The passage of time during the UK Covid-19 lockdown

Abstract

In March 2020, in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the UK Government imposed social and physical distancing measures on the population. These lockdown measures caused significant changes to all aspects of daily life. The current study examined how the passage of time was distorted during the lockdown period. Using an online questionnaire, day and week passage of time judgments were collected. In addition, measures of affect, task load and satisfaction with current levels of social interaction were taken. The results show that over 80% of participants experienced distortion to the passage of time during lockdown in comparison with normal. The passage of time during the day was predicted by age, stress, task load and satisfaction with current levels of social interaction. A slowing of the passage of time was associated with increasing age, increasing stress, reduced task load and reduced satisfaction with current levels of social interaction. Only age and satisfaction with current levels of social interaction predicted passage of time across a week. Again, increasing age and reduced satisfaction with levels of social interaction were associated with a slowing of the passage of time. These findings demonstrate that significant changes to daily life have a significant impact on our experience of time, with younger, more socially satisfied people more likely to experience time as passing more quickly during the lockdown.

Time and Emotion During Lockdown and the Covid-19 Epidemic: Determinants of Our Experience of Time?

“…The main consequence of these changes was that the participants' relationship to time was altered: Time seemed to pass far more slowly compared to before the lockdown. This feeling of a slowing down of time with the lockdown is a robust psychological phenomenon reported in all the international studies on the time judgment conducted during the lockdown (Cellini et al, 2020;Droit-Volet et al, 2020;Ogden, 2020;Torboli et al, 2020). However, the present studies investigating a large series of factors allowed us to identify the main causes of these changes in the subjective experience of time with the lockdown.…”

“…One initial consequence is a profound upheaval in our relationship with time. Recent international surveys on the judgment of the passage of time (PoT) during the lockdown suggested that people have experienced a slowing down of time (Cellini et al, 2020;Droit-Volet et al, 2020;Ogden, 2020;Torboli et al, 2020). However, the different factors explaining this change in the experience of time during lockdown were not further analyzed in these initial surveys, which focused on a limited number of factors (e.g., stress, anxiety, social satisfaction, sleep disturbance).…”

COVID-19 Lockdown and Lifestyles – A Narrative Review

“…Studies have found that the lack of social interaction has a more profound effect on people with higher income and education 62 . Lack of social interaction also has a negative impact as more time passes for older people, as evidenced by a large cross-sectional study in the UK 64 . Children have reported being more restless, irritable, and inattentive during the lockdown with increased screen time being the likely contributor 65 .…”

Effectiveness of the non-pharmaceutical public health interventions against COVID-19; a protocol of a systematic review and realist review

“…In the absence of vaccination and effective drugs, non-pharmaceutical PHIs are being considered as the only way to control COVID-19. Although many countries like the UK and the US have implemented multiple interventions to control the new epidemic [ 36 , 37 ], there is no doubt that the political, social, and geographical context has affected the success of any [ 38 , 39 ]. Nevertheless, it is not completely known which intervention(s), why, where, for whom, and how has been effective in slowing down the spread of COVID-19.…”