Are you a fan of physical distancing?

[Lark]

Are you a fan of physical distancing or any of the things introduced under the auspices of physical/"social" distancing? Such as the normalization of face masks, the smaller numbers of customers admitted to shops, the increased appreciation of personal space etc.

Are there any of them you hope become norms or persist beyond the pandemic?

Does how you feel correspond to introversion or extroversion in your personality or do you think it corresponds to personality typology per se?

 

[Coriolis]

As I have already mentioned in a couple other threads, I am really enjoying all aspects of physical distancing, starting with the lack of pressure to socialize at all. When I am with people, I am glad they are showing more respect for personal space, if only to prevent contagion. I don't mind shaking hands in professional settings, but am very glad other forms of touching have completely stopped. Fewer people in stores is good, too, though must be balanced with the possibility of having to wait to enter which loses time. I hope these things survive the pandemic. I am quite willing to wear a mask for now, but that is one thing I won't miss when this is behind us.

A few other bigger picture things I hope continue: 1) the option to telework in more industries; 2) greater involvement by men in childcare and domestic duties, as families have been quarantined and many women work in heathcare or service jobs where they can't work from home; and 3) a greater appreciation of health care as a common good. OK, this last may be wishful thinking, but we are seeing more evidence of how both access to health care and the overall health level of the population influence the co,urse of a pandemic, and outcomes on both the individual and community level.

 

[Lexicon]

I love social distancing. I won't miss masks, but don't mind wearing one. I miss live music events. Beyond that, I wish certain aspects of the pandemic response were permanent. Like video calls for certain doc appts, etc. Or the early hours at the supermarket for elderly & immunocompromised people. Most nasty respiratory viruses I've picked up came from being around gross people who don't cover their damn cough. I've even felt misted by someone's hacking as I rounded an aisle corner in a store, more times than I care to count. Early store hours have less people around, overall.

 

[Virtual ghost]

Are you a fan of physical distancing or any of the things introduced under the auspices of physical/"social" distancing? Such as the normalization of face masks, the smaller numbers of customers admitted to shops, the increased appreciation of personal space etc.

I side with genuine health authorities in each of these points.

Are there any of them you hope become norms or persist beyond the pandemic?

Using a mask when going into a crowd during a flu pandemic is still probably a generally good idea. Personal hygiene should be a sealed standard regardless of the current pandemic. More work from home saves plenty of energy and is therefore it is good for environment (the same probably applies to stress).

Does how you feel correspond to introversion or extroversion in your personality or do you think it corresponds to personality typology per se?

There is probably some general typological correlation to how people think and see the pandemic. F/T and P/J evidently make a difference in approach.

 

[Siúil a Rúin]

I wouldn't call myself a 'fan'. This time is making me more introverted, though. I guess as a musician and performer having no prospects of performances makes the world feel bland. I like not being pressured to shake hands or hug. I have sometimes found hugs threatening and have gone to great lengths to avoid these from strange acquaintance men connected to family or people I do know because I know they were trying to use it as a socially acceptable way to feel me up. Sorry, but it's true.

 

[ceecee]

Big fan. Of course this is a very common sense medial advisement as well. I wear a mask most everywhere I go. I also wash my hands frequently and use less hand sanitizer. I work from home about 70% of the time. At first, the lack of face to face contact was hard on the medical facilities I service but it's gotten much better on everyone's end.

I'm sure being an introvert plays into the way I think and see this pandemic and it's impacts on me personally. I know there are people that think they've been locked up and are riddled with anxiety and fear but I never saw it like that. There was and is plenty to do for others that really need the help. But I think a lot of people are having some low grade anxiety about what is happening in the country and I share that at times.

 

[Jaguar]

Yes.

 

[The Cat]

It's super not popular where I am, but I honestly kind of like a lot of the things.

 

[Red Herring]

I think the measures are reasonable and useful. They aren't supposed to be fun but to work.

That being said, I think wearing a mask when you feel sick and walk around among other people (which is the norm in much of Asia anyway) should become normalized in the West as well. It could easily cut down numbers of infection during the cold and flue season, saving both lives and lots of money for the economy.

