See your GP or other medical professional if your child’s behaviour:</p>
<ul>
<li>is causing significant distress </li>
<li>is unusual for them and/or </li>
<li>has occurred almost every day for at least two weeks or less often for a couple of months.</li>
</ul>
<p>Other services that can form part of your support network include your maternal and child health nurse, the Maternal and Child Health Line (Victoria, 13 22 29) or other <a href="https://raisingchildren.net.au/grown-ups/services-support/about-services-support/helplines">parenting hotlines in your state or territory</a>, and online resources such as the <a href="https://raisingchildren.net.au/">Raising Children Network</a>. </p>
<p>To find other local health services such as psychology, you can access the <a href="https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/australian-health-services">National Health Services Directory</a>.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/stressed-about-managing-your-childs-behaviour-here-are-four-things-every-parent-should-know-104481">Stressed about managing your child's behaviour? Here are four things every parent should know</a>
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<img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/125299/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jade Sheen is a recipient of an Australian Government Office and Learning and Teaching grant and several Department of Health and Ageing grants.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Elizabeth Westrupp receives funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council</span></em></p>Every child develops at a different pace so it can be difficult to know what’s normal.Jade Sheen, Associate Professor, School of Psychology, Deakin UniversityElizabeth Westrupp, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, Deakin UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1261882019-11-13T19:04:00Z2019-11-13T19:04:00ZSonic havens: how we use music to make ourselves feel at home<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/301409/original/file-20191113-37420-9kj5vy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=159%2C234%2C4929%2C3437&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Music played through headphones can immerse the listener in a more intimate experience.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/young-woman-headphones-relaxing-home-late-704548654?src=a0b9e394-590f-4e1f-842d-bc66b7086854-1-5">Stokkete/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>The concept of “home” refers to more than bricks and mortar. Just as cities are more than buildings and infrastructure, our homes carry all manner of emotional, aesthetic and socio-cultural significance.</p>
<p>Our research investigates music and sound across five settings: home, <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=zcMuMglzyzkC&oi=fnd&pg=PA190&ots=atQw4trFNS&sig=35Ok_TO3mJYXgm3mGRt_8bFfZ0Q#v=onepage&q&f=false">work</a>, <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/soin.12232">retail spaces</a>, private <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/S0163-2396(2010)0000035015/full/html">vehicle travel</a> and <a href="https://search.informit.com.au/documentSummary;dn=200907280;res=IELAPA;type=pdf">public transport</a>. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/contested-spaces-you-cant-stop-the-music-the-sounds-that-divide-shoppers-72644">Contested spaces: you can't stop the music – the sounds that divide shoppers</a>
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<p>We found our interview subjects often idealised home along the lines of what <a href="http://www.losquaderno.professionaldreamers.net/?p=1106">Rowland Atkinson terms an “aural haven”</a>. He suggests, although “homes are … rarely places of complete silence”, we tend to imagine them as “refuge[s] from unwanted sound” that offer psychic and perceptual “nourishment to us as social beings”. </p>
<p>We explored the ways in which people shape and respond to the home as a set of “<a href="http://www.professionaldreamers.net/images/losquaderno/losquaderno10.pdf">modifiable micro-soundscapes</a>”. Through 29 in-depth interviews, we examine how people use music and sound to frame the home as a type of “<a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/2095141?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents">interaction order</a>”. Erving Goffman coined this term to capture how people respond to the felt “presence” of an other. </p>
<p>That presence can be linguistic or non-linguistic, visual or acoustic. It can cross material thresholds such as walls and fences. Goffman <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=EM1NNzcR-V0C&printsec=frontcover&dq=behaviour+in+public+places&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwic9JaW6-XlAhV-73MBHRilB4oQ6AEIKDAA#v=onepage&q=work%20walls%20do&f=false">wrote</a>: </p>
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<p>The work walls do, they do in part because they are honoured or socially recognised as communication barriers.</p>
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<h2>Cultivating sonic havens through music</h2>
<p>As we detail in our recent <a href="https://tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14036096.2019.1686060">essay in Housing, Theory and Society</a>, the type of listening that most closely matches the idea of the home as an aural haven is bedroom listening – by young people in particular. We found that, as well as offering “control” and “seclusion”, the bedroom gave listeners a sense of “transcendence” and immersed them in “deep” listening. One interview subject said: </p>
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<p>When I get a new album … I like to experience [it] by … lying down on the floor… I’ll turn the lights off and I’ll just be engaging with the music, my eyes won’t be open. </p>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/301405/original/file-20191113-37415-16ig9wd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/301405/original/file-20191113-37415-16ig9wd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/301405/original/file-20191113-37415-16ig9wd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301405/original/file-20191113-37415-16ig9wd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301405/original/file-20191113-37415-16ig9wd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301405/original/file-20191113-37415-16ig9wd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301405/original/file-20191113-37415-16ig9wd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301405/original/file-20191113-37415-16ig9wd.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">For young people in particular, listening to music in their bedroom is the classic ‘sonic haven’.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/beautiful-afro-american-girl-denim-overall-706404091?src=b0cd3d30-c466-4099-b826-deed348e47cc-1-6">George Rudy/Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>Another reported putting on headphones to listen to special selections of music, despite not needing to. “Headphones… [is] a more intimate … kind of thing”, even in a bedroom setting.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/our-brain-computer-interfacing-technology-uses-music-to-make-people-happy-119496">Our brain-computer interfacing technology uses music to make people happy</a>
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<p>When it came to music in shared spaces and in relation to neighbours, our interview subjects seemed both aware of music’s visceral powers and keen to respect the territorial or acoustic “preserves” of others. One young female sharing a house with her mother carefully curated the type of music played, and what part of the house it was played in. Her choices depended on whether her mother was home and whether she had shown interest in particular genres. </p>
<p>All respondents who lived in shared households expressed some kind of sensitivity to not playing music at night. </p>
<p>Another lived by herself in an apartment complex of five. She took deference towards neighbours seriously enough to “tinker away” on her piano only when she was sure her immediate neighbour wasn’t home. She “didn’t play the piano much” inside her flat and was only prepared to “go nuts” playing the piano in halls and other non-domestic settings.</p>
<h2>Music as a bridging ritual</h2>
<p>Another of our findings accorded with the microsociological focus on how people organise <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0226981606/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i10">time</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0029344204/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_taft_p1_i6">space</a> in everyday life. We found evidence, for example, of how music was used to wake up, or to transition to the weekend, or as a “bridging ritual” between work and home. </p>
