Journal article

Dynamics of Social Experiences in the Context of Extended Lockdown

A Tran, V Bianchi, EK Moeck, B Clarke, I Moore, SJH Burney, P Koval, EK Kalokerinos, KH Greenaway

Social Psychological and Personality Science | Published : 2024

Open access

Abstract

Social interaction and loneliness have received much research interest. However, the direction of their relationship is unclear—does social interaction shape loneliness, or does loneliness shape willingness to interact? We explored dynamics of these social experiences under exceptional circumstances: COVID-19 lockdowns, which were necessary for public health but impacted people’s social lives. We investigated the relationship between social interaction and loneliness in and out of lockdown in Australia. We used experience sampling methodology to follow 233 people across 1 week (Mage=30; 8,495 surveys) in a period that spanned one of the longest lockdowns in the world. Although loneliness did..

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