Homeoffice should be more easily available for those who want it, that would take some pressure off the housing market.

As for what I personally enjoy about them, that would be not having to smell the sweat, bad breath or lousy perfume of others standing too close to me at places like supermarket checkouts. I noticed how rare it has become today when a little old lady and a overweight middle aged guy stood a little too close to me at the checkout and one of them either stepped into something or had an incontinence problem.

 

[The Cat]

the only thing i miss is in person ttrpg tbh

 

[Red Memories]

I am a fan of social distancing - although I feel like people here mask or not ignore it anyway.

Due to my anxiety I honestly cannot wait for the mask thing to disappear. I am a big believer in just staying in if I am showing symptoms of sickness. Distance is the only thing that really can 100% prevent spread. I usually got illnesses from someone coming to school or work or the store sick, and me getting it from there. I think I'll keep a lot of the new sanitization habits I've developed because I have been sick way less, before the stores were even forcing me to wear a mask. I don't really think my face covering is a significant enough covering to actually make a difference in whether or not I become ill. For people with anxiety problems, some of us don't wanna get a numbing pill to survive something that isn't necessary to have all of the time. Otherwise, I actually wish people followed them more.

One thing I liked is one of the stores here made this one way aisle rule. And most of the people followed it, but it really helped with overcrowding aisle problems and I was really sad when they removed it.

 

[Peter Deadpan]

Yes, I like space and being left alone. However, it's not terribly different than what I'm normally used to overall, besides masks and even fewer outings. I think I naturally exude a stay-the-fuck-away-from-me vibe, so most people leave me alone either way.

With that said, I've been pretty lonely and bored, for other reasons. The timing of the pandemic was pretty awful for me and the cumulative effects haven't been that great on my mental and emotional health.

 

[highlander]

I'm fine with social distancing but wouldn't want to do this if I didn't have to. I enjoy socializing with people and miss being able to go to restaurants and traveling

 

[Burning Paradigm]

Am I a "fan" of it? No. People like socializing and moving around with freedom at some point or another (even if you're a homebody, choosing to stay at home and do nothing is a different dynamic than having to). Is it a must? Yes. Will I practice it to the best of my ability so I can return to the uninhibited social and interpersonal activities I enjoyed before? Yes.

Do I also want to see a major paradigm shift with respect to public health in the US after this pandemic subsides? Yes, but that's a different conversation.

 

[Maou]

Life really isn't tha different here, with or without it.

 

[Pinker85]

Not really. I love going out and being around people when my mental health permits as I absolutely love all the diversity, interesting people. I love going out for runs through places with tons and tons of people I get to gawk and enjoy so much large gatherings of people.

That said, my state is the #1 state in the US for happiness so I think in general people are actually really happy here and considerate of others, so going out into large crowds means being surrounded by pretty happy people. It's a really good state to live in, lots of social service programs, a very well run food bank, fairly egalitarian society where people aren't so snobby, like a doctor is friends with someone who works a blue collar job, it's different, very different than the rest of the US. I truly think it's due our culture being pacific island and Asian, both of which place emphasis on helping those in need and group health. We may actually have the highest rate anywhere in the US for adherence to mask usage and we are currently in a second lockdown because they thought the numbers were rising too quickly. The government officials are super set on our not having large casualties even if it means our economy suffering for the moment.

While I think some aspects are interesting and may end up working out quite well for some personalities, like telework, doctors visits from home etc. as someone who borders on extroversion and really likes being around people, I would say that I'm not really a fan. I miss being around other people quite a bit.

I totally get why it's being done but I love large crowds, where there is hubbub and a lot happening, big music concerts, big festivals, things like movies in the park etc. but maybe only in my state? haha. I've been to other states and because the crime is so high, they also are more individualist in how they relate, it can just be really worrisome to go out in large groups. But I also grew up in a culture that placed very strong emphasis on group bonds and connecting with others, people are friendly and loving, so I tend to like being around people in my state and miss all the opportunities to do so like hikes that are popular so always lots of people, beaches, etc.