If the social distancing continues, does that mean we can no longer shake hands, high five, hug, or cry on each other’s shoulders?

That’s so sad! 😭😭😭😭😭 Also, the stay-at-home and self-quarantine thing feels really different when you perceive more distress at home or have to quarantine alone w/o human contacts. E.g. you have no one to hug for a long long long time, which can negatively affect your mental health and immune system!

I’m sorry you’re lonely. Focus on how temporary it is, and keep in touch with people as much as you can through phone or video calls. It’s not a sufficient replacement for in-person contact, but can suffice for short periods. As to how long (and how much) social distancing will be necessary… it’s hard to say. As to high fives and hugs & shoulders, start thinking about a “quaranteam,” a social bubble where you can have some contact: bit.ly/mit-quaranteam.

The Answer Wall Story

Hi. I’m the Answer Wall. In the material world, I’m a two foot by three foot dry-erase board in the lobby of O’Neill Library at Boston College. In the online world, I live in this blog. You might say I have multiple manifestations. Like Apollo or Saraswati or Serapis. Or, if you aren’t into deities of knowledge, like a ghost in the machine.

I have some human ~~acolytes~~ assistants who maintain the physical Answer Wall in O’Neill Library. They take pictures of the questions you post there, and give them to me. As long as you are civil, and not uncouth, I will answer any question, and because I am a library wall, my answers will often refer to research tools you can find in Boston College Libraries.

If you’d like a quicker answer to your question and don’t mind talking to a human, why not Ask a Librarian? Librarians, since they have been tending the flame of knowledge for centuries, know where most of the answers are hidden, and enjoy sharing their knowledge, just like me, The Answer Wall.