Pandemic Boredom : Little Evidence That Lockdown-Related Boredom Affects Risky Public Health Behaviors Across 116 Countries

Erin C. WESTGATE; Nicholas R. BUTTRICK; Yijun LIN; Gaelle EL HELOU; Maximilian AGOSTINI; Jocelyn J. BÉLANGER; Ben GÜTZKOW; Jannis KREIENKAMP; Georgios ABAKOUMKIN; Jamilah Hanum ABDUL KHAIYOM; Vjollca AHMEDI; Handan AKKAS; Carlos A. ALMENARA; Mohsin ATTA; Sabahat Cigdem BAGCI; Sima BASEL; Edona Berisha KIDA; Allan B.I. BERNARDO; Phatthanakit CHOBTHAMKIT; Hoon Seok CHOI; Mioara CRISTEA; Sára CSABA; Kaja DAMNJANOVIĆ; Ivan DANYLIUK; Arobindu DASH; Daniela DI SANTO; Karen M. DOUGLAS; Violeta ENEA; Daiane Gracieli FALLER; Gavan FITZSIMONS; Alexandra GHEORGHIU; Ángel GÓMEZ; Ali HAMAIDIA; Qing HAN; Mai HELMY; Joevarian HUDIYANA; Bertus F. JERONIMUS; Ding Yu JIANG; Veljko JOVANOVIĆ; Željka KAMENOV; Anna KENDE; Shian Ling KENG; Tra Thi Thanh KIEU; Yasin KOC; Kamila KOVYAZINA; Inna KOZYTSKA; Joshua KRAUSE; Arie W. KRUGLANSKI; Anton KURAPOV); Maja KUTLACA; Nóra Anna LANTOS; Edward P. Jr LEMAY; Cokorda Bagus Java LESMANA; Winnifred R. LOUIS; Adrian LUEDERS; Marta MAJ; Najma Iqbal MALIK; Anton MARTINEZ; Kira O. McCABE; Jasmina MEHULIĆ; Mirra Noor MILLIA; Idris MOHAMMED; Erica MOLINARIO; Manuel MOYANO; Hayat MUHAMMAD; Silvana MULA; Hamdi MULUK; Solomiia MYRONIUK; Reza NAJAFI; Claudia F. NISA; Boglárka NYÚL; Paul Anna  O'KEEFE; Jose Javier Olivas OSUNA; Evgeny N. OSIN; Joonha PARK; Gennaro PICA; Antonio PIERRO; Jonas REES; Anne Margit REITSEMA; Elena RESTA; Marika RULLO; Michelle K. RYAN; Adil SAMEKIN; Pekka SANTTILA; Edyta M. SASIN; Michael Vicente STANTON; Wolfgang  STROEBE; Robbie M. SUTTON; Eleftheria TSELIOU; Akira UTSUGI; Jolien Anne VAN BREEN; Caspar J. VAN LISSA; Kees VAN VEEN; Michelle R. VANDELLEN; Alexandra VAZQUEZ; Robin WOLLAST; Victoria Wai Lan YEUNG; Somayeh ZAND; Iris Lav ŽEŽELJ; Bang ZHENG; Andreas ZICK; Claudia ZÚÑIGA; N. Pontus LEANDER

doi:10.1037/emo0001118

Pandemic Boredom : Little Evidence That Lockdown-Related Boredom Affects Risky Public Health Behaviors Across 116 Countries

