Relationships have changed drastically during enforced seclusion and togetherness since the pandemic struck.
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As India awaits the Third Wave, the lessons of the recent past could lay the groundwork for a new, caring world.
There is a Close Relationships Laboratory at the University of Georgia in the US that studies the development, maintenance and impact of close relationships on the health and well-being of people. Its director, the well-regarded American psychology professor Richard B Slatcher, has launched a biweekly study ‘Love in the Time of COVID’ (you can take it too; just log in) to examine the effects of the pandemic on human bonding.
A study of couples that had been married for more than 25 years found that appreciation was listed as one of the most important factors to a satisfying relationship.
In months of isolation, has the pandemic made the heart grow fonder?
Social isolation has slowed romance for some, by putting off weddings and making dating difficult, but it s also intensified relationships, for better or for worse, pushing others to tie the knot or seek professional help.
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Andrew Learned proposes to Amanda Stetson last summer on Portland’s Eastern Prom, as Stetson’s daughter Lola reacts. The couple only started dating during the pandemic.
Photo courtesy of Amanda Stetson
Andrew Learned says he probably asked Amanda Stetson out on dates about 20 times over the last 15 years, with her choosing friendship over romance each time.
The New York Times recently featured a piece extolling the benefits of divorce.
The writer argues breaking up a family unit could be the most beneficial for everyone involved. Claiming her divorce happened as COVID-19 heightened her already existing feelings of the structural claustrophobia of her marriage. She concludes, “This process hasn’t always been easy for us or for our children, but in the end, when I’m feeling sad, I tell them and myself that they now have four adults who love them, a wider circle, something a little closer to a clan.”
Not to be outdone an article featured in Parents Magazine titled “Divorce Is On the Rise During the Pandemic and Don’t Feel Guilty If That Includes You” proposes that divorce can not only be good for adults, but can also be good for the children … “divorce doesn’t automatically mean your kid will be damaged in fact, it may even have benefits for our children, including resilience, spending quality time with
Giacomo Gambineri
There has been a lot of talk of bubbles over the past year. I don’t mean the pandemic kind but rather being stuck in an echo chamber, hearing from people with similar values and perspectives on life. It’s a concept with which we’ve become pretty familiar, especially in the US, which just went through one of the most divisive presidential elections in its history. The media that we trust, the social media feeds we follow and our own social circles have all become more insulated.
It’s a separation that, on some measures, has become starker than…