Everything has changed! The pandemic has taken the world by surprise leaving a mark that is more likely to never disappear.

Many lives have been shifted, the world’s economy has been disrupted and social and cultural issues have risen. As a result, new different norms and measures had to be implemented to prevent the virus spread such as social distancing. Social distancing – one of the main prevention measures set up – is still considered the most effective way to fight the deadly virus. Amid the pandemic, people have been called to stay home and cut off links to the outside world and all ties to anyone else apart from the family members living in the same house. That means, no more communication, no more interaction, and no more socialization have been allowed. Due to such a sudden social unrest, many problems related to culture and society came out. Many countries now struggle in preserving some of their culture, customs, and habits. Some of the most common social habits are being cast aside during the global pandemic outbreak: the handshake and the hug.

For a lot of people, handshakes and hugs are common forms of greeting, or more or less of a custom for certain individuals. When people meet standing closer than six feet apart, they tend to give a kiss to one another, have hugs, give high fives, give a pat on the back, greet with fist bumps, or squeeze other’s shoulder. Today, such forms of greeting and little points of social contact have become suspicious gestures and seem not to be possible anymore. Anthony Fauci, an American physician-scientist and immunologist, who was hosted for an interview in April 2020 with the Wall Street Journal podcast, suggested Americans should never shake hands again to stop spreading the disease: the “no to handshakes!”

It is no secret that some people already hated being hugged or shaken hands even prior to the pandemic; and they may probably rejoice seeing how these habits are now finally vanishing. However, what they do not realize is that social touch, categorized as a non-verbal communication, is one of the most powerful forces in human development, essentially and largely contributing to physical and emotional wellbeing. Indeed, it has always played a vital role in many different aspects of people’s daily lives. Hence, it would be weird to no longer see people interacting via touching. Anyway, there is still what is called the“elbow bump”, which seems to replace handshake and has become today’s new form of greeting among people, whether it is between classmates, workers, or family members.

It is well known that coronavirus has hugely changed the way people communicate and led to a kind of awkwardness and uncertainty. However, these should not impact how people see one another.

Sources: National Center for Biotechnology Information, US National Library of Medicine / TIME / Carissa J. Cascio et al., 2018. Social touch and human development