Now that hundreds of millions of people around the world have been home for more than a month now, many are missing their daily social interactions. Losing the benefits of interacting with others is one of the tolls of social distancing.
Early on in the Covid-19 crisis, a number of social, behavioural and brain scientists, including myself, raised their voices in mainstream and social media for public health authorities to stop using the term “social distancing”.
After a while, even the World Health Organisation decided to change their recommendation to "physical distancing".
One could argue that, when so many people die because of the pandemic, semantics are not a priority. It is because so many are dying that words matter even more.
First, asking people to socially distance from others is unclear and confusing. And in times of crisis, public health messaging must be crisp and unambiguous. Hence asking people to stay at home and to keep two metres of physical distance in public is a much more efficient way to communicate. People know what they have to do. There is less room for interpreting the recommendation.
You are not alone
With several million isolated in their homes, we must do our best to maintain social closeness despite the physical distance – because the virus is not just biological; it is also psychological.
And while the world has changed, our brains have not. Social isolation, either perceived or real, has significant negative effects on our psychological, hormonal, behavioural and brain functioning.
These include physical and mental fatigue, irregular sleep patterns, increased anxiety and hostility towards others that can lead to social withdrawal, as indicated in the Annual Review of Psychology back in 2015.
Do not just write that you will eat at noon and at 7PM every day. Write down the menu of each meal so you can visualise it
Four weeks ago, researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology shared the results of a study where they used neurotechnologies to measure the brain activity of two groups of people. For 10 hours, one group was forced to fast, while the other was socially isolated. After that, they reported feeling lonely and craving food, respectively.
Their results support "the intuitive idea that acute isolation causes social craving, similar to hunger". No wonder we tend to pay the fridge more visits than usual when under lockdown.
Four ways to ward off negativity
In the coronavirus version of the movie Groundhog Day that people under lockdown experience these days, the same day is indeed repeated over and over but without the possibility to physically and socially interact with the world.
We therefore need to fight the negative patterns we can easily fall into. Easier said than done, right?
Let me give you a few tips to designing and sticking to a routine that structures your days and helps regain control to help fight some of the negative effects of being physically distant from others.
Four words are key to fight isolation: planning, visualising, rewarding and socialising.
Plan it all, write everything down
First, plan everything if you haven't already been doing so. Your work, physical activities, meals, online social interactions, entertainment and sleep.
Also plan things like taking a shower and dressing up. In order to achieve efficiency and diversity in your structuring routine, plan for the week or the month on a sheet of paper or on a screen big enough for you to be able to read the details.
Do not just write that you will eat at noon and at 7PM every day. Write down the menu of each meal so you can visualise it. Plan who you invite to join you online over dinner.
This way your brain will quickly spot poorly planned meals and social interactions that are repetitive and not varied enough.
If your brain sees "steak kebabs with Ken" written multiple times on the planning, it will tend to make you add other dishes and guests in between and invite other folks to chat over a meal.
Ditto for physical activities, social interactions or entertainment intended to fill your free time. This visualising nudge from behavioural sciences has proven very efficient on many fronts.
Learn something, reward yourself
And if you feel like repeatedly snacking, distract your mind with another task: why not do a push up, a little dance, or if your physical condition doesn’t allow it, learn a new word in a foreign language before you eat.
Add a push up, a minute of dance, and an extra word every time before each meal. You will create micro-habits that are good for your brain and physical health. Note that this reward system works with everything you do often, like watching a TV show, for example.
It is important for brain health to learn something new. Why not use the extra time not spent in commuting in this way?
There are so many online tutorials that you will easily find something that suits you. Be mindful though to balance new skills that are easy to acquire with others that take longer.
Build micro habits
Quick and easy wins trigger the reward system in our brains that makes us feel good. Similarly, as we need to build micro-habits, we also need micro-rewards associated with easy-wins.
We need to balance between learning to flip a crepe and becoming a machine learning guru.
Yet, regardless of the goal, small or big, never forget to celebrate your achievement. Do that jig, sing, anything you want, but do it. And tell your friends about it.
And if you feel like taking days off in your routine, that is great too. Taking care of oneself also means knowing when to stop and relax.
Watching the world fall apart is a lonely feeling. It is what many in their homes feel right now.
Which is why it is so important not to let go of individual goals and social closeness despite the physical distance.
Professor Olivier Oullier is the president of Emotiv, a neuroscientist and a DJ
First Person
Richard Flanagan
Chatto & Windus
THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
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Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Profile
Company: Libra Project
Based: Masdar City, ADGM, London and Delaware
Launch year: 2017
Size: A team of 12 with six employed full-time
Sector: Renewable energy
Funding: $500,000 in Series A funding from family and friends in 2018. A Series B round looking to raise $1.5m is now live.
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UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
The years Ramadan fell in May
SPECS
Mini John Cooper Works Clubman and Mini John Cooper Works Countryman
Engine: two-litre 4-cylinder turbo
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 306hp
Torque: 450Nm
Price: JCW Clubman, Dh220,500; JCW Countryman, Dh225,500
Mubadala World Tennis Championship 2018 schedule
Thursday December 27
Men's quarter-finals
Kevin Anderson v Hyeon Chung 4pm
Dominic Thiem v Karen Khachanov 6pm
Women's exhibition
Serena Williams v Venus Williams 8pm
Friday December 28
5th place play-off 3pm
Men's semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Anderson/Chung 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Thiem/Khachanov 7pm
Saturday December 29
3rd place play-off 5pm
Men's final 7pm
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
- Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
- Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
- Submit their request
What are the regulations?
- Fly it within visual line of sight
- Never over populated areas
- Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
- Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
- Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
- Should have a live feed of the drone flight
- Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
The rules of the road keeping cyclists safe
Cyclists must wear a helmet, arm and knee pads
Have a white front-light and a back red-light on their bike
They must place a number plate with reflective light to the back of the bike to alert road-users
Avoid carrying weights that could cause the bike to lose balance
They must cycle on designated lanes and areas and ride safe on pavements to avoid bumping into pedestrians
The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima
Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650
Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder
Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Our legal consultants
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
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Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
More on Quran memorisation:
Aayan%E2%80%99s%20records
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Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
Red Joan
Director: Trevor Nunn
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Mane points for safe home colouring
- Natural and grey hair takes colour differently than chemically treated hair
- Taking hair from a dark to a light colour should involve a slow transition through warmer stages of colour
- When choosing a colour (especially a lighter tone), allow for a natural lift of warmth
- Most modern hair colours are technique-based, in that they require a confident hand and taught skills
- If you decide to be brave and go for it, seek professional advice and use a semi-permanent colour
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
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Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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9.
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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The permutations for UAE going to the 2018 World Cup finals
To qualify automatically
UAE must beat Iraq.
Australia must lose in Japan and at home to Thailand, with their losing margins and the UAE's winning margin over Iraq being enough to overturn a goal difference gap of eight.
Saudi Arabia must lose to Japan, with their losing margin and the UAE's winning margin over Iraq being enough to overturn a goal difference gap of eight.
To finish third and go into a play-off with the other third-placed AFC side for a chance to reach the inter-confederation play-off match
UAE must beat Iraq.
Saudi Arabia must lose to Japan, with their losing margin and the UAE's winning margin over Iraq being enough to overturn a goal difference gap of eight.
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The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer
Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000
Engine 3.6L V6
Transmission: Six-speed automatic
Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm
Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km
Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
