Cover Image

Pandemic boredom: little evidence that lockdown-related boredom affects risky public health behaviors across 116 countries

Some public officials have expressed concern that policies mandating collective public health behaviors (e.g., national/regional “lockdown”) may result in behavioral fatigue that ultimately renders such policies ineffective. Boredom, specifically, has been singled out as one potential risk factor...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Westgate, Eric C, Buttrick, Nicholas R, Lin, Yijun, Helou, Gaelle El, Agostini, Maximilian, Belanger, Jocelyn J, Gutzkow, Ben, Kreienkamp, Jannis, Abakoumkin, Georgios, Abdul Khaiyom, Jamilah Hanum, Ahmedi, Vjollca, Akkas, Handan, Almenara, Carlos A, Atta, Mohsin, Bagci, Sabahat Cigdem, Basel, Sima, Kida, Edona Berisha, Bernardo, Allan B. I., Chobthamkit, Phatthanakit, Choi, Hoon-Seok, Cristea, Mioara, Csaba, Sara, Damnjanović, Kaja, Danyliuk, Ivan, Dash, Arobindu, Di Santo, Daniela, Douglas, Karen M, Enea, Violeta, Faller, Daiane, Fitzsimons, Gavan J, Gheorghiu, Alexandra, Gómez, Ángel, Hamaidia, Ali, Han, Qing, Helmy, Mai, Hudiyana, Joevarian, Jeronimus, Bertus F, Jiang, Ding-Yu, Jovanović, Veljko, Kamenov, Zeljka, Kende, Anna, Keng, Shian-Ling, Tra, Thi Thanh Kieu, Koc, Yasin, Kovyazina, Kamila, Kozytska, Inna, Krause, Joshua, Kruglanski, Arie W, Kurapov, Anton, Kutlaca, Maja, Lantos, Nóra Anna, Lemay Jr., Edward P, Lesmana, Cokorda Bagus J, Louis, Winnifred R, Lueders, Adrian, Maj, Marta, Malik, Najma Iqbal, Martinez, Anton P, McCabe, Kira O, Mehulić, Jasmina, Milla, Mirra Noor, Mohammed, Idris, Molinario, Erica, Moyano, Manuel, Muhammad, Hayat, Mula, Silvana, Muluk, Hamdi, Myroniuk, Solomiia, Najafi, Reza, Nisa, Claudia F, Nyúl, Boglárka, O'Keefe, Paul A, Osuna, Jose Javier Olivas, Osin, Evgeny N, Park, Joonha, Pica, Gennaro, Pierro, Antonio, Rees, Jonas H, Reitsema, Anne Margit, Resta, Elena, Rullo, Marika, Ryan, Michelle K, Samekin, Adil, Santilla, Pekka, Sasin, Edyta, Schumpe, Birga M, Selim, Heyla A, Stanton, Michael Vicente, Stroebe, Wolfgang, Sutton, Robbie M, Tseliou, Eleftheria, Utsugi, Akira, van Breen, Jolien A, Van Lissa, Caspar J, Van Veen, Kees, vanDellen, Michelle R, Vázquez, Alexandra, Wollast, Robin, Yeung, Victoria Wai-lan, Zand, Somayeh, Žeželj, Iris Lav, Zheng, Bang, Zick, Andreas, Zúñiga, Claudia, Leander, N Pontus
Format: Article
Language:English
English
Published: American Psychological Association 2023
Subjects:
BF Psychology
BF511 Affection. Feeling. Emotion
BF608 Will. Volition. Choice. Control
RA Public aspects of medicine
RA644.C67 Coronavirus infections. COVID-19 (Disease). COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020
Online Access:http://irep.iium.edu.my/110327/1/110327_Pandemic%20boredom.pdf
http://irep.iium.edu.my/110327/2/110327_Pandemic%20boredom_SCOPUS.pdf
http://irep.iium.edu.my/110327/
https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Femo0001118
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Some public officials have expressed concern that policies mandating collective public health behaviors (e.g., national/regional “lockdown”) may result in behavioral fatigue that ultimately renders such policies ineffective. Boredom, specifically, has been singled out as one potential risk factor for noncompliance. We examined whether there was empirical evidence to support this concern during the COVID-19 pandemic in a large cross-national sample of 63,336 community respondents from 116 countries. Although boredom was higher in countries with more COVID-19 cases and in countries that instituted more stringent lockdowns, such boredom did not predict longitudinal within-person decreases in social distancing behavior (or vice versa; n = 8,031) in early spring and summer of 2020. Overall, we found little evidence that changes in boredom predict individual public health behaviors (handwashing, staying home, self-quarantining, and avoiding crowds) over time, or that such behaviors had any reliable longitudinal effects on boredom itself. In summary, contrary to concerns, we found little evidence that boredom posed a public health risk during lockdown and quarantine.

Similar Items