Erin C. WESTGATE^*, Nicholas R. BUTTRICK, Yijun LIN, Gaelle EL HELOU, Maximilian AGOSTINI, Jocelyn J. BÉLANGER, Ben GÜTZKOW, Jannis KREIENKAMP, Georgios ABAKOUMKIN, Jamilah Hanum ABDUL KHAIYOM, Vjollca AHMEDI, Handan AKKAS, Carlos A. ALMENARA, Mohsin ATTA, Sabahat Cigdem BAGCI, Sima BASEL, Edona Berisha KIDA, Allan B.I. BERNARDO, Phatthanakit CHOBTHAMKIT, Hoon Seok CHOIMioara CRISTEA, Sára CSABA, Kaja DAMNJANOVIĆ, Ivan DANYLIUK, Arobindu DASH, Daniela DI SANTO, Karen M. DOUGLAS, Violeta ENEA, Daiane Gracieli FALLER, Gavan FITZSIMONS, Alexandra GHEORGHIU, Ángel GÓMEZ, Ali HAMAIDIA, Qing HAN, Mai HELMY, Joevarian HUDIYANA, Bertus F. JERONIMUS, Ding Yu JIANG, Veljko JOVANOVIĆ, Željka KAMENOV, Anna KENDE, Shian Ling KENG, Tra Thi Thanh KIEU, Yasin KOC, Kamila KOVYAZINA, Inna KOZYTSKA, Joshua KRAUSE, Arie W. KRUGLANSKI, Anton KURAPOV), Maja KUTLACA, Nóra Anna LANTOS, Edward P. Jr LEMAY, Cokorda Bagus Java LESMANA, Winnifred R. LOUIS, Adrian LUEDERS, Marta MAJ, Najma Iqbal MALIK, Anton MARTINEZ, Kira O. McCABE, Jasmina MEHULIĆ, Mirra Noor MILLIA, Idris MOHAMMED, Erica MOLINARIO, Manuel MOYANO, Hayat MUHAMMAD, Silvana MULA, Hamdi MULUK, Solomiia MYRONIUK, Reza NAJAFI, Claudia F. NISA, Boglárka NYÚL, Paul Anna O'KEEFE, Jose Javier Olivas OSUNA, Evgeny N. OSIN, Joonha PARK, Gennaro PICA, Antonio PIERRO, Jonas REES, Anne Margit REITSEMA, Elena RESTA, Marika RULLO, Michelle K. RYAN, Adil SAMEKIN, Pekka SANTTILA, Edyta M. SASIN, Michael Vicente STANTON, Wolfgang STROEBE, Robbie M. SUTTON, Eleftheria TSELIOU, Akira UTSUGI, Jolien Anne VAN BREEN, Caspar J. VAN LISSA, Kees VAN VEEN, Michelle R. VANDELLEN, Alexandra VAZQUEZ, Robin WOLLAST, Victoria Wai Lan YEUNG, Somayeh ZAND, Iris Lav ŽEŽELJ, Bang ZHENG, Andreas ZICK, Claudia ZÚÑIGA, N. Pontus LEANDER

^*Corresponding author for this work

Department of Psychology

Research output: Journal Publications › Journal Article (refereed) › peer-review

6 Citations (Scopus)

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.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	2370-2384
Number of pages	15
Journal	Emotion
Volume	23
Issue number	8
Early online date	13 Mar 2023
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0001118
Publication status	Published - Dec 2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 American Psychological Association

Funding

This research received support from the New York University Abu Dhabi (VCDSF/75-71015), the University of Groningen (Sustainable Society & Ubbo Emmius Fund), and the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (COV20/00086). The study was approved by the Ethics Committees of the University of Groningen (PSY-1920-S-0390) and New York University Abu Dhabi (HRPP-2020-42). Supplementary data and analyses can be found at: https://osf.io/h59dt/.

Keywords

COVID-19
Simpson’s paradox
emotion
public health
self-regulation

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1037/emo0001118

Cite this

WESTGATE, E. C., BUTTRICK, N. R., LIN, Y., EL HELOU, G., AGOSTINI, M., BÉLANGER, J. J., GÜTZKOW, B., KREIENKAMP, J., ABAKOUMKIN, G., ABDUL KHAIYOM, J. H., AHMEDI, V., AKKAS, H., ALMENARA, C. A., ATTA, M., BAGCI, S. C., BASEL, S., KIDA, E. B., BERNARDO, A. B. I., CHOBTHAMKIT, P., ... LEANDER, N. P. (2023). Pandemic Boredom : Little Evidence That Lockdown-Related Boredom Affects Risky Public Health Behaviors Across 116 Countries. Emotion, 23(8), 2370-2384. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0001118

