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

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.

A little help from my friends: Lack of social interaction predicts greater boredom during the COVID‐19 pandemic

“…One reason may be that the pandemic limited people's abilities to respond to boredom safely by socializing, leaving only virtual outlets available. Such an explanation would be consistent with data suggesting that changes in state boredom did not lead to people breaking social distancing guidelines (Westgate et al, 2023). That is, although in-person social interaction may be a better alleviator of state boredom, the significant risks it entailed during the pandemic may have been sufficient to limit people's tendency to seek it out.…”

“…During the pandemic, people felt bored (e.g., Boateng et al, 2021;Lin & Westgate, 2021;Martarelli et al, 2021;Westgate et al, 2023). Why?…”

“…While some people may experience boredom more often or more intensely than others (trait boredom), it is also important to understand why all of us may experience boredom at times (state boredom), especially in the context of a global pandemic. People reported feeling more bored in countries with stricter lockdowns, or who self-quarantined (Westgate et al, 2023), and these effects grew stronger as the pandemic went on. One reason is that socialization is an important source of meaning.…”

“…For instance, people experienced decreases in happiness and meaning in life during the pandemic in weeks after they felt bored (Westgate et al, 2023).…”

“…Increasing concern has been voiced that pandemic boredom might lead people to give into the temptation of breaking social distancing rules. However, longitudinal data from over 60 countries suggests that people did not engage in riskier social behaviors, such as leaving the house or failing to quarantine, after experiencing elevated boredom during the pandemic (Westgate et al, 2023). It is unclear, however, whether pandemic boredom influenced other more routine socialization.…”