<p>One interview subject remarked that he is “dressed casually anyway” when he returns from work, so his mechanism for shifting to home mode is to listen “to music … pretty much as soon as I get home … unless I’m just turning around and going straight somewhere else”. In other words, he associated the boundary between home and non-home with music and the listening rituals of returning home.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/like-to-work-with-background-noise-it-could-be-boosting-your-performance-119598">Like to work with background noise? It could be boosting your performance</a>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/301414/original/file-20191113-37410-1qk05zt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/301414/original/file-20191113-37410-1qk05zt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/301414/original/file-20191113-37410-1qk05zt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=899&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301414/original/file-20191113-37410-1qk05zt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=899&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301414/original/file-20191113-37410-1qk05zt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=899&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301414/original/file-20191113-37410-1qk05zt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301414/original/file-20191113-37410-1qk05zt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/301414/original/file-20191113-37410-1qk05zt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=1130&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">For adults, playing their favourite music in the car can create the legitimate equivalent of a teenager’s bedroom.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/hand-woman-touching-screen-turning-on-1121411759?src=b1598cf2-76dc-48d6-8c72-b13052c02c04-1-2">Shutterstock</a></span>
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<p>One of the themes in academic literature about media and the home is that electronic and digital media <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/no-sense-of-place-9780195042313?cc=au&lang=en&">blur the boundary between the inside and outside of the home</a>. There is no doubt radio, television and now various digital platforms bring the world “out there” into the immediacy and intimacy of our own domestic worlds. But, as <a href="https://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9780203033142/chapters/10.4324/9780203033142-8">Jo Tacchi noted of radio sound</a>, those sounds can also be used to weave a sonic <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0038026118825233">texture</a> of domestic comfort, security and routine. </p>
<p>We also found interesting sonic continuities between our homes and how we make ourselves at home in non-domestic settings. As <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=KEHjTYnT-MUC&q=Locked+in+our+cars#v=snippet&q=Locked%20in%20our%20cars&f=false">Christina Nippert-Eng writes</a>:</p>
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<p>Locked in our cars, commutes offer the working woman or man the legitimate equivalent of a teenager’s bedroom, often complete with stereo system and favourite music.</p>
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<p>In short, sonic havens are simply “places where we can retreat into privacy”, inside or outside our literal homes.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/126188/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The music we choose to listen to not only allows us to retreat into a place of peace and privacy, but also helps frame our daily routines and interactions with others.Michael James Walsh, Assistant Professor Social Science, University of CanberraEduardo de la Fuente, Honorary Fellow, School of Humanities and Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong, University of WollongongLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1206902019-07-24T10:45:40Z2019-07-24T10:45:40ZHow autism can be hidden from society using psychological strategies<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/285486/original/file-20190724-110166-170dzgm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">shutterstock</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/people-carryng-speech-bubble-icons-1071620870?src=BgbiAooIGlw3nKTE9GbI8Q-1-1&studio=1">Shutterstock/Rawpixel</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Autism is usually identified by doctors during childhood, but a growing number of people are now being <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-it-feels-to-be-diagnosed-with-autism-later-in-life-92633">diagnosed with the condition in adulthood</a>. A later diagnosis can be challenging because many intellectually able adults have developed “<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-coping-mechanisms-allow-autistic-people-to-manage-their-condition-85932">compensatory</a>” psychological strategies for coping with their autistic difficulties. These can hide their symptoms from doctors, employers, and even family members.</p>
<p>A recent <a href="https://bjgp.org/content/67/659/e445">survey</a> found that many GPs in the UK are not confident in their ability to identify autism. And compensatory strategies are now thought to be one of the main reasons for <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0149763417301732?via%3Dihub">difficulty with diagnosis in adults</a>.</p>
<p>Yet there is little guidance for doctors on detecting these strategies, and for parents and teachers on whether they have a positive impact. And so far, most evidence of these strategies has been anecdotal, often from secondhand observations, rather than the lived experiences of autism. (This reflects a broader issue of participants and <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(19)30296-2/fulltext">patients’ voices being undervalued</a> in medical research.)</p>
<p>Our <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(19)30224-X/fulltext">new research</a> explored these psychological strategies in more detail, and also aimed to provide a voice for autistic people who, <a href="https://theconversation.com/autism-is-linked-to-lower-levels-of-empathy-but-that-may-not-be-a-bad-thing-118359">despite their difficulties</a>, are <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/behavioral-and-brain-sciences/article/compensation-in-autism-is-not-consistent-with-social-motivation-theory/B7B462996932D2BD19B65A2473606381">motivated</a> to fit into non-autistic society.</p>
<p>Using large-scale online data collection, autistic adults from around the world described their experiences of using psychological strategies to fit in. They frequently reported copying hand gestures, eye contact and facial expressions from others, and learning when to laugh at jokes even when they didn’t understand them. One said: </p>
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<p>If I acted like that person over there, no one would know that I was struggling inside … I made mental lists of the things I had to remember to say or do.</p>
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<p>Most participants felt that their compensatory strategies were a key reason why autism was not diagnosed in childhood, and why their difficulties continued to be overlooked by others. One commented:</p>
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<p>A lot of people who know me superficially express surprise that I am autistic. I don’t take it as a compliment and I often want to respond [by saying]: “Do you realise how much damn hard work it is to seem this normal?”</p>
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<p>Participants also said that using these strategies took a lot of mental energy, contributing to poor mental well-being:</p>
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<p>The [compensatory] experience feels like you are running a marathon while non-autistics are casually walking. It is draining … It fuels my anxiety.</p>
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<p>But not all experiences of compensatory strategies were negative. The same techniques appeared to help some autistic people to live independently, get a job, and have relationships:</p>
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<p>[With compensatory strategies] … I am liked by my colleagues and friends … I haven’t lived on the edge, lost and lonely, as I could have.</p>
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<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/285491/original/file-20190724-110162-epvl4p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/285491/original/file-20190724-110162-epvl4p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285491/original/file-20190724-110162-epvl4p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285491/original/file-20190724-110162-epvl4p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=300&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285491/original/file-20190724-110162-epvl4p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285491/original/file-20190724-110162-epvl4p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/285491/original/file-20190724-110162-epvl4p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=377&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">Some people using compensatory strategies to fit in.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-vector/horizontal-vector-illustration-big-number-people-491897284?studio=1">Shutterstock/magic pictures</a></span>
