Loneliness and Well-Being During the Covid-19 Pandemic: Associations with Personality and Emotion Regulation

Abstract

The present study examined how neuroticism, extraversion, and emotion regulation were related to loneliness and well-being during 6 weeks of major public life restrictions in the Covid-19 pandemic in Switzerland. Cross-sectional results from 466 participants showed that neuroticism and emotion regulation strategies were associated with higher loneliness and lower well-being. However, in contrast to prior research, associations of extraversion with loneliness and well-being were weak and were qualified by interactions with emotion regulation. For introverts, maladaptive cognitive strategies such as rumination or catastrophizing were related to higher levels of loneliness. For extraverts, emotion suppression was related to lower levels of affective well-being. Individuals with low maladaptive regulation reported higher well-being the longer the public life restrictions were in place at the time of study participation. These findings suggest that first, extraversion may lose some of its protective value for loneliness and well-being when opportunities to engage in social activities are limited; second, that loneliness and well-being do not decrease over 6 weeks of public life restrictions; and third, that future studies should further investigate the moderating role of emotion regulation on the link between personality, loneliness, and well-being.

Individual Differences Facing the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of Age, Gender, Personality, and Positive Psychology

“…In relation to personality traits, the results are in line with other COVID-19 studies that show how emotional stability was inversely related to COVID-19 affectation (Aschwanden et al, 2020;Gubler et al, 2020) and with negative affect. Emotionally unstable individuals (i.e., individuals with high levels of neuroticism) have more dysfunctional interpersonal relationships and are less satisfied with their relationships, experience fear, depression, and guilt more often than emotionally stable individuals, and are more sensitive to social rejection cues.…”

“…Previous research suggests that psychological consequences of the pandemic depend on personality, because this predicts behavioral responses and emotional regulation strategies to cope with the COVID-19 crisis, and these can influence physical and psychological health (Aschwanden et al, 2020 ; Gubler et al, 2020 ). In fact, a study on individual differences in the psychological consequences of COVID-19 found that facets of Extraversion, Neuroticism, and Openness were among the strongest and most important predictors of psychological outcomes, even after controlling for basic sociodemographic variables such as gender and age (Modersitzki et al, 2020 ).…”

“…In fact, a study on individual differences in the psychological consequences of COVID-19 found that facets of Extraversion, Neuroticism, and Openness were among the strongest and most important predictors of psychological outcomes, even after controlling for basic sociodemographic variables such as gender and age (Modersitzki et al, 2020 ). Similarly, a study carried out during the pandemic determined that neuroticism and emotion regulation strategies were associated with greater feelings of loneliness and lower well-being (Gubler et al, 2020 ). Moreover, it was found that higher levels of neuroticism were associated with a slower increase in physical activity, whereas higher conscientiousness and agreeableness were related to a steeper increase in physical activity over time.…”

Does personality predict responses to the COVID-19 crisis? Evidence from a prospective large-scale study

“…With regard to the impact of the different personality domains, these studies suggest that Extraversion, in particular, is related to the negative appraisal of the coronavirus crisis and the measures taken to address it (see Carvalho et al, 2020;Modersitzki et al, 2020). Moreover, Neuroticism has been found to be associated with negative affect, such as anxiety, insecurity, or lower wellbeing, during the COVID-19 crisis (Gubler et al, 2020;Kroencke et al, 2020;Lippold et al, 2020) and with concerns, e.g. of becoming infected by COVID-19 (Aschwanden et al, 2020).…”

Rise of ‘Lonely’ Consumers in the Post-COVID-19 Era: A Synthesised Review on Psychological, Commercial and Social Implications

“…Although these practices are temporary, prolonged social isolation may have long-lasting impacts on consumers. In particular, the overwhelming loneliness associated with in-home lifestyle is felt by millions of people [ 9 , 10 ]. Consumers who live alone, the elderly and those with pre-existing mental illness are particularly vulnerable [ 11 , 12 ].…”