A new term was added to my vocabulary this week: Coronacoaster. I heard it described as a warm and cozy feeling one moment when you’re happily making banana bread, followed by sadness and longing to see someone who you never liked much in the first place. It is the emotional ups and downs that go along with the uncertainty in the world, whether it is about our jobs, finances, social isolation, the upcoming school year, running a small business or paying the rent.
Yet when asked how we are doing, a standard response is “I’m fine,” often accompanied by a smile. The brain wants what we feel and believe to line up, so it will go along with the smile to avoid something called cognitive dissonance. Behavioral scientist Matt Wallaert says that this “grin and bear it” strategy is fine in some situations but insufficient for what we are facing now.
“No amount of cognitive dissonance can overwhelm the entirely rational fear we all feel in the face of a global pandemic.”
Simply putting on a happy face isn’t the right answer – but how do we maintain positivity in the midst of so much uncertainty? How can we manage our anxiety and change our outlook?
Matt Wallaert will answer these questions and more in his upcoming presentation, When Grin and Bear It Isn’t the Right Answer on July 22 from 11-11:45 am PT. His presentation is part of the Wellness Wednesday Webinar series sponsored by Zing. Sessions are free, but you need to register to attend the live Zoom session or receive a link to the recording.
Matt Wallaert is a behavioral scientist working at the intersection of human behavior and technology. He has done hundreds of talks on the science of behavior change, including presentations for the United Nations and TEDx. He is the former Chief Behavioral Officer at Clover Health and is the author of Start at the End: How to Build Products that Create Change.