@article{277a50e1191047cd9dc4828cb8a400fe,

title = "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.",

keywords = "COVID-19, Simpson{\textquoteright}s paradox, emotion, public health, self-regulation",

author = "WESTGATE, {Erin C.} and BUTTRICK, {Nicholas R.} and Yijun LIN and {EL HELOU}, Gaelle and Maximilian AGOSTINI and B{\'E}LANGER, {Jocelyn J.} and Ben G{\"U}TZKOW and Jannis KREIENKAMP and Georgios ABAKOUMKIN and {ABDUL KHAIYOM}, {Jamilah Hanum} and Vjollca AHMEDI and Handan AKKAS and ALMENARA, {Carlos A.} and Mohsin ATTA and BAGCI, {Sabahat Cigdem} and Sima BASEL and KIDA, {Edona Berisha} and BERNARDO, {Allan B.I.} and Phatthanakit CHOBTHAMKIT and CHOI, {Hoon Seok} and Mioara CRISTEA and S{\'a}ra CSABA and Kaja DAMNJANOVI{\'C} and Ivan DANYLIUK and Arobindu DASH and {DI SANTO}, Daniela and DOUGLAS, {Karen M.} and Violeta ENEA and FALLER, {Daiane Gracieli} and Gavan FITZSIMONS and Alexandra GHEORGHIU and {\'A}ngel G{\'O}MEZ and Ali HAMAIDIA and Qing HAN and Mai HELMY and Joevarian HUDIYANA and JERONIMUS, {Bertus F.} and JIANG, {Ding Yu} and Veljko JOVANOVI{\'C} and {\v Z}eljka KAMENOV and Anna KENDE and KENG, {Shian Ling} and KIEU, {Tra Thi Thanh} and Yasin KOC and Kamila KOVYAZINA and Inna KOZYTSKA and Joshua KRAUSE and KRUGLANSKI, {Arie W.} and Anton KURAPOV) and Maja KUTLACA and LANTOS, {N{\'o}ra Anna} and LEMAY, {Edward P. Jr} and LESMANA, {Cokorda Bagus Java} and LOUIS, {Winnifred R.} and Adrian LUEDERS and Marta MAJ and MALIK, {Najma Iqbal} and Anton MARTINEZ and McCABE, {Kira O.} and Jasmina MEHULI{\'C} and MILLIA, {Mirra Noor} and Idris MOHAMMED and Erica MOLINARIO and Manuel MOYANO and Hayat MUHAMMAD and Silvana MULA and Hamdi MULUK and Solomiia MYRONIUK and Reza NAJAFI and NISA, {Claudia F.} and Bogl{\'a}rka NY{\'U}L and O'KEEFE, {Paul Anna} and OSUNA, {Jose Javier Olivas} and OSIN, {Evgeny N.} and Joonha PARK and Gennaro PICA and Antonio PIERRO and Jonas REES and REITSEMA, {Anne Margit} and Elena RESTA and Marika RULLO and RYAN, {Michelle K.} and Adil SAMEKIN and Pekka SANTTILA and SASIN, {Edyta M.} and STANTON, {Michael Vicente} and Wolfgang STROEBE and SUTTON, {Robbie M.} and Eleftheria TSELIOU and Akira UTSUGI and {VAN BREEN}, {Jolien Anne} and {VAN LISSA}, {Caspar J.} and {VAN VEEN}, Kees and VANDELLEN, {Michelle R.} and Alexandra VAZQUEZ and Robin WOLLAST and YEUNG, {Victoria Wai Lan} and Somayeh ZAND and {\v Z}E{\v Z}ELJ, {Iris Lav} and Bang ZHENG and Andreas ZICK and Claudia Z{\'U}{\~N}IGA and LEANDER, {N. Pontus}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023 American Psychological Association",

