When it comes to vices during an epidemic, to put it simply, “no.” Hard to say. Drink an extra glass of wine here, eat half a birthday cake in the one sitting there – which takes to escape the constant stress of life under lockdown. In March, it felt fair anyway.
But nine months later, when experience has shown that smoking a pack of cigarettes does not compensate for human interaction, why do bad habits force us?
Prolonged traumatic or “chronic toxic” stress that most people experience during an epidemic makes it more difficult to suppress desires, and it in turn promotes irrational pleasure-seeking, says Dr. Dr. Robert Lustig, a professor at Emirates. Author of Pediatric Endocrinology University of California, San Francisco and “Metabolic”. In scientific terms: When the brain is flooded with the stress hormone cortisol on a long-term basis, it disrupts the function of the prefrontal cortex, causing excessive activation of the brain’s “reward center” – over-cooking, drinking, smoking and shopping Were filled.
“Dopamine is a rewarding neurotransmitter. It is examined by the prefrontal cortex. When that barrier comes out, the reward center detects hedonic stimuli,” Lustig said. “It could be chemical – cocaine, heroin, nicotine, alcohol, sugar – or behavior – shopping, gambling, internet gaming, social media, pornography.”
Take favorite carbohydrate sugar. At the onset of the epidemic, a baking frenzy swept the country, offering both a relatively accessible quarantine hobby and a steady supply of carbs. Like hand sanitizers and toilet paper, flour and yeast quickly grabbed hot-ticket items from low supermarket staples from store shelves.
But what exactly about baking makes it so convenient for quarantine? Was it dough-mixing different or something more customizable? In the first nine months of the year, U.S. Total cookbook sales rose 1 percent, while bread-specific book sales rose 155 percent, according to NPD Group data. There are 200,000 more bread cookbooks than will be sold in 2019. Meanwhile, sales of cookbooks about vegetarian and other comparatively healthy recipes hit in March and April.
The preparation of baked goods in the quarantine was clearly driven by more than the pleasure of cooking, Lustig said. “Baking means carbohydrates and especially sugar – both for diversion and addiction. And isn’t that really the same?” He said.
The leap from flour sauce to full blown addiction may seem overwhelming, but it raises the question of why people turn to certain things for relaxation even when they realize the feeling is fleeting.
“It’s a million-dollar question,” said Laurie Santos, a professor of psychology at Yale University and host of the “The Happiness Lab” podcast. “We know neuroscientifically that there is a disconnect between the things we want and the types of our choices. Wanting is an inspirational process. Choice is how you feel when you get it.”
She said disconnecting is the strongest in the domain of addictive drugs: craving, or “desire”, will lead to extremes for people to get the drug, but less than the actual payment, or “choosing” because it’s already a habit.
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“The flip side is that there is no ‘desire’ for the work we are doing. Things like taking time to experience social connection, doing good things for others, taking time to experience gratitude. We just don’t have it. We have no idea what is missing, “said Santos.
One thing widely desired during an epidemic: alcohol. Women, in particular, are more susceptible to the stress of drinking in quarantine. As a group, they experienced a decline in job security and social isolation – factors that historically consumed alcohol.
In April, almost all Americans, under a stay-at-home order, saw their sales increase by more than 500 percent over the previous year. Sales online sales declined after surviving bars and rest restaurants rents were temporarily opened in the days following the epidemic’s dreaded onset, but even in October, alcohol sales in most other consumer goods categories outperformed.
A more unfavorable habit of smoking that made a comeback. Given the effect of the coronavirus on the respiratory system, some may find it inappropriate to light a cigarette this year, but sales suggest that the chemical promotion of nicotine has been a staple for many. The overall declining U.S. Tobacco sales declined slightly during March to October. And it’s not just stress that increases consumption. Companies give Americans a reason to increase disposable income that was stimulated by stimulus payments and spent less money on social activities such as meals – which means they have more opportunities to smoke at home.
As Americans face epidemic-fueled prudent spending, it wasn’t just the big tobacco that benefited: the first Monday after Thanksgiving, November 30, this Cyber Monday, became the largest total online shopping day in U.S. history, with a total of 7. An increase of 10.7. Billion purchases – the number as an indicator of mass brain search for pleasure like no other. And one category that increased significantly was self-care.
“Buying new stuff isn’t as happy as we think. In fact, we’re better off spending money on other people.”
“Self-care is the ultimate form of expressing self-love,” said Colin McCann, author of “Crystal RX” and founder of the fashion-meet-mysticism brand, Style Ritual. McCann’s services include energetic closet cleaning and self-confirming crystal and tarot readings, after which clients receive a highly curated “me-time” kit and mood board. McCain said that even as a high-end, exclusive offering fur, Style Ritual is gaining their business despite their services moving completely offline.
Consumer spending estimates from RetailManote suggest that people will spend more money on gifts for themselves this holiday season than their parents, in-laws or best friends. But egocentric shopping won’t bring the holiday excitement that is expected, Santos said.
“Buying new goods just isn’t as happy as we think. In fact, we’ll be better off spending money on other people. Doing good things for others seems to be one of the things that really makes us happy over time,” she said.
With the help of vaccines, the return of society can be a thing of replacing immediate satisfying habits such as impulse-cost stimulus testing with more permanent breeding.
“After the lockdown, we’re going to make this wonderful new start on our routines, how we interact, who we interact with,” Santos said. “It will really give us opportunities to build more positive habits and in the meantime use what we have learned to create a more nutritious life for ourselves.”
