COVID-19 lockdown: Impact on emotional well-being and relationship to habit and routine modifications

Abstract We examine the impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on emotional well-being and its relationship to habit and routine modifications in a sample of 584 participants aged 18-65 (M age = 35.3; 75.3% females) on lockdown in Spain. Participants assessed their perceived changes in emotional well-being during the lockdown. They reported a perceived increase in negative affect and a perceived decrease in positive affect during this period, compared to before. Regarding habits and routines, there was an increase in media and social media consumption, home cleaning and tidying up, eating and sleeping, cooking and baking, reading, talking or doing activities with other people in the home, and handwashing. Increases in media and social media use, eating, and doing nothing were significantly associated with an increase in negative affect and a decrease in positive affect. Overall, the results highlight the importance that leisure activities have in determining emotional well-being during the lockdown.