Covid-19, Conversation Killer! By Mrs Vera West

Laugh, or weep, Covid-19 has changed the world, even though the actual disease itself has the mortality of a flu. It is the moral panic which has produced so many social effects, so that psychologists and sociologists will have their work cut out for them for years to come!

https://www.studyfinds.org/pandemic-art-of-conversation/

“Many Americans probably feel like they’ve been living on a deserted island for the past year. According to a new survey, most adults think all this isolation and the complications of wearing masks is affecting their ability to communicate with others. Along with conversations going dry, many Americans are missing the sounds common in the pre-pandemic world.

The poll of 2,000 U.S. adults over the age of 40 finds 38 percent long to hear the sound of live music once more. Similarly, 35 percent just want to go to the movies again and hear some surround sound. Another 28 percent miss the thrill of hearing live chants at sporting events.

Americans aren’t just missing the sounds of big events; 24 percent miss the sounds of their kids or grandchildren playing in person.

Researchers also asked about more specific sounds and phrases Americans miss during COVID-19 isolation. Respondents provided a wide variety of answers, ranging from the sound of “sermons in church” to “slot machines” to “the sound of my paycheck being cashed.”

One person told researchers they miss the sound of “someone saying they loved me.” Others miss “tender whispers in my ear” and even the “sound of sex.”

Conversation in decline?

Put together by Eargo in celebration of World Hearing Day, the survey asked Americans about the state of post-pandemic conversations. Three in five people (62%) say the pandemic has put the “art of conversation” in serious decline.

A big part of the problem appears to be face masks. Three-quarters believe they just can’t understand what anyone is saying with a mask on. Additionally, 57 percent believe it is significantly harder to have an engaging, rewarding conversation over the phone or through video chat.”