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<p>Autistic adults also suggested that non-autistic people could develop their own compensatory strategies to help create a society that is more autism friendly:</p>
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<p>Communication is a two way street, so as much as I can understand the need to compensate in certain situations, non-autistics should develop an understanding and appreciation that there is a middle way. It’s not just their world.</p>
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<h2>Two way conversations</h2>
<p>The research highlights the gaps between autistic adults and non-autistic society, with important implications for the diagnosis of autism and society’s views on the condition.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-accommodating-workers-with-autism-benefits-employers-and-all-of-us-119628">How accommodating workers with autism benefits employers -- and all of us</a>
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<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/explainer-what-is-the-dsm-14127">Manuals</a> used to diagnose and manage autism make only cursory reference to compensatory strategies. Our findings will hopefully encourage formal recognition and discussion of these strategies, to improve <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(19)30295-0/fulltext">diagnosis and support</a> for people who don’t “seem” autistic. These will feed into <a href="https://theconversation.com/gps-urgently-need-training-on-autism-77301">autism training for GPs</a>, which is urgently needed.</p>
<p>Our research also provides clues for how non-autistic people could do more when interacting with autistic people. Reducing social small talk (asking “How are you?”, for example) may actually improve interactions. </p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1153945382726111232"}"></div></p>
<p>This might feel rude or awkward, but could lessen autistic people’s need to compensate in situations they would otherwise find stressful. Autistic broadcaster <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanpsy/article/PIIS2215-0366(19)30297-4/fulltext">Chris Packham describes this experience</a> in the same academic journal as our research.</p>
<p>It isn’t yet clear whether reducing small talk would be helpful, so we hope to conduct more research into this “two-way” compensation idea, drawing on the <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09687599.2012.710008">work of autistic academic Damian Milton</a>. But overall, our findings may help autistic people to maximise the positive and minimise the negative consequences of compensatory strategies. This should in turn improve their quality of life and cohesion between autistic and non-autistic people in society.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/120690/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Lucy Anne Livingston receives funding from the Medical Research Council UK. </span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Francesca Happé receives funding from the ESRC, MRC, NIHR and Wellcome Trust.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Punit Shah had received funding from the Medical Research Council and receives funding from the Economic and Social Research Council..</span></em></p>What adults with autism told us about their everyday experiences.Lucy Anne Livingston, Researcher, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College LondonFrancesca Happé, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, King's College LondonPunit Shah, Assistant Professor (Lecturer) in Psychology, University of BathLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1132402019-03-20T17:36:56Z2019-03-20T17:36:56ZTeens have less face time with their friends – and are lonelier than ever<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/264693/original/file-20190319-60956-6picsy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Teens aren't necessarily less social, but the contours of their social lives have changed.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://pxhere.com/en/photo/519646">pxhere</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Ask a teen today how she communicates with her friends, and she’ll probably hold up her smartphone. Not that she actually calls her friends; it’s more likely that she texts them or messages them on social media. </p>
<p>Today’s teens – the generation I call “<a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/iGen/Jean-M-Twenge/9781501152016">iGen</a>” that’s also called Gen Z – are constantly connected with their friends via digital media, spending as much as <a href="https://www.commonsensemedia.org/about-us/news/press-releases/landmark-report-us-teens-use-an-average-of-nine-hours-of-media-per-day">nine hours a day on average</a> with screens. </p>
<p>How might this influence the time they spend with their friends in person?</p>
<p>Some <a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1369118X.2018.1430162?journalCode=rics20">studies</a> have found that people who spend more time on social media actually have <a href="http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/11/28/teens-who-are-constantly-online-are-just-as-likely-to-socialize-with-their-friends-offline/">more face time with friends</a>.</p>
<p>But studies like this are only looking at people already operating in a world suffused with smartphones. They can’t tell us how teens spent their time before and after <a href="https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/releases/ppm-ppm0000203.pdf">digital media use surged</a>. </p>
<p>What if we zoomed out and compared how often previous generations of teens spent time with their friends to how often today’s teens are doing so? And what if we also saw how feelings of loneliness differed across the generations? </p>
<p>To do this, my co-authors and I examined trends in <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407519836170">how 8.2 million U.S. teens</a> spent time with their friends since the 1970s. It turns out that today’s teens are socializing with friends in fundamentally different ways – and also happen to be the loneliest generation on record.</p>
<h2>Less work, but fewer hangs?</h2>
<p>After studying two large, nationally representative surveys, we found that although the amount of time teens spent with their friends face to face has declined since the 1970s, the drop accelerated after 2010 – just as smartphones use started to grow.</p>
<p>Compared with teenagers in previous decades, iGen teens are less likely to get together with their friends. They’re also less likely to go to parties, go out with friends, date, ride in cars for fun, go to shopping malls or go to the movies. </p>
<p>It’s not because they are spending more time on work, homework or extracurricular activities. <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/cdev.12930">Today’s teens</a> hold fewer paid jobs, homework time is either unchanged or down since the 1990s, and time spent on extracurricular activities is about the same.</p>
<p>Yet they’re spending less time with their friends in person – and by large margins. In the late 1970s, 52 percent of 12th-graders got together with their friends almost every day. By 2017, only 28 percent did. The drop was especially pronounced after 2010. </p>
<p><iframe id="5ezEn" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/5ezEn/4/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>Today’s 10th-graders go to about 17 fewer parties a year than 10th-graders in the 1980s did. Overall, 12th-graders now spend an hour less on in-person social interaction on an average day than their Gen X predecessors did. </p>
<p>We wondered if these trends would have implications for feelings of loneliness, which are also measured in one of the surveys. Sure enough, just as the drop in face-to-face time accelerated after 2010, teens’ feelings of loneliness shot upward. </p>
<p>Among 12th graders, 39 percent said they often felt lonely in 2017, up from 26 percent in 2012. Thirty-eight percent said they often felt left out in 2017, up from 30 percent in 2012. In both cases, the 2017 numbers were all-time highs since the questions were first asked in 1977, with loneliness declining among teens before suddenly increasing.</p>
<p><iframe id="UmhvG" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/UmhvG/3/" height="400px" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<h2>A new cultural norm</h2>
<p>As previous studies have shown, we did find that those teens who spent more time on social media also spent more time with their friends in person. </p>
