When you stretch a rubber band beyond its “elastic limit”, it does not return to its original shape. It gets deformed permanently because the stress applied to the rubber band causes it to yield. The COVID-19 pandemic has placed sudden and massive stress on the world. People worldwide have been forced to change how they work, shop, learn, eat and socialize. Our lives have been stressed in unimaginable ways with the global lockdown. When the pandemic eventually recedes and the stress is removed, many of our behaviors will return to normal. We will resume eating out, flying, staying at hotels, attending sporting events and going back to work or school. We will stop stockpiling toilet paper, hand sanitizer and frozen food. But some behavioral shifts will survive the pandemic. Once the dust has settled, our lives will have changed in subtle but important ways. What will the New Normal look like? What opportunities will the post-Coronavirus world present?
