Merriam Webster Dictionary defines normal as conforming to a type, standard, or regular pattern. So, when something is usual, typical, or expected.
It’s not just how we define normal though is it, but how it’s formed?
Conventions are integral in the discussion about behavior in uncertainty, but not only that, they are the foundation of expectation formation. For instance; if you were to live in the Midwest, USA, and come across a live giraffe at the major intersection in the center of your town, you’d be surprised, bewildered even. The next day you arrive at that same intersection and are surprised to see, yet again, a large yellow giraffe mucking about.
What about the third day? The second day you were surprised to find the giraffe again, but the third you may find that you had come to expect it. You may, in fact, be surprised that it isn’t there. It has arguably, already become probable that you would find a wild beast, native to the African savanna, at a central traffic intersection in your small town in Middle America.
The word probability has been used in a variety of ways since it was first applied to mathematical study. Does probability measure the real, physical tendency of something to occur or is it a measure of how strongly one believes it will occur, or does it draw on both these elements? It’s no mystery that the mind seeks to understand the world by correlating events to creating normalcy as a way of predicting the world so it makes sense.
But, how long does it take for something to become normal? One study suggests that on average, it takes more than 2 months or 66 days before a new behavior becomes automatic. As many of us are fast approaching or have passed a 2-month lockdown period what “new normals” might we may be looking at as we start to emerge into a petering out or post-pandemic crisis?
Whilst envisioning what a “normal” work and social environment might look like is extraordinarily difficult at this juncture, we can create a relatively accurate projection of just some of the changes predicted based on what we’ve seen so far: