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

Westgate, Eric C and Buttrick, Nicholas R and Lin, Yijun and Helou, Gaelle El and Agostini, Maximilian and Belanger, Jocelyn J and Gutzkow, Ben and Kreienkamp, Jannis and Abakoumkin, Georgios and Abdul Khaiyom, Jamilah Hanum and Ahmedi, Vjollca and Akkas, Handan and Almenara, Carlos A and Atta, Mohsin and Bagci, Sabahat Cigdem and Basel, Sima and Kida, Edona Berisha and Bernardo, Allan B. I. and Chobthamkit, Phatthanakit and Choi, Hoon-Seok and Cristea, Mioara and Csaba, Sara and Damnjanović, Kaja and Danyliuk, Ivan and Dash, Arobindu and Di Santo, Daniela and Douglas, Karen M and Enea, Violeta and Faller, Daiane and Fitzsimons, Gavan J and Gheorghiu, Alexandra and Gómez, Ángel and Hamaidia, Ali and Han, Qing and Helmy, Mai and Hudiyana, Joevarian and Jeronimus, Bertus F and Jiang, Ding-Yu and Jovanović, Veljko and Kamenov, Zeljka and Kende, Anna and Keng, Shian-Ling and Tra, Thi Thanh Kieu and Koc, Yasin and Kovyazina, Kamila and Kozytska, Inna and Krause, Joshua and Kruglanski, Arie W and Kurapov, Anton and Kutlaca, Maja and Lantos, Nóra Anna and Lemay Jr., Edward P and Lesmana, Cokorda Bagus J and Louis, Winnifred R and Lueders, Adrian and Maj, Marta and Malik, Najma Iqbal and Martinez, Anton P and McCabe, Kira O and Mehulić, Jasmina and Milla, Mirra Noor and Mohammed, Idris and Molinario, Erica and Moyano, Manuel and Muhammad, Hayat and Mula, Silvana and Muluk, Hamdi and Myroniuk, Solomiia and Najafi, Reza and Nisa, Claudia F and Nyúl, Boglárka and O'Keefe, Paul A and Osuna, Jose Javier Olivas and Osin, Evgeny N and Park, Joonha and Pica, Gennaro and Pierro, Antonio and Rees, Jonas H and Reitsema, Anne Margit and Resta, Elena and Rullo, Marika and Ryan, Michelle K and Samekin, Adil and Santilla, Pekka and Sasin, Edyta and Schumpe, Birga M and Selim, Heyla A and Stanton, Michael Vicente and Stroebe, Wolfgang and Sutton, Robbie M and Tseliou, Eleftheria and Utsugi, Akira and van Breen, Jolien A and Van Lissa, Caspar J and Van Veen, Kees and vanDellen, Michelle R and Vázquez, Alexandra and Wollast, Robin and Yeung, Victoria Wai-lan and Zand, Somayeh and Žeželj, Iris Lav and Zheng, Bang and Zick, Andreas and Zúñiga, Claudia and Leander, N Pontus (2023) Pandemic boredom: little evidence that lockdown-related boredom affects risky public health behaviors across 116 countries. Emotion, 23 (8). pp. 2370-2384. ISSN 1528-3542 E-ISSN 1931-1516

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Abstract

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.

Item Type:	Article (Journal)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	emotion, self-regulation, public health, Simpson’s paradox, COVID-19
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology > BF511 Affection. Feeling. Emotion B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology > BF608 Will. Volition. Choice. Control R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA644.C67 Coronavirus infections. COVID-19 (Disease). COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020
Kulliyyahs/Centres/Divisions/Institutes (Can select more than one option. Press CONTROL button):	Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences > Department of Psychology
Depositing User:	Dr Jamilah Hanum Abdul Khaiyom
Date Deposited:	20 Jan 2024 16:14
Last Modified:	20 Jan 2024 16:14
URI:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/id/eprint/110327

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