<p>So why have in-person social interactions been going down, overall, as digital media use has increased? </p>
<p>It has to do with the group versus the individual. </p>
<p>Imagine a group of friends that doesn’t use social media. This group regularly gets together, but the more outgoing members are willing to hang out more than others, who might stay home once in a while. Then they all sign up for Instagram. The social teens are still more likely to meet up in person, and they’re also more active on their accounts. </p>
<p>However, the total number of in-person hangs for everyone in the group drops as social media replaces some face-to-face time. </p>
<p>So the decline in face-to-face interaction among teens isn’t just an individual issue; it’s a generational one. Even teens who eschew social media are affected: Who will hang out with them when most of their peers are alone in their bedrooms scrolling through Instagram?</p>
<p>Higher levels of loneliness are just the tip of the iceberg. Rates of <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-mental-health-crisis-among-americas-youth-is-real-and-staggering-113239">depression</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-might-explain-the-unhappiness-epidemic-90212">unhappiness</a> also skyrocketed among teens after 2012, perhaps because spending more time with screens and less time with friends isn’t the best formula for mental health.</p>
<p>Some have argued that teens are simply <a href="https://www.theverge.com/2014/3/13/5488558/danah-boyd-interview-the-era-of-facebook-is-an-anomaly">choosing to communicate with their friends in a different way</a>, so the shift toward electronic communication isn’t concerning. </p>
<p>That argument assumes that electronic communication is just as good for assuaging loneliness and depression as face-to-face interaction. It seems clear that this isn’t the case. There’s something about being around another person – about touch, about eye contact, about laughter – that can’t be replaced by digital communication. </p>
<p>The result is a generation of teens who are lonelier than ever before.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/113240/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Jean Twenge does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In the late 1970s, 52 percent of 12th-graders hung out with their friends almost every day. By 2017, only 28 percent were doing so.Jean Twenge, Professor of Psychology, San Diego State UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1101772019-01-30T19:09:52Z2019-01-30T19:09:52ZWhy outer suburbs lack inner city’s ‘third places’: a partial defence of the hipster<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/256222/original/file-20190130-39344-168ud6f.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The independent owner-operated businesses that bring life to run-down neighbourhoods often have a hipster ethos.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/coffeesgonecold/31217989241/in/album-72157704622068821/">Peter Walters</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>One of the stark differences between neighbourhoods in the inner city and outer suburbs in Australia is the quality and type of retail offerings. Gentrifying inner-city suburbs – places like West End in Brisbane, Fitzroy in Melbourne and Newtown in Sydney – are characterised by independent owner-operated retail businesses. Busy “<a href="https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2016/09/14/third-places-as-community-builders/">third places</a>” such as cafes, bars and restaurants – where people spend time between home (“first” place) and work (“second” place) – are common. </p>
<p>These are the favoured haunts of the hipster. Hipsters have an uneasy place in our cultural landscape, not least of which is their role in gentrification. However, their role in the inner city is important in showing the rest of the city how to create contemporary, accessible and successful third places with low, non-gendered barriers to entry.</p>
<p>Third places provide residents and visitors with a variety of what <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Great-Good-Place-Bookstores-Community/dp/1569246815">Ray Oldenburg</a> calls “the core settings of informal public life”. Cafes, bars, pubs, clubs or chess rooms (in some places) are places where people can meet informally or be “together alone”. They allow for planned and accidental encounters across different times of the day and are essential for a healthy neighbourhood social life or “sense” of community. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/256225/original/file-20190130-108355-1dzcaub.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/256225/original/file-20190130-108355-1dzcaub.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/256225/original/file-20190130-108355-1dzcaub.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256225/original/file-20190130-108355-1dzcaub.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256225/original/file-20190130-108355-1dzcaub.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256225/original/file-20190130-108355-1dzcaub.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256225/original/file-20190130-108355-1dzcaub.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256225/original/file-20190130-108355-1dzcaub.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Cafes and bars provide a ‘third place’ where people can meet informally or be ‘together alone’, as seen here in St Kilda, Melbourne.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/coffeesgonecold/46142378184/in/album-72157704622068821/">Peter Walters</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/many-people-feel-lonely-in-the-city-but-perhaps-third-places-can-help-with-that-92847">Many people feel lonely in the city, but perhaps 'third places' can help with that</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>What’s missing from outer suburbs?</h2>
<p>As we travel out of the inner city towards the outer suburbs, residents become increasingly deprived of these places. Suburban retail centres become less “local” – shopping centres are isolated from the surrounding neighbourhood, controlled by a single corporate landlord, marooned in a sea of parking and offer a predictable range of franchised outlets and national brands, often anchored by a large supermarket. At the district level are huge impersonal shopping malls. </p>
<p>None of this enables residents to take advantage of local third places or feel any sense of authorship over them, which is so important for creating place and community. </p>
<p>History has an obvious role to play. Inner-city suburbs were planned and built before widespread car ownership. Streets are laid out in grids, which make for easy and direct pedestrian or bicycle travel. </p>
<p>These areas were built before the introduction of strict “single use” zoning regimes, so have a good mix of land uses. Retail, residential and even industrial properties exist side by side. Property ownership has evolved so one landlord rarely controls an entire retail strip. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/reinventing-density-bridging-the-live-work-divide-66406">Reinventing density: bridging the live-work divide</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Businesses open on to wide, protected footpaths which are thoroughfares for more than just the businesses located there. The built form is varied, interesting and vernacular and suited to small independent businesses. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/256228/original/file-20190130-39344-ooqmjp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/256228/original/file-20190130-39344-ooqmjp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/256228/original/file-20190130-39344-ooqmjp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256228/original/file-20190130-39344-ooqmjp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256228/original/file-20190130-39344-ooqmjp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256228/original/file-20190130-39344-ooqmjp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256228/original/file-20190130-39344-ooqmjp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256228/original/file-20190130-39344-ooqmjp.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Buildings are varied, interesting and vernacular and suited to small independent businesses in West End, Brisbane.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/coffeesgonecold/34858238476/in/album-72157704622068821/">Peter Walters</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Gentrification and the hipster</h2>
<p>Inner-city neighbourhoods in recent decades have been gentrified as more affluent residents and businesses colonise formerly working class, migrant or Indigenous areas of inner cities. <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0042098013489748">Gentrification</a> takes place over a long time and in particular phases. </p>
