Psychologists, sociologists, and historians will wag on for decades, looking at our pandemic experience from every possible angle, turning it over and over to draw their sage conclusions.
In the meantime, we’re living in this jumble of emotions while faced with physical isolation, uncertainty on every front, and grief.
Now, as we are possibly crawling out from being under this pandemic monster, we are wondering how we will respond to doing it in real time.
I am recalling past studies about the color pink and its effect on emotions and upon the body. As I refreshed my recollections here: What Does the Color Pink Do to You? | Psychology Today and here: The Color Psychology of Pink (verywellmind.com), some fascinating research done in 1975 and 1985 came to light.
A study of 153 healthy young men showed that after they stared at 2-by-3 foot pieces of cardboard painted either deep blue or Pepto Bismol pink, the men who stared at the pink boards scored significantly lower in strength evaluations than their blue staring cohorts.
Based on these studies, the Navy painted detention rooms that same pink. Within 15 minutes, angry, unruly detainees calmed right down. Various county jails, youth detention centers, and psychiatric centers across America have used rooms painted in what became known as Baker-Miller pink (after the Navy officers who first used this color) to calm down and pacify angry, anxious, aggressive prisoners/clients.
Pink’s effects can be counter-productive in the long run, however, for after the initial calming phase, those confined to pink rooms for longer periods became anxious and agitated.
Too much of something?
Well, yes. And this brings me back to our pandemic state of mind.
Who, pre-COVID, has not lamented for:
- More time at home?
- More time with the family?
- More time alone with just your thoughts?
- Time off from rushing around?
- Time to catch up on household projects?
Some of those items were viewed as our calming pink room.
Ahhh. A place to go to just be us.
Clearly, we have exceeded our calming stay in that proverbial pink room.
Yes, books have been written, homes redecorated, gardens planted, pictures painted, and much more, but people were not meant to lead such isolated lives. Most people are needing the give-and-take of smiles, hugs, shared meals, and shared experiences.
But a whistle is not going to blow, announcing the start of a race to normal. We aren’t going to be let out of the gate, running toward the nearest hug.
The same way there was no hard and fast rulebook about who would get sick, who would recover, who would have long-term effects, or who would die – there will be no absolute rulebook on how to come out of this.
Despite the agony of longing for social company, our minds will have to learn how to physically leave our safe spots with confidence and comfort – and achieve that elusive degree of safety.
Will we really want to fill our social calendars with endless in-person, have-to meetings or activities just because we can?
How has your focus changed? Once the populace has been vaccinated to an acceptable level, how will your freedom look?
It’s going to be months before this can happen, and millions of people are going to have to continue with safe habits and get vaccinated, but it’s a topic worth thinking about.
People have been changed. Depression is high with more prescriptions for anti-depressants being written than ever before. Many of us have not been hugged in over a year.
My friends and family are beginning to enjoy small, vaccinated, gatherings without masks. I talked to my neighbor yesterday; we’re both fully vaccinated, and neither of us wore a mask. We stayed 6 feet apart. I felt like I was doing something liberating – and yet daring.
Strange times. Need to get out of this pink room, for sure.
By the way – an addendum was added to last week’s post HERE about closing our mouths to breathe. Please be sure to go back and read the additional clarification.
In health-
Deidre
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