"Stir Over 400 Times?" Dalgona Coffee and Psychological Tests... 'Home-Stay Games' Trend to Overcome COVID-19

COVID-19 Spread... Trends Like Dalgona Coffee and Psychological Tests
Experts Say "Desire to Find Activities Enjoyable at Home"

Dalgona Coffee / Photo by Joohee Kang, Intern Reporter kjh818@asiae.co.kr

[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon, Intern Reporter Kang Joo-hee] As social distancing is practiced due to the spread of the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19), various methods to overcome the frustrating indoor life are becoming a hot topic.

Recently, with the delay of school openings and the introduction of remote work due to the COVID-19 situation, more people are staying at home, and cooking activities that can be done indoors are gaining great popularity.

Among them, 'Dalgona Coffee,' which requires stirring more than 400 times to make, has become a huge sensation among netizens, with tens of thousands of related posts.

Dalgona Coffee is a drink made by mixing coffee powder, sugar, and hot water, then whisking hundreds of times until it foams like a froth, which is then added to milk. It is characterized by using easily accessible ingredients, having a high sweetness level, and relieving boredom through simple labor.

YouTubers making Dalgona coffee. Photo by YouTube capture

In addition, recipes that normally would not be made, such as souffle rolled omelets stirred over 1,000 times and ice cream kneaded more than 1,000 times, are gaining popularity as new 'killing time' activities for people who cannot go outside due to COVID-19.

Online psychological tests also attracted attention, appearing on real-time search rankings on portal sites at one point.

Lighthearted psychological tests that help find the right university and major, check one's concentration type through 'My Own Flower Planting' test, or identify ideal types through the 'Ponpon' test quickly spread among netizens and were rapidly shared on SNS.

Demand for online hobby classes has also increased. According to the online hobby class service 'Class 101,' the field with the largest growth is DIY product-making lectures where participants create miniatures or accessories themselves. These classes showed a sales increase rate of about 290% after the COVID-19 outbreak.

/Photo by Yonhap News

Moreover, as gyms and sports facilities have been closed one after another due to the impact of COVID-19, demand for non-face-to-face, contactless hobby classes such as 'home training' and 'learning K-pop dance' videos is rising.

Experts analyze that the recent trend in these hobby activities is influenced by anxiety and fatigue related to COVID-19.

Professor Kwak Geum-ju of the Department of Psychology at Seoul National University said, "Recently, there have been significant changes in our lives, such as the need for social distancing due to the spread of infectious diseases," adding, "Since going outside could harm many people, people have sought interesting things to enjoy during their time alone at home."

She continued, "Humans are social animals who always seek group life and relationships. However, recently, offline interactions between people have become impossible," and added, "It is natural and essential that active exchanges among people occur online."