<p>The first to colonise an area are “renter gentrifiers”. They are responsible for making the place hip or edgy through alternative music and art, underground fashion and an embryonic start-up business culture. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/256231/original/file-20190130-42594-1ezw3ht.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/256231/original/file-20190130-42594-1ezw3ht.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/256231/original/file-20190130-42594-1ezw3ht.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256231/original/file-20190130-42594-1ezw3ht.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256231/original/file-20190130-42594-1ezw3ht.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=500&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256231/original/file-20190130-42594-1ezw3ht.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=628&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256231/original/file-20190130-42594-1ezw3ht.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=628&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256231/original/file-20190130-42594-1ezw3ht.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=628&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Despite the mockery they inspire, the hipsters’ pursuits create ‘third places’ that foster a sense of community.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/sharing-good-news-barista-his-customer-407607205?src=a15wcklWS1L_fBFtIQrg6Q-1-52">g-stockstudio/Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>This in turn attracts better-resourced gentrifiers who share the same cultural tastes as the renter gentrifiers but have money. This creates demand for a range of retail outlets, such as artisanal bakers, micro-breweries, tattoo artists, vintage fashions, vinyl record stores, independent bookstores and, most importantly, abundant bars, cafes and coffee shops. </p>
<p>These businesses are stereotypically run by hipsters, a subculture easily recognisable by their carefully curated full beards (male), artistic or ironic tattoos, skinny jeans and other vintage accessories. Hipsters are often disparaged for their lack of originality, for championing a look that mimics a historical period they never experienced. As <a href="https://books.google.com.au/books?id=PolRLfWavjAC&pg=PA41&lpg=PA41&dq=%E2%80%9Ccreativity,+genius,+eternal+value+and+mystery+are+inseparable+from+the+hipster%E2%80%9D&source=bl&ots=HQ-zgs5qVz&sig=ACfU3U3DVpH8zOCFV65Nacxi0HX_AlkGvw&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwihzcXwgpTgAhWHM48KHZm2BagQ6AEwAHoECAAQAQ#v=onepage&q=%E2%80%9Ccreativity%2C%20genius%2C%20eternal%20value%20and%20mystery%20are%20inseparable%20from%20the%20hipster%E2%80%9D&f=false">Jake Kinsey writes</a> sarcastically in a whole book that derides hipsters: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>… creativity, genius, eternal value and mystery are inseparable from the hipster.</p>
</blockquote>
<h2>The quest for authenticity</h2>
<p>Authenticity is a contested word, but if we think in terms of “authorship”, the independently owned and operated third place where both owner and customer feel a sense of ownership and reciprocal obligation provides much more authenticity than just another outlet in a chain of franchises. </p>
<p>While some hipster businesses that work in the gentrified inner city might not work so well in the outer suburbs, people who live in these suburbs are not a different species. The desire to get out of your house, to socialise, to see your neighbours out in the community or to be “together alone” is <a href="https://academic.oup.com/heapro/article/17/4/351/607018">not limited</a> to the inner city. There is no reason people in the suburbs would not respond to independently owned businesses, rather than the remotely controlled, rationalised franchises – see “<a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/9781405165518.wbeosm001.pub2">McDonaldization</a>” – that populate so many suburban shopping centres. </p>
<p>Quality third places are just as important in the outer suburbs, which are becoming increasingly diverse in terms of life stage, ethnicity, culture and employment type. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/256227/original/file-20190130-108355-1hsx8w4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/256227/original/file-20190130-108355-1hsx8w4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/256227/original/file-20190130-108355-1hsx8w4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=331&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256227/original/file-20190130-108355-1hsx8w4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=331&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256227/original/file-20190130-108355-1hsx8w4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=331&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256227/original/file-20190130-108355-1hsx8w4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256227/original/file-20190130-108355-1hsx8w4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256227/original/file-20190130-108355-1hsx8w4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=416&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Keeping ‘McDonaldization’ at bay in Fitzroy, Melbourne.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/coffeesgonecold/32074096876/in/album-72157704622068821/">Peter Walters</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/can-our-cities-thriving-creative-precincts-be-saved-from-renewal-83042">Can our cities' thriving creative precincts be saved from ‘renewal’?</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<h2>So what’s the solution?</h2>
<p>Property developers are often quick to point out that local retail is not economically viable in new suburbs unless it consists of supermarkets and fast-food outlets and is surrounded by tarmac. Local (walkable) retail is invariably compared on price to the large impersonal shopping malls that draw shoppers in from the suburbs. However, the lure of a small local shopping precinct, where “third place” businesses such bars, cafes and restaurants and community hubs can operate at survivable rents, is a different proposition. </p>
<p>This is not a new suggestion. Various models have been <a href="https://academic.oup.com/heapro/article/17/4/351/607018">proposed</a> to subsidise retail rents, provide independent freehold of individual retail premises, or rent control. </p>
<p>Developers have been reluctant to help with this as it not profitable (for them). Local authorities have also been reluctant to engage developers on this front. </p>
<p>There are, however, some encouraging exceptions to this. Some more enlightened developers see the sustained benefit of creating <a href="http://www.yourneighbourhood.com.au/diningprecinct-evertonplaza-791staffordroad-evertonpark/">community hubs</a>. The argument is for a social good rather than a purely economic one. </p>
<p>The outer suburbs are spatially different to the inner city – history and late capitalism have taken care of that. Local authorities need to think about current inflexible zoning regimes and about how small socially beneficial businesses can be encouraged. </p>
<p>Suburbs do not empty out during the day. In a post-work and ageing society, suburbs will become socially barren places to live unless there are lively hubs where people can leave the private realm of the home and see each other in a welcoming environment in which they feel some authorship. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/256229/original/file-20190130-42594-s8a5kr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/256229/original/file-20190130-42594-s8a5kr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/256229/original/file-20190130-42594-s8a5kr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256229/original/file-20190130-42594-s8a5kr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256229/original/file-20190130-42594-s8a5kr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=401&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256229/original/file-20190130-42594-s8a5kr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256229/original/file-20190130-42594-s8a5kr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/256229/original/file-20190130-42594-s8a5kr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">There’s more to the experience than just savouring the coffee in Fitzroy, Melbourne.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/coffeesgonecold/31994946911/in/album-72157704622068821/">Peter Walters</a>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/110177/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Peter Walters has received funding from The Australian Research Council</span></em></p>It’s easy to scorn the gentrifying hipster stereotype, but many inner-city neighbourhoods benefit from the distinctive mix of businesses and activities they pursue. So why should the suburbs miss out?Peter Walters, Senior Lecturer in Sociology, The University of QueenslandLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1086352018-12-21T10:43:55Z2018-12-21T10:43:55ZHow to lie (politely) when you receive a bad Christmas present<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/251541/original/file-20181219-45416-1stc12g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/sad-woman-hating-receiving-flat-shoes-762601810?src=-L8mHxFNhV48ZTninwYNag-1-50">shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Whatever you think about Christmas – wonderful, <a href="https://theconversation.com/hate-christmas-a-psychologists-survival-guide-for-grinches-108278">a tyranny</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/has-consumerism-taken-over-christmas-two-marketing-experts-discuss-108618">excessive</a>, irrelevant – the chances are that at some point during festivities, you will have to unwrap a present in front of the person who chose it for you. </p>
