Decades ago, not everyone wore a seat belt. Today, it’s become a habit for most people when they get in a vehicle.
The same can be said for some of the habits acquired over a year of living under the covid-19 pandemic, said Jessica Everly, a behavior analyst and associate professor of psychology at the University of Pittsburgh at Greensburg.
“With enough practice, certain behaviors become automatic,” she said. “Many of those behaviors will, too, such as hand-washing, sanitizing and mask-wearing.”
The pandemic has done a lot to change the way people live. Instead of shaking hands, we bump fists or elbows. Instead of seeing a doctor in person, patients take some appointments virtually. Instead of going out to eat, we have food delivered to homes. Instead of going to work at an office or to a school for classes, we work and learn from home.
“We’ve had a year of a very different way of approaching our lives,” said Nancy Kennedy, a clinical psychologist with Allegheny Health Network and an assistant professor of psychiatry with Drexel University College of Medicine.
Behavior tends to build momentum, Everly said. The longer we engage in behaviors, the easier it is to continue doing them.
“Behaviors like hand-washing, mask-wearing and social distancing are more likely to continue post-pandemic the longer the pandemic lasts,” she said. “What I think we’ll see is increased vigilance. The health-promoting behaviors that occurred during the pandemic will generalize to other diseases and infections.”
The most recent event that changed behaviors were the terrorist attack of Sept. 11, 2001 — 9/11, Everly said. People became more vigilant about external threats, more suspicious and more likely to interpret benign information as threatening, she said.
But while 9/11 had a beginning, a middle and an end, the pandemic has been different in its duration and in being dispersed across the nation.
“With the pandemic, there was a beginning, we thought we were in the middle — and then we were at the beginning again. People don’t know what to expect,” Kennedy said. “Depending on the makeup of the individual, some folks will permanently change habits and expectations and behaviors. Other people will adapt.”
Changes that could stick
While becoming a politically charged subject, wearing masks — common in other nations but not in the United States pre-pandemic — might stick, Kennedy said.
“Face masks will get revamped and redesigned to become more comfortable as we have to rely on them for longer periods of time,” she said.
Whether or not people will continue wearing masks will depend on what they’re doing now, Everly said.
“The people who are complying with regulations now will remain vigilant in the future, even if it’s to a lesser extent,” she said. “They will be more vigilant than they were prior to the pandemic.”
How we greet each other may also change. Kennedy says there will be a reluctance to give hugs; handshaking may come back, but with some washing or sanitizing their hands after.
“It’s part of how we adapt over time,” she said. “We decide personally for ourselves how we are going to do this.”
Handshaking is a long-running, ingrained behavior, something people generally don’t have a strong desire for but do because it is a rule or expected, Everly said.
“Some people are having a hard time with the pandemic because a lot of their behaviors are being restricted,” Everly said. “People who really value touching will be the ones most likely to return to it. It will be the people who were indifferent to handshaking who will be quick to give it up.”
Things such as home delivery, working from home and virtual meetings will continue if they save money and effort, Everly said.
Pickup and delivery of goods and services, intended to reduce contact, are likely here to stay, and will propel companies to come up with even more creative ways to increase convenience, which people like, Kennedy said.
“Those kinds of services were available before the pandemic, but very few people used them; then there was a need through the pandemic,” she said. “They’ve become part of the landscape of how we do things.”
While some say remote instruction has not been as good for students as being in classrooms, not all of the adjustments driven by the pandemic have had negative impacts. At AHN, virtual appointments have increased access for patients, and Kennedy expects virtual medicine to remain and improve.
Things expected to return
Some new or changed behaviors will be dropped more readily as distribution of the vaccine becomes more widespread, Everly said.
“The first thing that will go is the social distancing and the staying at home,” she said. “That’s because it has such a long history of being reinforced. People are used to leaving their houses, they’re used to gathering in groups, they’re used to spending time with family and friends. It would be hard to stop those behaviors permanently even if we wanted to.”
As society reopens, Kennedy expects people to more comfortable with things that are outdoors where there is less concern about being confined.
“I think that concerts outdoors are going to become more popular,” she said.
Kennedy expects modified seating and crowd control at sporting events.
“With vaccination, people will return to some of those activities,” she said. But, “it’s going to feel different.”
Mental health, illicit drug use
Other habits and behaviors adopted to cope, such as substance abuse, may be more difficult to drop or change.
While many have sought help for depression or anxiety brought on by the pandemic, treatment for substance abuse has dropped, Kennedy said.
“I wonder if folks have coped or developed patterns of coping with difficulties by using alcohol and other drugs — basically saying it’s all they have right now so they don’t see it as a problem and are not seeking treatment for it,” she said.
In times of prolonged stress, each person will slip into what they consider a comfort measure. For some, that can be entertainment or eating; or, for those so inclined, addictive substances.
“I think we’ve got long-term impact on mental health for decades,” Kennedy said. “We’re going to need more and more mental health resources.”
Everly said the pandemic’s impact on human behavior is being heavily researched and will continue to be.
“It’s an opportunity to learn about human behavior. We should take every opportunity to study it,” she said. “We’ll learn a little about human resiliency and behavior patterns under times of extreme stress.
“We’ll also learn about how likely people are to cooperate or turn against one another during times of duress.”
Brian C. Rittmeyer is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Brian at 724-226-4701, brittmeyer@triblive.com or via Twitter .
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