CAVE SYNDROME

• The pandemic has resulted in many people exhibiting an unusual behaviour for which psychologists have a clinical name: cave syndrome.
• The infections, lockdowns and the atmosphere of uncertainty have together prompted many to harbour the view that the outdoors are dangerous.
• This is a natural response to the pervasion of infections and after spending a year in relative isolation.
• Cave syndrome gets its name from this tendency to remain secluded in our safe spaces – or caves – instead of venturing outside.
• The term ‘cave syndrome’ has been used since the first pandemic lockdowns; it existed before the pandemic as well but was known by other names.
• For another example, the Ebola virus disease that ravaged West Africa from 2014 to 2016 took away many lives before the region was formally declared Ebola-free in 2016. Most of the country’s people lived in fear and anxiety for several days after and that even teachers hesitated to come to schools.
• Humans are inherently social beings, which means living in isolation for prolonged periods can be quite the ordeal.

• 3 intertwined behavioural aspects could be at play here: risk aversion, the desire to be in control and the preference for the status quo.

  People like certainty, but the pandemic immured us in a thick blanket of uncertainty that has kept us from making easy decisions about stepping out. We can exercise a reasonable degree of control over our houses; we can clean all its surfaces and restrict some people from visiting based on their vaccination status. But we have almost no control on outside spaces.

• While "cave syndrome," isn't an official psychological diagnosis, it's a phenomenon affecting people across the country.

• It's characterized by feeling anxious or afraid about a return to society, even if you're fully vaccinated.

WORKPLACE WOES:
A workplace survey in summer 2021 reinforced the idea of people liking to be in control.
When asked whether one was more productive when working from home, and if so, why, 46% said working from home allowed them to better control their time and 45% said they could manage their personal workspace as they wished.

Another survey reported that 52% of its respondents in 11 nations were apprehensive over having to return to the external office for full-time work because they didn’t wish to lose their freedom to choose where to work, to take time off to read books, and other such freedoms.

SOURCE: The Wire
https://science.thewire.in/health/cave-syndrome-covid-19-pandemic-mental-health-precarious-employment/