@article{Westgate_E-2023_133547,
title = {Pandemic Boredom: Little Evidence That Lockdown-Related Boredom Affects Risky Public Health Behaviors Across 116 Countries},
author = {Westgate, E. and Buttrick, N. and Lin, Y. and El Helou, G. and Agostini, M. and Bélanger, J. and Gützkow, B. and Kreienkamp, J. and Abakoumkin, G. and Khaiyom, J. and Ahmedi, V. and Akkas, H. and Almenara, C. and Atta, M. and Bagci, S. and Basel, S. and Kida, E. and Bernardo, A. and Chobthamkit, P. and Choi, H. and Cristea, M. and Csaba, S. and Damnjanović, K. and Danyliuk, I. and Dash, A. and Di Santo, D. and Douglas, K. and Enea, V. and Faller, D. and Fitzsimons, G. and Gheorghi, A. and Gómez, Á. and Hamaidia, A. and Han, Q. and Helmy, M. and Hudiyana, J. and Jeronimus, B. and Jiang, D. and Jovanović, V. and Kamenov, Ž. and Kende, A. and Keng, S. and Kieu, T. and Koc, Y. and Kovyazina, K. and Kozytska, I. and Krause, J. and Kruglanski, A. and Kurapov, A. and Kutlaca, M. and Lantos, N. and Lemay, E. and Lesmana, C. and Louis, W. and Lueders, A. and Maj, M. and Malik, N. and Martinez, A. and McCabe, K. and Mehulić, J. and Milla, M. and Mohammed, I. and Molinario, E. and Moyano, M. and Muhammad, H. and Mula, S. and Muluk, H. and Myroniuk, S. and Najafi, R. and Nisa, C. and Nyúl, B. and O'Keefe, P. and Osuna, J. and Osin, E. and Park, J. and Pica, G. and Pierro, A. and Rees, J. and Reitsema, A. and Resta, E. and Rullo, M. and Ryan, M. and Samekin, A. and Santtila, P. and Sasin, E. and Schumpe, B. and Selim, H. and Stanton, M. and Stroebe, W. and Sutton, R. and Tseliou, E. and Utsugi, A. and van Breen, J. and van Lissa, C. and van Veen, K. and vanDellen, M. and Vázquez, A. and Wollast, R. and Yeung, V. and Zand, S. and Žeželj, I. and Zheng, B. and Zick, A. and Zúñiga, C. and Leander, N.},
month = {mar},
year = {2023},
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.},
journal = {Emotion},
publisher = {American Psychological Association},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1037/emo0001118},
}