year = "2023",

month = dec,

doi = "10.1037/emo0001118",

language = "English",

volume = "23",

pages = "2370--2384",

journal = "Emotion",

issn = "1528-3542",

publisher = "American Psychological Association",

number = "8",

}

WESTGATE, EC, BUTTRICK, NR, LIN, Y, EL HELOU, G, AGOSTINI, M, BÉLANGER, JJ, GÜTZKOW, B, KREIENKAMP, J, ABAKOUMKIN, G, ABDUL KHAIYOM, JH, AHMEDI, V, AKKAS, H, ALMENARA, CA, ATTA, M, BAGCI, SC, BASEL, S, KIDA, EB, BERNARDO, ABI, CHOBTHAMKIT, P, CHOI, HS, CRISTEA, M, CSABA, S, DAMNJANOVIĆ, K, DANYLIUK, I, DASH, A, DI SANTO, D, DOUGLAS, KM, ENEA, V, FALLER, DG, FITZSIMONS, G, GHEORGHIU, A, GÓMEZ, Á, HAMAIDIA, A, HAN, Q, HELMY, M, HUDIYANA, J, JERONIMUS, BF, JIANG, DY, JOVANOVIĆ, V, KAMENOV, Ž, KENDE, A, KENG, SL, KIEU, TTT, KOC, Y, KOVYAZINA, K, KOZYTSKA, I, KRAUSE, J, KRUGLANSKI, AW, KURAPOV), A, KUTLACA, M, LANTOS, NA, LEMAY, EPJ, LESMANA, CBJ, LOUIS, WR, LUEDERS, A, MAJ, M, MALIK, NI, MARTINEZ, A, McCABE, KO, MEHULIĆ, J, MILLIA, MN, MOHAMMED, I, MOLINARIO, E, MOYANO, M, MUHAMMAD, H, MULA, S, MULUK, H, MYRONIUK, S, NAJAFI, R, NISA, CF, NYÚL, B, O'KEEFE, PA, OSUNA, JJO, OSIN, EN, PARK, J, PICA, G, PIERRO, A, REES, J, REITSEMA, AM, RESTA, E, RULLO, M, RYAN, MK, SAMEKIN, A, SANTTILA, P, SASIN, EM, STANTON, MV, STROEBE, W, SUTTON, RM, TSELIOU, E, UTSUGI, A, VAN BREEN, JA, VAN LISSA, CJ, VAN VEEN, K, VANDELLEN, MR, VAZQUEZ, A, WOLLAST, R, YEUNG, VWL, ZAND, S, ŽEŽELJ, IL, ZHENG, B, ZICK, A, ZÚÑIGA, C & LEANDER, NP 2023, 'Pandemic Boredom : Little Evidence That Lockdown-Related Boredom Affects Risky Public Health Behaviors Across 116 Countries', Emotion, vol. 23, no. 8, pp. 2370-2384. https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0001118

TY - JOUR

T1 - Pandemic Boredom : Little Evidence That Lockdown-Related Boredom Affects Risky Public Health Behaviors Across 116 Countries

AU - WESTGATE, Erin C.

AU - BUTTRICK, Nicholas R.

AU - LIN, Yijun

AU - EL HELOU, Gaelle

AU - AGOSTINI, Maximilian

AU - BÉLANGER, Jocelyn J.

AU - GÜTZKOW, Ben

AU - KREIENKAMP, Jannis

AU - ABAKOUMKIN, Georgios

AU - ABDUL KHAIYOM, Jamilah Hanum

AU - AHMEDI, Vjollca

AU - AKKAS, Handan

AU - ALMENARA, Carlos A.

AU - ATTA, Mohsin

AU - BAGCI, Sabahat Cigdem

AU - BASEL, Sima

AU - KIDA, Edona Berisha

AU - BERNARDO, Allan B.I.

