COVID-19 Counsel from the College of Liberal Arts
In this new series, we collect various news articles that feature experts from the College of Liberal Arts giving insight into the current global COVID-19 crisis.
Editor’s note: In this new series, we collect various news articles that feature experts from the College of Liberal Arts giving insight into the current global crisis. The purpose of this series is to provide diverse perspectives on various aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic from experts in the college. The series will be shared weekly, so check back for the most up-to-date news.
How to Manage Boredom When You Can’t Leave Your House — Shondaland
Featuring Mary Meagher, professor in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences
“While there’s no universally accepted definition of boredom, researchers believe it is a specific mental state where people feel an acute lack of stimulation. That mental state can cause a variety of behaviors and emotional reactions that can range from negative and destructive to positive and creative.
‘Boredom, as an emotional state, is a burst of wanting something you don’t have, and wanting to do something or to see something that’s not there now,’ says Professor Heather Lench, who directs the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences at Texas A&M University. Lench recently published a study on boredom as a seeking state for both positive and negative experiences. Boredom can arise at any time, and, as Lench discovered, it’s a regular pattern of a normal life.
Now that we’re all on house arrest, boredom is bound to build up. It can grow from feeling cooped up without our usual avenues for a release like gyms, bars, schools, or restaurants. Our kids tend to feel it more acutely, too, since, as Professor Lench points out, they don’t have the adult abilities to regulate their moods.
‘We are seeing boredom on a mass scale now, and having a plan to respond effectively and positively to it can make a big difference in how we manage it,’ she says.”
Read more here.
Coronavirus could make us wary of hugs, shape our social habits for years — CNet
Featuring Joe Feagin, distinguished professor in the Department of Sociology
“It’s uncertain how long the current dystopia of shutdowns and social distancing will continue; estimates range from a few more weeks to 18 months. But experts agree that the longer it goes on, the more likely the adaptations we’ve made will stick.
If the lockdowns last less than six months, the only long-term changes in social behavior might involve increased hygiene, says Texas A&M sociologist and former American Sociological Association President Joe Feagin.
‘If it lasts 18 months or more, as the more pessimistic forecasts suggest … more substantial changes are likely in both social distancing, social interaction and hygiene,’ he says.”
Read more here.
A Mistaken Idea: The federal government shouldn’t take over our supply chain — City Journal
Written by Jonathan Meer, professor in the Department of Economics
“Hospitals across America are desperate for supplies as they fight Covid-19. Governors Andrew Cuomo in New York and J. B. Pritzker in Illinois want the federal government to use the Defense Production Act to force companies to manufacture personalized protective equipment (PPE) and prevent price-gouging. The governors point to exorbitant prices and potential shortages due to competition from other states and countries. They want Washington to distribute the supplies based on need and, presumably, to dictate lower prices.
In this extreme and desperate situation, such an approach is intuitively appealing—but it’s nevertheless mistaken. The laws of supply and demand don’t go away, even during a global health emergency. The alternative to markets isn’t some magical, all-knowing, completely “fair” allocation machine. That machine doesn’t exist.”
Read more here.
How to stop touching your face — Parentology (featuring TAMU Today article)
Featuring Brian Anderson, assistant professor in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences
“Touching our faces is a bad habit that can make us very sick. So how do we stop it?
‘For touching your face, you tend to do that when you are in certain situations or feel a certain way,’ Brian Anderson, an assistant professor in the Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences at Texas A&M said in Texas A&M Today. ‘So if you feel bored, if you feel very empathetic in the context of a conversation, you may lean forward and put your hand on your chin. The first step for somebody trying to overcome a habit is to raise your consciousness.’
Anderson says the key to stopping face-touching is to understand it isn’t something that happens randomly. He says people should first try to identify what motivates them to touch their face. For example, we rub our eyes when we’re tried, or we rest our chin in our hands when we get bored.”
Read more here.
China’s poorest pay the price of coronavirus outbreak — HDSN from Financial Times
Featuring Li Gan, professor in the Department of Economics
“Data suggest that the coronavirus outbreak, which has infected more than 80,000 people in China, is being brought under control. However, months of restrictions on travel, work and daily life are putting enormous pressure on families at the margins of Chinese society.
‘We cannot say if the impact of the outbreak on employment will be half a year, a year, or more, but what is for certain is that it will be longer than it is possible for some segments of society to sustain their livelihoods,’ said Gan Li, director of the centre and a professor of economics at Texas A&M University.
China outspends developed nations on roads, rail and other infrastructure. But it allocates far less money to social support measures such as affordable housing, with the ratio to gross domestic product remaining at about 3 per cent, far lower than the average of 12 per cent achieved by developed nations, according to Mr Gan.”
Read more here.
Read more about COVID-19 from Texas A&M College of Liberal Arts experts here.