It was observed that ‘being conscious around people’ and ‘interacting with others’ were mildly affected at baseline and significantly improved from day 1 and day 2, respectively. It may be expected that the fatigue or irritability experienced during a common cold episode drive social withdrawal. However, early intervention to relieve nasal congestion with xylometazoline hydrochloride 0.1% may help people to carry out daily activities requiring social exposure sooner.