LAZINESS, fatigue or difficulty concentrating: the effects of lockdown on our brains are detrimental. But the good news is that they are reversible. According to a Scottish study, our brains return to normal as soon as we start socializing with our peers again.
If you feel that you have lost mental agility since the various waves of covid-19 and their accompanying lockdowns, Scottish researchers have good news for you. Three psychologists wanted to know if our cognitive abilities would return to normal after the pandemic. According to their findings, it would appear so. Dr. Christopher Hand, of Glasgow Caledonian University, Greg Maciejewski and Joanne Ingram, of the University of the West of Scotland, found that people with cognitive problems due to the pandemic recovered quickly when they could socialize again. The researchers used an analogy: our brain in lockdown conditions behaves like a neglected house: it fills with dust and cobwebs. To recover its abilities, it needs a good spring cleaning.
Same cognitive battle for astronauts, trekkers and those living under lockdown
"Psychologists are only now beginning to recognise just how integral social interaction is to every aspect of our wellbeing and mental ability – and how isolation, whether for elderly people or those with extreme vocations, can affect our mental health and aptitude across so many measures," the researchers explain in their article in The Conversation. Studies have shown that the mental health of people who had never previously experienced problems was affected. And the people who suffered the most cognitively during lockdown were those who were alone. In addition to a decrease in morale, a link was identified between loneliness and cognitive problems with fatigue, stress and concentration problems. These effects are normally studied either in elderly people or in people with extreme occupations, such as astronauts, desert trekkers and polar explorers.
Effects on attention, learning ability and working memory
To understand the effects of loneliness on our brains and then the effects of returning to a more social life, researchers studied the behavior of 342 Scots, all adults (between 18 and 72 years), between May and July 2020. This is the period during which pandemic restrictions were gradually lifted in the United Kingdom. It provided a good opportunity for scientists to observe whether the cognitive abilities of the people studied improved as they became more sociable.
The three psychologists administered tests to measure attention, learning ability, working memory (ie, the ability to retain important information from a text) and time perception. According to the study, all of these indicators were significantly better with the end of lockdown. Even more encouragingly, they improved week by week. In addition to the return to sociability, the scientists also mentioned the positive effect of summery weather and better exposure to light.
So there's hope that we can regain our abilities as they were prior to lockdowns and rather quickly.
ETX Studio
Fri Apr 09 2021
According to a Scottish study, our brains start returning to normal as soon as we start socializing with our peers again. ETXStudiopic
Azizulhasni ketepi saingan Ridwan, juarai acara pecut di Nilai
Jaguh berbasikal trek negara, Datuk Mohd Azizulhasni Awang tidak berdepan masalah menjuarai acara pecut lelaki elit pada Kejohanan Berbasikal Trek Kebangsaan 2024.
Kawalan keselamatan di bangunan kerajaan, tempat tumpuan awam, kemudahan penting pada tahap tertinggi - PDRM
Datuk Seri Azmi Abu Kassim berkata, pihak polis memandang serius insiden baru-baru ini yang menimbulkan kegusaran masyarakat awam.
AWANI Ringkas: Suntikan HPV 719,236 pelajar perempuan
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
AWANI 7:45 [21/05/2024] – Penyelidikan FICO | Bayi berusia 11 bulan | Bakal dibentangkan di Parlimen | 57,991 unit pada April 2024
#AWANI745 malam ini bersama Irfan Faruqi;
1. 32 peratus rakyat Malaysia paling bimbang ditipu urusan pembayaran
2. Suami isteri naik motosikal bersama anak sakit, dapat bantuan PM
3. Pas yakin RUU 355 dapat majoriti mudah
4. Jualan kenderaan baharu melonjak 21 peratus
1. 32 peratus rakyat Malaysia paling bimbang ditipu urusan pembayaran
2. Suami isteri naik motosikal bersama anak sakit, dapat bantuan PM
3. Pas yakin RUU 355 dapat majoriti mudah
4. Jualan kenderaan baharu melonjak 21 peratus
Ziyad rangkul emas kejohanan dunia di Jepun
Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli menjuarai acara lontar peluru lelaki F20 di (kecacatan intelektual) Kejohanan Olahraga Para Dunia 2024 di Jepun.
Pihak berkuasa Jepun halang pemandangan Gunung Fuji
Pihak berkuasa Jepun memasang penghadang pemandangan Gunung Fuji pada Selasa untuk mengatasi peningkatan pelancong asing yang mengganggu ketenteraman awam di kawasan sekitar.
Suntikan vaksin Papilomavirus kepada 719,236 pelajar perempuan
KKM berikan suntikan vaksin Papilomavirus manusia (HPV) kepada 719,236 pelajar perempuan terdiri daripada kohort 2021 hingga tahun ini.
[TERKINI] Penumpang pesawat SIA meninggal dunia dalam pesawat
Seorang penumpang pesawat Singapore Airlines (SIA) dilaporkan maut dalam kejadian gelora udara ketika dalam perjalanan dari London (Heathrow) ke Singapura pada Selasa.
Yakin RUU355 akan dapat undi majoriti mudah - Hadi
Presiden PAS, Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang yakin Rang Undang-undang Akta Mahkamah Syariah (Bidang Kuasa Jenayah) 1965 (RUU 355) akan mendapat undian majoriti mudah dalam sidang parlimen akan datang.
Rakyat Malaysia bimbang penipuan pembayaran
Firma perisian Analitik Global, FICO, dalam penyelidikan terbaharunya mendedahkan bahawa 32 peratus rakyat Malaysia paling bimbang ditipu dalam hal berkaitan pembayaran.
Penting ambil tahu status kesihatan mental anda!
Penularan COVID-19 berisiko mencetuskan krisis kesihatan mental global, tindakan perlu diambil bagi menangani penderitaan psikologi yang ditimbulkan oleh pandemik itu, gesa PBB.
Suka himpun barang? Anda mungkin bermasalah
Ini merupakan sebahagian daripada masalah mental yang mungkin ramai tidak sedar dan tidak tahu, anda tergolong daripada penyakit ini.