The measures we need to take because of the coronavirus do little to establish a positive relationship with the people we interact with. We know that we have to keep a meter and a half away and that we definitely shouldn’t touch other people. At the moment we are actually approaching others as if they are (potentially) sick and contagious and pose a danger to our health. Rationally we understand why we do this, but on the emotional level there is a mismatch. Strangers in particular feel as unattractive.
Others are dirty and maybe sick. . .
We are now getting used to the desired distance of one and a half meters. In fact, when we see a lot of people standing together in a previously recorded TV program, it gives a kind of feeling of discomfort. The images from New Zealand where people are cozy together give us a feeling that something is not right. Physical closeness is more likely to evoke disgust at this point. For this reason, many people do not yet like to use public transport. For weeks we programmed our brains with the idea that keeping a meter and a half away protects our health. Now suddenly people pass each other at a short distance. Having to wear a mouth mask doesn’t make it any better. It feels stuffy and seeing it in others confirms a sense of potential danger: others are dirty! or maybe sick . . .
