Extraverts suffer from social distancing: A 30-day diary study*

Public health emergencies such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic force policymakers to implement appropriate measures including social distancing to curb the spread of the virus. Although most people assume that such measures impact mental health, the extent of the impact may vary considerably between individuals. Using data from a 30-day diary study that captured daily happiness ratings (N = 611; 15,607 observations) during the worst wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong, we used multi-level modeling to test whether the Big Five personality factors moderated the relationship between enforced social distancing and happiness. We observed that people's happiness was stable throughout the enforcement and easing of social distancing. During the study period, both extraversion and agreeableness were found to be positively associated with happiness. Those high in extraversion were less happy when the distancing measures were enforced than when they were lifted. Our findings point to extraversion as a risk factor in public health emergencies and the importance of identifying people at risk to ensure immediate intervention during a pandemic.

Automated summary

This study used diary data from Hong Kong during the COVID-19 pandemic to examine the relationship between enforced social distancing and happiness. The findings suggest that happiness remained stable throughout the enforcement and easing of social distancing measures. Extraversion and agreeableness were positively associated with happiness, and those high in extraversion were less happy during the enforcement of social distancing.