Our investigation served three broad goals. Our study used experience sampling to measure patterns of ongoing thoughts before and during lockdown in the United Kingdom, with the aim of understanding how specific features of the stay-at-home order impacted people’s thinking in daily life, and to use this data to inform contemporary theoretical views on ongoing thought. Studies show the lockdown had widespread psychological and behavioral consequences including elevated anxiety and depression levels ( 4), overall deterioration of mental health ( 5), changes to diet and physical activity ( 6– 8), high levels of loneliness ( 9), and increasing suicidal ideation ( 10). There were also large economic changes ( 2), and death rates increased substantially ( 3). Social gatherings were banned, and “nonessential” industries were closed, reducing opportunities for work ( 1). This first national lockdown required people to stay at home and not meet with anyone outside their household. On March 23, 2020, the United Kingdom entered a nationwide lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19. ![]() ![]() Therefore, our study suggests that the lockdown led to significant changes in ongoing thought patterns in daily life and that these changes were associated with changes to our daily routine that occurred during lockdown. Furthermore, lockdown was associated with a reduction in future-directed problem solving, but this thought pattern was reinstated when individuals engaged in work. During lockdown, when people were alone, social thinking was reduced, but on the rare occasions when social interactions were possible, we observed a greater increase in social thinking than prelockdown. Dimension reduction was applied to these data to identify common “patterns of thought.” Linear mixed modeling compared the prevalence of each thought pattern 1) before and during lockdown, 2) in different age groups, and 3) across different social and activity contexts. In both samples, young (18 to 35 y) and older (55+ y) participants completed experience-sampling measures five times daily for 7 d. We compared the prevalence of thought patterns between two independent real-world, experience-sampling cohorts, collected before and during lockdown. The current study examined how changes to socializing and working during this lockdown impacted ongoing thought patterns in daily life. The United Kingdom’s first national lockdown, for example, restricted people’s ability to socialize and work. ![]() The COVID-19 pandemic led to lockdowns in countries across the world, changing the lives of billions of people.
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