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Are you buying more during the pandemic? Boredom could be the reason behind it
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Are you buying more during the pandemic? Boredom could be the reason behind itBy Sydney Ember, New York Times
Last Updated: Feb 20, 2021, 10:36 AM IST
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Synopsis
By limiting social engagements, leisure activities and travel, the pandemic has forced many people to live a more muted life, without the normal deviations from daily monotony. The result is a collective sense of ennui one that is shaping what we do and what we buy, and even how productive we are.
New York Times
“Because we’re spending so much time in the home, we’re investing more in the home,” said an analyst. “And the things that we’re investing in are things to keep ourselves busy.”
The Boredom Economy
The pandemic is terrible. It can also be tedious. And that tedium is shaping what people buy and how productive they are.
Credit.Matt Chase
Mark Hawkins is an expert on being bored.
When he was getting his counseling degree, he was fascinated by articles on the therapeutic benefits of boredom. He has written a book whose title is “The Power of Boredom.” In his spare time, he likes to sit on his couch and stare out the window.
“It’s very difficult, but I do try to be bored as much as possible,” he said in a recent interview.
The US independent management consultancy Asia Perspective has published a report on the Vietnamese economy, which highlighted that in the fourth quarter of 2020, Vietnam posted rapid growth thanks to the recovery of manufacturing.
Consumer confidence boosted by hopes for economy Print
Consumer confidence increased five points to -23 in February, new research reveals.
GfK’s long-running Consumer Confidence Index finds four measures of confidence increased from 22 January and one measure was flat.
Joe Staton, GfK’s client strategy director, said: “With the headline confidence score up by five points this month, driven by an energetic 14-point jump in how we view the economy for the coming year, it would be tempting to talk of a return to ‘normality’. But would it be more realistic to talk of challenges? We need to be cautious because the positive tailwinds of the vaccination roll-out are being met by the very strong headwinds of unemployment, the threat of inflation, and the difficulty that many face in affording day-to-day living costs – all serious issues that can dampen consumer confidence.