<p>Perhaps it will be a gift that leaves you speechless with delight, overwhelmed with gratitude and affection towards the giver who clearly knows you so well. </p>
<p>Or maybe you will open a present and wonder if the person giving it to you knows you at all. Do they seriously think you’ll love the unwanted item you find yourself staring at? Now you must react. So what should you do?</p>
<h2>The ritual of giving – and receiving</h2>
<p>The giving and receiving of gifts is a human ritual full of social and cultural significance, which strengthens our bonds and relationships.</p>
<p>One major component of the interactive ritual is the <a href="https://www.degruyter.com/view/j/text.1.2005.25.issue-5/text.2005.25.5.565/text.2005.25.5.565.xml">reaction that accompanies</a> the opening of a gift and follows its acceptance. Young children are less bound to such constraints, and are often more interested in the box than its contents. But as we grow older, we become socialised towards an appropriate reaction – learning by watching those around us. </p>
<p>Luckily, gift exchanges are not fundamentally different from the rest of human interaction, and a core feature of human communication is what conversation analysts call “recipient design”. Recipient design refers to the way we construct or <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/412243?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents">design our speech</a> to fit with the person we are speaking to. </p>
<p>For example, you might begin a conversation with the phrase: “You know Jane, from the office?” But if your recipient doesn’t know Jane, or what the office refers to, you might adjust your sentence to: “You know the woman who sits upstairs, at my work?” </p>
<p>Recipient design is everywhere in human interaction, from the way we greet people (“hey”, “hello”, “yo”, “good morning”, “howdy”, “good day”, “mornin’”) to the way we make requests (“can I have?”, “I need”, “I was just wondering”, “have you got”, “I want”, “would it be possible”). </p>
<p>If you use the same words as a greeting for everyone you meet, from your best friend to a prospective new employer, you’re not designing what you say for your recipient – and they can usually tell. It would be the same as giving the very same Christmas present to everyone you know. Instead, gifts, like conversation, should be designed for a particular person. </p>
<p>So, let’s assume that people select gifts that they think you will like. There may still be reasons for you not to like it. If you once collected “cat things”, or enjoyed the music of Bruce Springsteen, it’s quite possible you later stopped liking cat things or listening to Bruce Springsteen. </p>
<p>But it’s hard to tell the person who is now giving you a cat-shaped eggcup or a Bruce Springsteen poster that you don’t want any more “bloody cat or Bruce Springsteen rubbish”. </p>
<h2>Christmas messages</h2>
<p>So how do you react in such cases? Of course, it depends how much you want a good relationship with the gift-giver. If you’re looking for a way out, reacting truthfully to the unwanted gift could be a useful strategy. But if you don’t want to offend, here are three conversational strategies that will help. They’ll also help because they’re the right way to react to gifts that you actually <em>like</em> – so make sure you follow them either way.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Timing is everything. We can generally tell if someone doesn’t like what we say to them, and the same holds for what we give them as a gift. Delays are a good indicator of a negative response, which is why a swift response is better. So be ready to react quickly. The slightest hesitation – even half a second – will imply negative feelings. </p></li>
<li><p>Show and tell. If you’re opening gifts in front of others, show the gift to them. Again, speed is important. The more quickly you involve the group, the more it suggests you’re excited or proud of what you’ve received. If you’re an onlooker, you can help the recipient by adding your own “Oohs” and “Aahs” of pleasure. </p></li>
<li><p>A simple “thank you” is not enough. The final part of the gift giving ritual (whether or not you like what you’ve received) is the “thank you”, which should also be carefully recipient designed. This is particularly relevant for showing gratitude if the gift was unveiled in the absence of the giver.</p></li>
</ol>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/251542/original/file-20181219-45408-jb6wo0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/251542/original/file-20181219-45408-jb6wo0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/251542/original/file-20181219-45408-jb6wo0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/251542/original/file-20181219-45408-jb6wo0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=338&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/251542/original/file-20181219-45408-jb6wo0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/251542/original/file-20181219-45408-jb6wo0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/251542/original/file-20181219-45408-jb6wo0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=425&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Beautifully wrapped social interaction.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/brown-gift-box-red-ribbon-tag-530036224?src=RBLq2xdBmL5ic3RVvv8Slg-1-104">Shutterstock</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Saying (or writing) “thank you for the gift” requires elaboration. Give a positive response that both assesses the gift (“What a beautiful cat mug!) and <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1461445617715171">how you feel about it</a> ("I love it!”). </p>
<p>But that’s still not quite enough. Add something about the immediate use you will have for the gift (“I’ll be able to use it with my new coffee maker”), how timely it is (“I just broke one of my cat mugs!”), or how well recipient designed it actually is (“Oh, I’ve really been after a new mug, but was too mean to buy it myself”). </p>
<p>It’s true that these tips involve a certain amount of deception. But as the founder of the subject of conversation analysis, <a href="https://theconversation.com/truth-is-everyone-lies-all-the-time-6749">Harvey Sacks said</a>: “Everyone has to lie.” Lies aren’t always bad. In some situations, they are necessary. Just like we’re supposed to respond that we’re “fine” when a colleague briefly asks how we’re doing, some lies simply keep the wheels of social life turning. </p>
<p>Receiving bad presents at Christmas is such a situation. After all, in this most traditional ritual, where relationships are supposed to be affirmed, it really is the thought, however misguided, that counts. </p>
<blockquote>
<p>Elizabeth and Jessica would like to reassure their friends and family that they have truly appreciated and loved every gift they have ever been given.</p>
</blockquote><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/108635/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Not giving offence is what Christmas is all about.Elizabeth Stokoe, Professor of Social Interaction, Loughborough UniversityJessica Robles, Lecturer in Social Psychology, Loughborough UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1052202018-10-30T12:58:11Z2018-10-30T12:58:11ZIs newborn smiling really just a reflex? Research is challenging the textbooks<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/242306/original/file-20181025-71032-gvur44.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">
</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-photo/dad-meeting-his-newborn-baby-daughter-758278201?src=McjqppjlLpiOzOidWzY9ng-2-54">Kristen Prahl/Shutterstock</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Very few people can resist smiling at a newborn baby – signalling positive emotions, such as joy and interest. Of course, this is especially true for new parents. One study found that new mothers looked at their 16-hour-old babies 80% of the time and <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1460-2466.1977.tb01828.x">smiled at them 34% of the time</a>. </p>
