Adapting to the pandemic: longitudinal effects of social restrictions on time perception and boredom during the Covid-19 pandemic in Germany

Abstract

With the Covid-19 pandemic, many governments introduced nationwide lockdowns that disrupted people's daily routines and promoted social isolation. We applied a longitudinal online survey to investigate the mid-term effects of the mandated restrictions on the perceived passage of time (PPT) and boredom during and after a strict lockdown in Germany. One week after the beginning of the lockdown in March 2020, respondents reported a slower PPT and increased boredom compared to the pre-pandemic level. However, in the course of the lockdown, PPT accelerated and boredom decreased again until August 2020. Then, in October 2020, when incidence rates sharply rose and new restrictions were introduced, we again observed a slight trend toward a slowing of PPT and an increase of boredom. Our data also show that as the pandemic progressed, respondents adjusted their predictions about the pandemic's duration substantially upward. In sum, our findings suggest that respondents adapted to the pandemic situation and anticipated it as the new "normal". Furthermore, we determined perceived boredom and the general emotional state to be predictive of PPT, while depressive symptoms played a minor role.

Figure 1

Mean ratings for the perceived passage of time (PPT) and boredom, both before (pre-pandemic) and during the pandemic as a function of measurement points. The main study included measurement points 1–10 (gray background). The follow-up study included measurement points 11 and 12 (white background). Error bars show 95% confidence intervals.

Figure 2

(a) Mean differences between the pandemic and pre-pandemic ratings are depicted for the perceived passage of time (PPT) (blue triangle) and boredom (green square), as a function of measurement point. The dotted horizontal line marks the level of no difference between pandemic and pre-pandemic ratings. Positive values indicate faster pandemic PPT/higher pandemic boredom compared to the pre-pandemic ratings. (b) Mean valence ratings (left y-axis) and mean PHQ scores (right y-axis) during the pandemic are displayed as a function of measurement point. Note that higher PHQ scores (purple diamond) indicate more depressive symptoms. Higher valence ratings (orange circles) indicate a positive emotional state, while lower values represent a negative emotional state. A value of 3 indicates a “neutral” state. The main study included measurement points 1–10 (gray background). The follow-up study included the measurement points 11 and 12 (white background). Error bars show 95% confidence intervals of the mean.

Figure 3

Mean estimated durations of how long respondents expected the pandemic to last as a function of measurement point. The main study included measurement points 1–10 (gray background). The follow-up study included measurement points 11 and 12 (white background). Error bars show 95% confidence intervals.