Feeling hemmed in by dark days and pandemic warnings? In the winter of 2021 it’s more important than ever to avoid the virus -- and to reach out for human contact.
Social isolation can make us sick, too, notes psychologist Julianne Holt-Lunstad at Brigham Young University. “We don’t just want to trade one risk for another.”
To stay connected, get creative -- and embrace the cold weather if you can. Maybe make a weekly date with a friend to bundle up for a walk or visit an arboretum or explore a different park than usual -- masked up and socially distant.
And if you can’t be outside, you can still keep in touch. Instead of simply staring at distant relatives during a Zoom call, try playing a game together during a videochat, or work on a family memories project. It's less awkward, and you may be surprised by what you learn.
For a while last year you couldn't find spray disinfectant or a container of antibacterial wipes on most supermarket shelves -- not for love or money.
Early lab studies had suggested the coronavirus could live on surfaces for days, so many people were spending a lot of time trying to disinfect countertops, door knobs and sinks -- sometimes even mail and groceries.
But Linsey Marr, an engineering professor at Virginia Tech who studies airborne transmission of infectious disease, says in retrospect that approach was overkill.
Today, she says, "all the evidence points toward breathing in the virus from the air as being the most important route of transmission."
It’s not too late to make a New Year’s resolution, and if you really want to make it stick, choose carefully.
NPR’s Planet Money team spoke with psychologist Per Carlbring at Stockholm University -- he studies what works and what doesn’t, and has this evidence-based advice:
1. Make it a little vague. If you vow to "lose weight in 2021," for example, you’re less likely to lose heart and give up than if you aim to "lose 3 pounds a week," his research suggests.
2. Vow to learn something new, rather than quit something old. Quitting is hard, whereas learning often comes with a beginner’s guide and support.
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