We really do just need one another
In a study of couples, social psychologist Lisa Diamond of the University of Utah
observed minor withdrawal-like symptoms, such as irritability and sleep disturbances,
along with an increase in cortisol in subjects after they were separated four to seven
days. Participants who reported high anxiety about their relationships had the biggest
spikes in the stress hormone levels. What would happen, I wonder, if the separation
was much longer as with the current pandemic? Would minor withdrawal symptoms become
major?