Life hacks from astronauts: how Gagarin and Leonov coped with self-isolation

The fact that something happens to a person and his psyche in extreme conditions, in conditions of isolation, was noticed even in the pre-cosmic era – from the experience of submariners and polar explorers.

The topic was replicated when they started talking about the Mars-500 experiment, which lasted 520 days at the last, third stage for six participants (from June 3, 2010 to November 4, 2011). This is the most famous and famous project to simulate flight in a confined space.

We never dreamed

But few people know that the first experiment to study the state of people in extremely cramped conditions was carried out in the USSR back in 1967. Then, at the Institute of Biomedical Problems, three testers were launched into “space” under the heading “secret”.

And I must say, the test for them was serious. This was not even a dream for us, who got into home quarantine. Three participants spent a whole year in a hermetic chamber with an area of ​​​​only 12 meters. For everyone.

Virtually waste-free production in austerity mode (water was produced from urine), food – 1000 kcal per day, shower – once every 10 days. Emergency situations with high temperature and humidity were periodically simulated.

Studied not only the physiological reactions of the body, but also psychological. The psychologist Vladimir Lebedev led the study of the dynamics of small groups, he also wrote the books “Psychology and Space” (co-authored with Yu.A. Gagarin) and “Psychological Problems of Interplanetary Flight” (co-authored with A.A. Leonov), where he described what what the first astronauts experienced, how the lack of contact with the world affected their behavior and condition.

Then, during the training of the first cosmonauts, they began to use a sound chamber – a sealed room with soundproof walls and weak artificial lighting, where physiological and psychological studies of a person’s resistance to isolation were carried out.

“The experience of isolation was studied on the basis of a common practice in religious teachings – hermitage in sketes and retreats in the mountains, long-term expeditions, martial law,” says psychologist Denis Makarhin. – Doctor, psychologist Lebedev worked directly with Leonov, Gagarin, he was one of the first who met the astronauts after landing. I became interested in this topic, read special literature and I can say that much of their experience can be useful to us now.”

Why were these experiments carried out?

Then they never spoke

There is a very big risk for interplanetary flight and its mission if there is no coordination in the crew. Even when studying polar explorers, it was found that in a confined space, while maintaining a constant number of people, conflicts occur, apathy, and a decrease in productivity are observed.

“People in general can hardly endure isolation, because we are social beings, and it’s not easier if it’s isolation with the same people,” continues Denis Makarhin. – After one of the experiments involving two subjects, they never spoke again.

Crews now consist of at least three members. On a spacecraft in any situation, including emergency situations, there must be a very clear crew bond. If one of the troika falls ill before the start, then the whole troika is replaced, not just one member of the crew. Psychological compatibility is important, a kind of team “puzzle”, because people can be together and work 24/7 for many months.”

So that people do not go crazy and kill each other, but continue to work effectively, experiments were just carried out. Conditions and factors have been deduced under which isolation is more easily tolerated. For example, a clear schedule was drawn up for their work and rest, they made a lot of reports, worked out emergency situations. All this helped to stay focused and smooth out conflicts.

Own space and other conditions

Here are the recommendations for us, who found ourselves in remote work and quarantine, which were formulated by Denis Makarhin based on the study of research into the isolation of astronauts.

1. Make a daily schedule for living in a new environment. Charging, self-service, cooking and eating, cleaning, work, creativity, reading. In connection with the change in the external environment, our brain forms new useful habits.

2. Do something productive. Don’t mess around. If there is work, we continue it remotely. If not, then study – find courses, listen to free webinars, if finances do not allow studying on paid ones. Take creative online seminars, which are now offered on the Internet a lot. You create your own space in work, study, creativity. Idleness is a direct path to depression.

3. Regularly clean and ventilate the premises. We have little opportunity to go outside, and someone who has been in contact with carriers of the coronavirus does not have it at all. Therefore, we put things in order (which the astronauts did) and breathe fresh air at home. By the way, cleaning the room is a great idea to relieve stress.

4. Exercise. Yoga, Chinese wushu gymnastics, simple strength exercises with your own body, dumbbells, expander are quite suitable. But you can also do what you just like: for example, dancing, jumping rope, a treadmill or even a hoop. By doing so, you recycle stress hormones and maintain a good physical and psychological state.

5. News diary. In many science fiction films, especially when the hero is left completely alone, he slanders a video where he shares his state, what he feels. This helps relieve tension: maybe that’s why there are so many now who post live broadcasts on social networks or write posts – not in order to convey some deep thought, but simply to speak out.

6. Read classical literature and watch classic films. It is the time-tested classics that help develop brains and give the family the opportunity to discuss what they have read and seen, what comes to mind.

For long-term isolation, like-minded people are especially valuable – with the help of the classics, they are the easiest to detect in each other. People quickly get tired of communication, and the classics give food for thought. The psychologist himself prefers and recommends science fiction classics: Stanislav Lem, Strugatsky Brothers, Peter Watts, Neil Stevenson and others.

7. Communicate with relatives and like-minded people. This can be done in social networks, on digital channels, via Skype and other instant messengers. In isolation, you need a support group. Or even several – in different areas, as points of support and switching.

8. Improve your skills. According to the psychologist, some of the best online learning platforms for acquiring digital professions are GeekBrains from Mail.Ru Group, Netology, Yandex.Practicum.

There are long-term retraining courses that can be expensive, often provide a lot of material to get you started in a new field, and often offer job placement assistance upon graduation.

But even if there is no money for short-term and inexpensive courses, the psychologist recommends starting with a free “tasting” – watching trial lessons. And if the topic and profession are suitable, then you can get a loan on favorable terms (the organizers also help with this), and then, knowing your goal – to get a new specialty, take on any job, even as a courier, even as a taxi driver, in order to have funds for courses.

By the way, many digital professions allow you to earn extra money remotely after completing half of the year-long course and mastering the skills.

9. Play useful computer games. From board games for the formation of useful skills, the expert recommends chess and the game of Go for both adults and children.

10. Set aside personal space. Especially true when a large family is locked together. This is a very important point: it turns out that it is extremely important that a person has his own corner. Even if you have a small apartment.

This problem was faced by polar explorers who stopped talking to each other. They were together all the time, and the bunk beds where they sat and slept began to close with a curtain so that there was at least some kind of isolation.

Similar difficulties are experienced by employees of modern open office spaces. Even in them, a person should have his own nook, where he can be left alone with his thoughts, unload. And this place is inviolable.