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The passage of time during the UK Covid-19 lockdown

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  • Ruth S Ogden

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Ruth S Ogden, 2020. "The passage of time during the UK Covid-19 lockdown," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(7), pages 1-16, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0235871
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0235871
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Lixia Ge & Chun Wei Yap & Reuben Ong & Bee Hoon Heng, 2017. "Social isolation, loneliness and their relationships with depressive symptoms: A population-based study," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(8), pages 1-13, August.
    2. Sylvie Droit-Volet & Sophie Monceau & Mickaël Berthon & Panos Trahanias & Michail Maniadakis, 2018. "The explicit judgment of long durations of several minutes in everyday life: Conscious retrospective memory judgment and the role of affects?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(4), pages 1-17, April.
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    Cited by:

    1. Natalia Martinelli & Sandrine Gil & Johann Chevalère & Clément Belletier & Guillaume Dezecache & Pascal Huguet & Sylvie Droit-Volet, 2021. "The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Vulnerable People Suffering from Depression: Two Studies on Adults in France," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-12, March.
    2. Ruth Ogden, 2021. "Distortions to the passage of time during England’s second national lockdown: A role for depression," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(4), pages 1-15, April.
    3. Liela A. Jamjoom, 2022. "Tread lightly: Liminality and Covid‐19 reflections," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 29(4), pages 1314-1330, July.
    4. Maximilien Chaumon & Pier-Alexandre Rioux & Sophie K. Herbst & Ignacio Spiousas & Sebastian L. Kübel & Elisa M. Gallego Hiroyasu & Şerife Leman Runyun & Luigi Micillo & Vassilis Thanopoulos & Esteban , 2022. "The Blursday database as a resource to study subjective temporalities during COVID-19," Nature Human Behaviour, Nature, vol. 6(11), pages 1587-1599, November.
    5. Christina Brogårdh & Catharina Sjödahl Hammarlund & Frida Eek & Kjerstin Stigmar & Ingrid Lindgren & Anna Trulsson Schouenborg & Eva Ekvall Hansson, 2021. "Self-Perceived Life Satisfaction during the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Sweden: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-14, June.
    6. Saad S J Alatrany & Ruth Ogden & Ashraf Muwafa Falaiyah & ‏Hasan Ali Sayyid ALdrraji & Abbas S S Alatrany, 2022. "The passage of time in Iraq during the covid-19 pandemic," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 17(4), pages 1-15, April.

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