Distorted passage of time during the COVID-19 lockdown
Survey results suggest people in United Kingdom perceived time passing differently compared to pre-lockdown

Date:
July 9, 2020
Source:
PLOS
Summary:
A survey conducted in the U.K. suggests that social and physical
distancing measures put in place during the Covid-19 pandemic
significantly impacted people's perception of how quickly time
passed compared to their pre-lockdown perceptions.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
A survey conducted in the U.K. suggests that social and physical
distancing measures put in place during the Covid-19 pandemic
significantly impacted people's perception of how quickly time passed
compared to their pre-lockdown perceptions. Ruth S. Ogden of Liverpool
John Moores University, U.K., presented these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on July 6, 2020.


========================================================================== Previous research suggests that one's perception of how quickly time
passes can vary according to one's emotions, the number of daily tasks
one must perform, and other factors. However, most of that research has
been limited to normal day-to-day life. Social and physical distancing
measures put in place during the Covid-19 pandemic provide a unique
opportunity to examine how significant changes to life's daily routine
impact time perception.

Ogden prepared an online questionnaire asking participants to rate
on a sliding scale how quickly they felt time was passing compared to
normal, both over the course of a single day and over a full week. The questionnaire also evaluated people's emotional state, task load,
and satisfaction with levels of social interaction. The final analysis
included 604 participants in the U.K. who answered the questionnaire
between April 7 and April 30, 2020.

Ogden found that more than 80 percent of participants experienced changes
to how quickly they perceived time passing during lockdown compared
to pre- lockdown. Those who were older or less satisfied with their
current levels of social interaction were more likely to experience
slower passage of time over the course of a day or week. Slower passage
of time over the course of a day was also associated with higher stress
and a lower task load.

These findings suggest that significant changes to life's daily routine
distort perception of time. Future research could look deeper into
the effects of specific factors, such as whether social satisfaction
influences perception of time during normal daily life, or if its
significance in this study is due to the unique social impacts of the
Covid-19 lockdown.

Author Ruth Ogden notes: "80% of people experienced distortion to the
passage of time during the lockdown. Lockdown passing more slowly than
normal was associated with older age and reduced satisfaction with
social interactions."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by PLOS. Note: Content may be edited
for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Ruth S. Ogden. The passage of time during the UK Covid-19
lockdown. PLOS
ONE, 2020; 15 (7): e0235871 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0235871 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200709105230.htm

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