“Man is by nature a social animal,” said Aristotle, an observation that for most us has never seemed more perceptive. While lockdown has forced us to embrace Zoom, Houseparty and all the other video call apps, nothing replaces hanging out with friends and family in person.
“It’s a deep human need to have that direct social contact and interaction with people,” says Bobby Duffy, professor of public policy at King’s College London. “Human beings are social animals and so we’re trying to substitute face-to-face contact in different ways. The pandemic coming now, in this era where we have social media and video conferencing, has helped – but it is not the same as face-to-face contact. The crisis is making that clear.”
Like the virus itself, his research suggests the isolating effects of the lockdown are hitting some people in our society harder than others. While around 43% of the population is feeling more lonely than usual, nearly half (49%) admit that there are some aspects of the lockdown measures they have actually enjoyed. “There has been, for a decent chunk of the population, less pressure, no commute and more time with the family,” says Duffy.
For many women, however, the lockdown has heralded a return to domestic duties not seen since the 1950s. Researchers at the University of Sussex revealed last week that the proportion of mothers responsible for 90 to 100% of childcare has soared from 27% to 45% during the lockdown. Around 72% of mothers say they are the “default” parent all or most of the time.
“Mothers are much more likely than men to have stopped working at all, either because they have been furloughed, laid off or quit,” says Alison Andrew, an economist for the Institute for Fiscal Studies. “If they have carried on working, they’ve reduced their hours of work by proportionally more than men – and, in any given hour of work, they’re much more likely to be interrupted and also to be doing other things. And the vast majority of those other things are childcare.”
The institute surveyed 3,500 families with two opposite-gender parents sharing paid work and domestic responsibilities during the lockdown.
“On the other hand, fathers are also doing more childcare and being more actively involved in day-to-day life at home on school days,” Andrew adds. “Even though that’s not brought them up to equality with mothers, by any means, there’s been a huge increase compared to what fathers were doing before. The big unknown is whether that’s purely a temporary thing under lockdown.”
Of course, not everyone has had to fight the three-headed beast of work, home-schooling and childcare during the lockdown. An analysis of the skills people are searching for on Google paints a vivid picture of the different ways isolated individuals have been occupying themselves. Searches for “How to learn sign language” and “How to grow potatoes” have risen dramatically. Pancakes, banana bread and scones are among the most searched-for recipes, according to data provider SEMrush.
Many people are spending more time in nature too, according to a survey by the National Trust. A third of adults say they are more interested in nature now, and more than a fifth have witnessed more sunrises and sunsets than they did last year. Following the sunniest May on record, another survey found that 49% of British adults are gardening more during lockdown.
Mia Livingston is one of them. Since March, she has learned to cook, garden and crochet. She has also weaned herself off the sleeping pills she had been taking for insomnia, is meditating every day and has started working out using a fitness app.
“I’m more clear-eyed, energetic and positive since lockdown,” the 47-year-old therapist says. “I’m an introvert, and I think what I always wanted to do was be a homebody. But I was so embarrassed about that. I thought it was unacceptable, and that I always had to be out there socialising. Now I have the perfect excuse to stay in and be cosy, and I’m just so happy.”
Dr Elisa Pieri, a sociologist at Manchester University, believes our perception of time has changed during the lockdown. “This terrible crisis has given some people an opportunity to reassess what they want out of life more generally and how they want to arrange their time,” she says. “That ability to refocus our priorities is definitely a positive outcome. We have experienced our sense of vulnerability and the impermanence of life in sharper relief.”
Livingston took up crochet when she felt bored after doing a clear-out of her home in west London. Helped along by a YouTube video, she is now midway through crocheting herself a poncho cardigan: “I feel like it’s mental yoga. It’s so calming.”
But lots of people will not have had the space and opportunity to take up new hobbies or reflect on how they want to spend their lives. “The lockdown has deepened the divide between people of different socioeconomic status. Existing inequalities have become sharper and deeper, and new inequalities are forming,” says Pieri. A slower pace of life is not available to all. “If you still need to work long hours to pay the rent, all that reflection goes out the window. It’s a middle-class concern.”
