If the loneliness imposed by the anti-coronavirus confinements was very badly experienced by many people, others (43%) were able to take advantage of it.
- A study by the French Institute of Public Opinion (Ifop) for the Astrée association reveals that 18% of French people say they always or often face loneliness.
- This figure is constantly increasing.
According to a new British study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, the loneliness imposed by anti-Covid confinements has had positive consequences for some.
2000 teenagers and adults surveyed
The research was conducted via interviews with over 2,000 English teenagers and adults during the summer of 2020, at the end of their first lockdown. Conclusion: 43% of respondents indicated that following these deprivations of social life, loneliness allowed them to increase their field of skills through new activities. This experience has also reinforced the autonomy of many respondents vis-à-vis others, which they consider positive.
Another observation: adults of working age experienced this imposed loneliness less well. They were thus more likely to mention a “disruption of well-being” during the first British confinement (35.6% compared to 29.4% of adolescents and 23.7% of elderly people) and a “negative mood” (44% compared to 27.8% among adolescents and 24.5% among the elderly). On the other hand, the lack of interaction with others was deplored twice as frequently among adolescents (approximately one in seven, or 14.8% of the cohort) than among working adults (7%) and those at the retirement (2.3%).
Loneliness can be positive
“Our study shows that some components of loneliness can be positive,” finds Dr. Netta Weinstein, professor of psychology at the University of Reading and author of the research. For example, during the first confinement, “many people have reconnected with hobbies and interests or enjoyed nature on walks or bike rides,” he details.
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