The year 2020 would go into history as the “no hugs” year — a year in which people were forced to limit the opportunities for physical contact, so as to protect themselves. There is a paradox in it because physical touch has been a critical survival factor for our species, socially and behaviourally. Nearly 50 years ago, Desmond Morris wrote a book (‘Intimate Behaviour’) explaining how natural selection shaped human physical contact. Right now, science has a term for the touch abstinence — “skin hunger”. It can have grave repercussions. Being embraced or caressed on the skin stimulates the release of serotonin. Very low levels of this hormone are associated with disorders such as insomnia, anxiety and depression. As Italian psychobiologist Alberto Gallace put it recently, human beings are social creatures by nature, and our brains and nervous systems are made to make touch a pleasant experience. Nature designed the touch modality to increase our feelings of well-being in social contexts. It is present only in animals “that need to be together to optimise their chances of survival “.
SNEAK PEEK
1. It is Round One
The COVID-19 pandemic is Round One of human civilisation vs mother nature, a full-dress rehearsal and wake-up call for the bigger clash ahead — the first spark in the deadly clash. Who takes it as a scenario to study “How the world wars of the 21st century may begin”?
1. Charlie Ang Hwa Leong (Disruption Analyst, Singapore)
2. Masks: March, April
In March, when mask-wearing was rare prior to the widespread stay-at-home orders, people wearing masks were more likely to experience discrimination. In April, only the frontline workers who wore masks had higher risks of experiencing discrimination. Who noted it?
2. Brian Karl Finch (CESR, University of Southern California)
3. Masks: July
Shopping was already less appealing due to queuing, the inability to try items on, and the risk of catching the virus. Face masks have become another reason why customers aren’t visiting non-essential shops. Who described it as “yet another blow for non-essential retailers”?
3. Sofie Willmott (Lead Retail Analyst at GlobalData)
4. Flights: Mid-March
Airlines tried to operate a normal schedule until they were prevented by restrictions. It is well-known how it translated into sudden drops in flight numbers from mid-March. Who showed in a study that its impact has been stronger in international than in domestic markets?
4. Air Transport expert Dr Pere Suau-Sanchez (Cranfield University)
5. Dangerous promise
People think “it’s gone” when lockdowns stop. Even America’s top COVID-19 expert Dr Anthony Fauci was really optimistic when Moderna came up with a vaccine. “This sense that when the vaccine comes, it will be over… it’s a dangerous promise.” Who warned us of it?
5. Dr Heidi J. S. Tworek (University of British Columbia)
6. Delayed response
The catastrophic Ebola outbreak in 2014 did little to change the perception of US citizens regarding the importance of preparing for future outbreaks. “The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed that the US was as unprepared as experts feared.” Who said it is no surprise?
6. University of Wyoming economist Jason F. Shogren
7. When we talk
Aerosols are particles that can travel through the air. Ordinary speech emits vast quantities of aerosols from our respiratory particles, and some “superemitters” give off up to 10 times as many particles as others. Who insisted that this must be studied in relation to COVID-19?
7. William D. Ristenpart (Chemical engineering professor at UC Davis)
8. Single-use plastic
Many clamour for single-use plastic bags, but any object (reusable or disposable) in a public place could carry the virus. Single-use plastic is not inherently safer than reusables and causes additional public health concerns once it is discarded. Who drove the point home?
8. Dr. Nickolas Zaller (Director of Global Health, UAMS)
9. Adequate control
Immunity could be lost within months after recovery, and the virus may reinfect people year after year, like the common cold. Well, we must have adequate control of the virus — “without shutting down our lives entirely or lurching from lockdown to lockdown”. Who said it?
9. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
[ANSWERS]
1. Charlie Ang Hwa Leong (Disruption Analyst, Singapore)
2. Brian Karl Finch (CESR, University of Southern California)
3. Sofie Willmott (Lead Retail Analyst at GlobalData)
4. Air Transport expert Dr Pere Suau-Sanchez (Cranfield University)
5. Dr Heidi J. S. Tworek (University of British Columbia)
6. University of Wyoming economist Jason F. Shogren
7. William D. Ristenpart (Chemical engineering professor at UC Davis)
8. Dr. Nickolas Zaller (Director of Global Health, UAMS)
9. WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
QUIZ No. 963
1. Who proved that children can literally “perk up” their ears the way cats & dogs do?
– Dr. Daniel J. Strauss
– Charles Edward Connor
– Richard J. Davidson
1. Dr. Daniel J. Strauss
2. Who found that staring at a deep red light each day can reduce decline in eyesight?
– Dr Glen Jeffery
– Robert Carl Galambos
– Merlin Wilfred Donald
2. Dr Glen Jeffery
3. Who spoke of “green materialists” who shop for things for their materialistic value?
– Celia Stopnicka Heller
– Eugenio María de Hostos
– Sabrina V. Helm
3. Sabrina V. Helm
4. Elections are decided by negative partisanship, not by swing vote. Who said that?
– Rachel Bitecofer
– Richard Andrew Cloward
– Regis Dericquebourg
4. Rachel Bitecofer
5. Who wrote a lot about the idea of “dirt” as it is conceived in hygiene and religions?
– Dame Mary Douglas
– Siegfried Frederick Nadel
– Rosemary Firth
4. Dame Mary Douglas