Movies, songs, household chores helping people stay calm in lockdown: Survey

Ravinder Saini

Tribune News Service

Rohtak, May 1

Watching movies, listening to songs and doing household chores are helping a majority of people stay calm and relaxed amid the lockdown, as per an online survey conducted by a three-member team of retired and serving professors of the Department of Psychology at Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU) here.

The survey, aimed at understanding human behaviour during lockdowns, social distancing, quarantines and isolation, was conducted from April 1 to April 15.

A total of 500 people in the age group of 20 to 78 years from across the nation participated in it, said Dr Deepti Hooda, Associate Professor at Psychology Department.

A few respondents were from the USA, Kenya, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Austria, she added.

“The survey report discloses that more than 65 per cent participants are satisfying themselves by watching movies and listening to songs, while 60 per cent have been spending time carrying out household work to stay calm. Surfing social media is helping 54 per cent stay cool in this time of uncertainty,” said Dr Deepti. “Also, a sizable number is using meditation, yoga, dancing and painting to stay relaxed.”

Prof Amrita Yadav (retd), another member of the team, informed that the survey findings mapping the behavioural aspect of social distancing during the lockdown showed students, females and young adults were not only more intolerant to uncertainty during this pandemic but also more anxious about the future and engaged more in seeking information to deal with their uncertainty.

“The online survey was an attempt to unravel the complexity of the matter and facilitate an insight into devising psychological techniques to improve adherence to pro-social distancing and further manage this health crisis,” added Prof Novratan Sharma, another member of the team.