<p>Sometimes newborn babies even smile back, creating a magical moment for the parents that is often ruined by someone pointing out that the smile can’t be real. Even textbooks tend to <a href="https://www.babble.com/baby/baby-first-smile/">regard neonatal smiling as a reflex</a> rather than an actual expression of joy and happiness. But is this really the case?</p>
<p>Up to the second half of the 20th century, the behaviour of newborns was considered mostly reflexive. Scientists assumed that newborns had a limited ability to feel and express emotions, and did not have enough social experience to interact with their caregivers. </p>
<p>It was even believed that <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-mystery-of-how-babies-experience-pain-88714">newborn babies couldn’t feel pain</a> in the same way as adults – meaning they were sometimes subjected to painful surgical procedures without analgesia. It wasn’t until the 1980s that medical professionals realised that the stress of the pain actually led to life-threatening shock and complications.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/242495/original/file-20181026-7062-1v7yh9u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/242495/original/file-20181026-7062-1v7yh9u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242495/original/file-20181026-7062-1v7yh9u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242495/original/file-20181026-7062-1v7yh9u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242495/original/file-20181026-7062-1v7yh9u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242495/original/file-20181026-7062-1v7yh9u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242495/original/file-20181026-7062-1v7yh9u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Newborn imitates researcher during experiments.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Emese Nagy</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Over the past 50 years, <a href="https://theconversation.com/newborn-baby-development-has-been-vastly-underestimated-our-study-shows-81972">data has slowly accumulated</a> suggesting that neonates are more than just reflexive beings. They are competent enough to actively regulate their own states. For example, they can fall asleep to shut out stressful distractions, or fuss and cry if they need stimulation and more interaction. They can also imitate smiles as early as the first 36 hours of life and can even learn from previous experience as early as the first day of life.</p>
<h2>The science of smiles</h2>
<p>However, when it comes to feelings such as happiness and joy, we have continued to question whether newborns can be socially competent beings. Up until the early 2000s, newborn babies were thought to smile only in response to muscle twitches, penile erections, bowel or bladder movements or for no particular reason at all. Most studies and textbooks – <a href="http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0022022113509134">even in the 21st century</a> – still suggest that the first “social smile” occurs only <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0163638382800489">after the second month of life</a>. </p>
<p>And there was evidence to support it. In 1872, Charles Darwin argued that emotional expressions were universal and inborn, and documented the first real smiles of his own child at 45 days of age. My own research has replicated these observations. When we asked 957 parents to observe and record smiling in their children for a study, <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0163638301000704">they reported</a> the first “social smiles” of their babies just after four weeks on average.</p>
<p>When researchers started observing infants, most of their initial results were not that different from the parental reports. A study from 1959, which defined “social smiles” as <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/j.1651-2227.1959.tb05411.x">seeking eye-contact before smiling</a>, found that none of the 400 babies in the study smiled during the first week. Only 11% showed a social smile by two weeks of age. About 60% had socially smiled by three weeks, and almost all of them had socially smiled within the first month.</p>
<p>Some researchers still fail to register smiles early on, and many smiles occur during sleep – unrelated to the social world. Indeed, even foetuses, observed within the womb with a 4D ultrasonographic method, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22721744">smile from at least the 23rd week of gestation</a>. But other studies show that newborns do smile on rare occasions – at most <a href="https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227721394_A_New_Perspective_on_Neonatal_Smiling_Differences_Between_the_Judgments_of_Expert_Coders_and_Naive_Observers">once in every four minutes</a> for some one-day-olds. And the question now is what those smiles mean.</p>
<h2>Interpreting the data</h2>
<p>There have long been signs that newborn smiles could signal positive emotions to some extent. Smiles have been noted in the first few days of life <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/13645861">as a response to stroking</a> of the cheek or the belly. Newborns also smile <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/record/1975-11382-001">in response to sweet tastes and smells</a>. These findings were published decades ago when smiles were considered purely as innate reflexes. The reason that scientists at the time didn’t interpret them as emotional was partly because the smiles looked different to social smiles. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/242466/original/file-20181026-7047-1b3szcx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/242466/original/file-20181026-7047-1b3szcx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242466/original/file-20181026-7047-1b3szcx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242466/original/file-20181026-7047-1b3szcx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242466/original/file-20181026-7047-1b3szcx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242466/original/file-20181026-7047-1b3szcx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/242466/original/file-20181026-7047-1b3szcx.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=603&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Baby smiling at researcher in the lab.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">Emese Nagy</span>, <span class="license">Author provided</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>“Real” smiles – called <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/thriving101/201001/what-science-has-say-about-genuine-vs-fake-smiles">Duchenne smiles</a> – involve not only the major muscle that pulls the mouth to the side and upward, but also the muscles around the eyes. Neonatal smiles were thought to involve only the mouth region. However, when scientists micro-analysed facial movements, frame by frame, using a <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/record/2005-07347-010">dedicated coding system</a>, smiles from as early as one day of age were more often than not <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1532-7078.2007.tb00242.x">accompanied by cheek and eye movements</a>.</p>
<p>More and more studies have since suggested that newborn babies do smile when they are awake, and that these smiles closely resemble real social smiles. And when newborns are in an interactive, awake state, they smile <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0163638311000324">twice as much as compared to when they are asleep</a> – more evidence that social factors could be involved. What’s more, <a href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-1-4684-2616-8_3">babies often start with moving their cheeks and their brows</a> before they smile, as if focusing their attention on the caregiver’s face. So it is completely possible that these newborn babies actually mean to smile. </p>
<p>Babies learn about the power of smiling early. While caregivers often smile at their newborns, this behaviour will be dependent on the baby’s state – they are less likely to smile if the baby is crying. As a result, babies quickly gain a remarkable ability to regulate the behaviour of their parents. If a baby keeps eye contact, blinks and smiles, their parent will likely smile back – making the smile rewarding. </p>
