A while ago, I wrote an article in response to the emerging coronavirus scare, where I argued that treating the virus as a joke is not funny. However, in just the past week, the coronavirus has become a full-blown pandemic, and President Trump has just declared a national emergency. The coronavirus is no longer happening somewhere else; it is our everyday reality, and virtually everyone in the United States has been impacted one way or another.
By practicing social distancing, we can contribute to making our communities safer; however, this means giving up something that is an integral part of being human, which is building and maintaining connections with others. Although there is no substitute for interacting with someone face-to-face, for those of use who have the privilege of being able to access the internet, we can still maintain some of these connections.
The other day, my mom sent me a video of Aaron Lindsau giving a lesson on the best way to hoard toilet paper. While I found myself laughing, I immediately felt guilty, but I still watched the video until the end. Afterwards, I realized I felt much lighter — like the tension I’d been feeling the past week dissipated a bit, if only for a few minutes.
According to the Mayo Clinic, laughter can actually have significant benefits during times of stress. When we laugh, it can actually activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which can decrease your heart rate and blood pressure, and temporarily relieve muscle tension. For the many students who have had their plans for the semester suspended or even completely uprooted, it is absolutely vital to alleviate some of the tension and stress that often accompanies major change.
Additionally, laughter can help build connections when people are able to convey a similar worldview through humor. In times of distress, being able to laugh together can help us relate to each other, which, while it doesn’t mitigate what is going on around us, it can at least make us feel like we’re not alone. Of course, there is a difference between joking about something and dismissing reality, yet I strongly believe that laughing while still acknowledging the severity of a problem is not always mutually exclusive, as long as it is done respectfully and with consideration for others.
There is a meme page on Instagram run by NC State students who often post memes based on experiences that are unique to students on campus. The account recently posted a meme which basically illustrated how some students have reacted to the recent changes on campus.
The account is not suggesting that NC State is wrong for implementing these changes — rather, it simply serves as an outlet for students to convey some of their worries and frustrations through slightly ridiculous memes which are intended to make us laugh.
Like the majority of the population, I have been feeling a lot of fear amidst all of the uncertainty, yet I am trying to maintain a sense of hope. Even though I’m physically isolated from my friends and classmates right now, I still have the ability to maintain connections with others, whether that is sending memes to my friends or laughing at YouTube clips with my mom. Although staying away from large groups of people is necessary right now, it doesn’t mean we have to be alone.
