By Demetrius Dillard
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the entire human race has seen seismic shifts in the way they live, work and thrive amid the most earth-shattering plague known to man in the past century.
The tremendous toll that the global crisis has taken on the economy, thus affecting jobs and the livelihood of countless families is of course one of the more notable outcomes of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Undoubtedly, the world has seemed to have been in turmoil for the past 11 months as 2020 was essentially characterized by the coronavirus.
Likewise, relationships during COVID – especially those built on affection and romance – have been particularly affected by the pandemic in enormous proportions due to a number of reasons, and have been a subject of ongoing discussion by relationship experts over the past 10 months.
An article that appeared in The Atlantic by Ashley Fetters details how the pandemic has forced many to rethink how to conduct relationships and how it has “effectively stopped a whole legion of blossoming romances in their tracks.”
Obviously long-distance relationships or forming couples have been impacted to a much greater extent than couples that either live together or remained in close contact or proximity before the outbreak.
Fetters’ story, which is titled “The New Relationships That Fizzled Out in Quarantine”, was published on May 31, 2020, highlights some of the distinct qualities of new relationships and why the pandemic appeared to be more detrimental.
“When the coronavirus arrived, many people involved in romances that were just starting to materialize found themselves thrown into what felt like an involuntary long-distance relationship—and then watched their promising new fling sputter and slow down, in many cases to a complete halt,” Fetters wrote.
“The loss of physical togetherness, for one thing, can take away some of the foundational experiences that lasting relationships are built on. The first few weeks or months of a dating relationship are typically considered to be some of the most magical. They’re also some of the most dependent on physical proximity: Caresses, hand-holding, and long mutual gazes at close range all help to build intimacy.”
Going on FaceTime or some form of video chat on a daily basis is the route that a good deal of long-distance couples have taken over the past several months, which has its benefits. Had the pandemic taken place a few decades back, there would likely be no way for long-distance couples to see one other virtually outside of phone calls.
The advent of social media platforms such as Instagram, Skype and Zoom have made it possible for non-cohabiting couples in particular to stay connected, but there’s nothing comparable to the traditional, old-fashioned face-to-face interaction.
“Coronavirus protocols have put a serious damper on new couples’ ability to learn about each other organically, because phone calls and video chats necessarily exclude the elements of the outside world that make many of these observations possible,” Fetters continued.
“Some couples have found themselves in a sort of holding pattern, having been in touch for a while but not feeling like they’ve gotten to know each other any better.”
University of Massachusetts-Amherst social psychologist Paula Petromonaco has taken a similar take on the issue as Fetters, but from a slightly different perspective. Petromonaco’s research looks into the reasons why some couples have grown closer together under the stress of the crisis, while the “spacing gap widens between other couples.”
In addition to the economic and social impact resulting from the pandemic, Petromonaco was noted saying that pandemic-related relationship matters could be a matter of how couples cope with various problems they confront, according to a report published by alKhaleej Today.
“If they see themselves as one team, and place the blame on the pressures caused by the epidemic itself, rather than as a result of the partner’s actions, they are more likely to emerge from this situation stronger and more interconnected,” she said.
For singles, the use of dating apps and getting to know someone they’re interested in through the ‘virtual world’ before meeting in person will likely become more common, even after the pandemic subsides.
As the world continues to navigate this difficult time, those who are involved in new or developing relationships persist in adjusting and adapting to connecting with their significant other under strange circumstances – which may ultimately work to their advantage in the long run.
Every relationship has unique differences. Thus, the coronavirus crisis hasn’t had a uniform effect, as scholars have cited, but it is safe to presume that most, if not all, relationship outcomes did change as a result of COVID-19’s economic impact and public health threat at the very least.
Demetrius Dillard is a freelance writer based in Baltimore.