<p>Unsurprisingly, studies on mothers have shown that they are <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18595985">deeply affected by the smiles</a> of their babies – even on a neurophysiological level. One study measured brain activity in mothers using <a href="https://theconversation.com/brain-scanners-allow-scientists-to-read-minds-could-they-now-enable-a-big-brother-future-72435">fMRI scanning</a>. When mothers saw their own infant smiling, activities in areas of the brain involved in processing emotions – including the amygdala and the limbic system – were enhanced. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dopaminergic_pathways">Dopaminergic brain areas</a>, known as the reward system in the brain, were also highly active.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, behavioural studies with neonates are still scarce and require elaborate analyses to interpret the meanings of certain behaviour. While further studies are needed, it is plausible to assume that these early smiles have a social meaning. To many of us in the field, it is at the very least clear that these smiles are definitely more than just a reflex.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/105220/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Emese Nagy received funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), The British Academy, Nuffield Foundation, the Royal Society, Carnegie Trust Scotland, Cross Trust. </span></em></p>Many parents are told their babies’ smiles aren’t ‘real’. But there is research to suggest otherwise.Emese Nagy, Reader of Psychology, University of DundeeLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1034942018-09-19T12:52:32Z2018-09-19T12:52:32ZHow often do people forget things about one another? We decided to find out<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/237082/original/file-20180919-158243-1ntrwve.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">'Married, you say?'</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/someone-erasing-drawing-human-brain-conceptual-101520898?src=K0aoIw2zwl9QYGeaK8iQfQ-1-1">anetlanda</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>A new acquaintance needs to be reminded of your name while you are having a conversation. A colleague forgets your plan to meet for coffee and schedules a conflicting meeting. A friend books a table for the two of you at a restaurant but it slips her mind that you don’t like sushi. </p>
<p>We have all been on the receiving end of another person’s memory failure, and have forgotten important things about people ourselves. Until recently, however, we haven’t been able to understand these experiences and their consequences with much beyond anecdotes. My research group decided to change that. </p>
<p>We undertook a <a href="http://psycnet.apa.org/record/2018-39692-001">systematic study</a> of the experience of being forgotten. We wanted to find out what a typical experience looks like – who is involved, what gets forgotten, and how often it happens to people. We also wondered how people were affected and whether there was any measurable impact on the relationship afterwards. </p>
<p>To find out, we used a combination of methods. In one strand, we asked about 50 people to keep a daily diary over two weeks. They had to record all occasions in which they were forgotten and give some details about the experience when it happened. </p>
<p>In another strand, we constructed social interactions in our laboratory in which another 50 participants discovered that someone else had forgotten most of the details of a previous conversation. We then recorded how it made them feel. Finally, we showed several hundred people stories in which someone was forgotten or remembered. We asked for their reaction and what they thought of the people involved. </p>
<h2>What we found</h2>
<p>One of our most surprising discoveries was how frequently things about people were forgotten. On average, our diary keepers reported being forgotten about seven times over a two week period – once every other day. And it wasn’t only people who had just met one another; people were forgotten with similar frequency by acquaintances, co-workers, classmates, flatmates and friends. </p>
<p>The type of memory failure did depend on who was doing the forgetting. Complete failures of recognition were relatively rare (9%), and limited mainly to new or casual types of relationships. Personal details were forgotten most often (48%), especially in less close types of relationships such as acquaintances. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/237079/original/file-20180919-158237-olgsj4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/237079/original/file-20180919-158237-olgsj4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/237079/original/file-20180919-158237-olgsj4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/237079/original/file-20180919-158237-olgsj4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/237079/original/file-20180919-158237-olgsj4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=450&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/237079/original/file-20180919-158237-olgsj4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/237079/original/file-20180919-158237-olgsj4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/237079/original/file-20180919-158237-olgsj4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=566&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Eraserhead.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.shutterstock.com/image-illustration/someone-erasing-drawing-human-brain-conceptual-101520898?src=K0aoIw2zwl9QYGeaK8iQfQ-1-1">Andreas Danti</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>In closer relationships such as friendships, people most often forgot something about past interactions or shared experiences (26% of all the memory failures). For example, one participant recorded a close friend telling her a story about a party that the participant had also attended. Closer relationships also provided the most examples of people forgetting obligations or promises (“I had a ‘date’ on Skype today with my boyfriend but he forgot”). This type of forgetting was relatively rare overall (8%), however. </p>
<p>Another surprise was that people tended to be very understanding about memory lapses. They usually made an excuse for the forgetter – “She met too many people in the last couple of days.” Only in about one in five instances did a person explicitly link the memory failure to a lack of investment in them or the information, such as saying “I don’t think she found the place where I am from to be interesting or worth remembering.”</p>
<h2>What it means</h2>
<p>So do you need to worry about forgetting during social interaction? In the minority of cases where people explain memory failure through a lack of investment, the answer is obviously yes. As you might expect, these instances made people feel substantially less important and less close to the person who forgot them. </p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/237083/original/file-20180919-146148-16224d8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/237083/original/file-20180919-146148-16224d8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/237083/original/file-20180919-146148-16224d8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=641&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/237083/original/file-20180919-146148-16224d8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=641&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/237083/original/file-20180919-146148-16224d8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=641&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/237083/original/file-20180919-146148-16224d8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=805&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/237083/original/file-20180919-146148-16224d8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=805&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/237083/original/file-20180919-146148-16224d8.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=805&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">‘Um.’</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/vitualis/137230731">Michael Tam</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/">CC BY-SA</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Yet even in the majority of cases where people excused the forgetter, there was still some negative effect on the relationship. Despite providing excuses, people tended to feel a little less important and close to the person as a result. In short, people are usually very understanding about memory failures, but they do still hurt a bit. </p>
<p>So might it improve our relationships if we made more effort to remember things about people? We think it probably would. In preliminary follow-up work, we have found that prompting participants to make clear that they remember the details of a past social interaction improved their ability to communicate that they care about others. We can’t yet say with certainty how effective bolstering memory might be for improving social interaction, but it is definitely better than forgetting people.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/103494/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Devin Ray receives funding from the ESRC. </span></em></p>People kept diaries for two weeks recording how often things about them were forgotten. The results turned out to be surprising.Devin Ray, Lecturer in Psychology, University of AberdeenLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.