As the pandemic continues, we seek ‘comfort’. But do we find comfort from the same thing in each culture? Perhaps not.

In the UK, people find comfort in entertainment and the arts. A lifestyle feature from The Guardian suggests “25 great comfort films to watch” if you want to be soothed or cheered up “like a blanket for the soul”.

Google Trends indicated that ‘loungewear’ had overtaken ‘smart casual’ throughout the pandemic so far, that that seems to be pretty universal. But demand shifts over time, the Germans for example, seek comfort in ‘kühlenden Kissen’ (cooling pillows) last summer.

In America, two in three are reverting to childhood food favourites and eating more comfort food during the pandemic. “The Future 100 Trends and change to watch in 2021” by Wunderman Thompson Intelligence predicts that people are turning to nature inspired design to create a sense of comfort and stability.

But ‘comfort’ does not have to be just warm and fuzzy.

In China, consumers take comfort by making up for lost time! When the pandemic hit hard, consumers were shopping-starved during their quarantine and were engaging in ‘revenge spending’ by splurging more than usual. By Golden Week in October, millions started travelling across the country in a bout of ‘revenge tourism’ after almost a year of restrictions on their movement.

One man’s blanket is another man’s punchbag.

‘Comfort’ may be universal, but how you get there could be very different.

#Culture #Comfortfilm #Comfortfood #ComfortColour #ComfortZone