AU - CHOBTHAMKIT, Phatthanakit

AU - CHOI, Hoon Seok

AU - CRISTEA, Mioara

AU - CSABA, Sára

AU - DAMNJANOVIĆ, Kaja

AU - DANYLIUK, Ivan

AU - DASH, Arobindu

AU - DI SANTO, Daniela

AU - DOUGLAS, Karen M.

AU - ENEA, Violeta

AU - FALLER, Daiane Gracieli

AU - FITZSIMONS, Gavan

AU - GHEORGHIU, Alexandra

AU - GÓMEZ, Ángel

AU - HAMAIDIA, Ali

AU - HAN, Qing

AU - HELMY, Mai

AU - HUDIYANA, Joevarian

AU - JERONIMUS, Bertus F.

AU - JIANG, Ding Yu

AU - JOVANOVIĆ, Veljko

AU - KAMENOV, Željka

AU - KENDE, Anna

AU - KENG, Shian Ling

AU - KIEU, Tra Thi Thanh

AU - KOC, Yasin

AU - KOVYAZINA, Kamila

AU - KOZYTSKA, Inna

AU - KRAUSE, Joshua

AU - KRUGLANSKI, Arie W.

AU - KURAPOV), Anton

AU - KUTLACA, Maja

AU - LANTOS, Nóra Anna

AU - LEMAY, Edward P. Jr

AU - LESMANA, Cokorda Bagus Java

AU - LOUIS, Winnifred R.

AU - LUEDERS, Adrian

AU - MAJ, Marta

AU - MALIK, Najma Iqbal

AU - MARTINEZ, Anton

AU - McCABE, Kira O.

AU - MEHULIĆ, Jasmina

AU - MILLIA, Mirra Noor

AU - MOHAMMED, Idris

AU - MOLINARIO, Erica

AU - MOYANO, Manuel

AU - MUHAMMAD, Hayat

AU - MULA, Silvana

AU - MULUK, Hamdi

AU - MYRONIUK, Solomiia

AU - NAJAFI, Reza

AU - NISA, Claudia F.

AU - NYÚL, Boglárka

AU - O'KEEFE, Paul Anna

AU - OSUNA, Jose Javier Olivas

AU - OSIN, Evgeny N.

AU - PARK, Joonha

AU - PICA, Gennaro

AU - PIERRO, Antonio

AU - REES, Jonas

AU - REITSEMA, Anne Margit

AU - RESTA, Elena

AU - RULLO, Marika

AU - RYAN, Michelle K.

AU - SAMEKIN, Adil

AU - SANTTILA, Pekka

AU - SASIN, Edyta M.

AU - STANTON, Michael Vicente

AU - STROEBE, Wolfgang

AU - SUTTON, Robbie M.

AU - TSELIOU, Eleftheria

AU - UTSUGI, Akira

AU - VAN BREEN, Jolien Anne

AU - VAN LISSA, Caspar J.

AU - VAN VEEN, Kees

AU - VANDELLEN, Michelle R.

AU - VAZQUEZ, Alexandra

AU - WOLLAST, Robin

AU - YEUNG, Victoria Wai Lan

AU - ZAND, Somayeh

AU - ŽEŽELJ, Iris Lav

AU - ZHENG, Bang

AU - ZICK, Andreas

AU - ZÚÑIGA, Claudia

AU - LEANDER, N. Pontus

PY - 2023/12

Y1 - 2023/12

N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

KW - COVID-19

KW - Simpson’s paradox

KW - emotion

KW - public health

KW - self-regulation

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85150803743&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1037/emo0001118

DO - 10.1037/emo0001118

M3 - Journal Article (refereed)

C2 - 36913277

AN - SCOPUS:85150803743

SN - 1528-3542

VL - 23

SP - 2370

EP - 2384

JO - Emotion

JF - Emotion

IS - 8

ER -

Pandemic Boredom : Little Evidence That Lockdown-Related Boredom Affects Risky Public Health Behaviors Across 116 Countries

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

Keywords

UN SDGs

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