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Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on time perception

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The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on time perception, or the 2020 effect, refers to the widespread phenomenon of distorted time perception experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly the sensation that time was moving unusually slowly or that days blurred together. This effect has been documented in psychological, sociological, and neuroscientific research as a response to the collective trauma, stress, and disruption of daily routines caused by the pandemic.[1][2][3][4]

During the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, people around the world reported that time felt "stretched", with days and weeks blending together, along with difficulty in recalling a sequence of recent events.[4][2] This phenomenon, sometimes called "temporal disintegration" in psychiatric literature, is characterized by impaired sequential thinking and a sense that the present is disconnected from the continuity of time and future.[1] People whose routines were the most disrupted were the most affected by distorted time perception.[5]

Multiple factors such as social isolation and monotony,[4] emotional distress,[1] and routine disruption,[2][3] contributed to the 2020 effect.

A national study found that over 65% of respondents in the United States reported difficulty of telling a difference between weekdays and weekends, uncertainty and anxiety about the future, and either time speeding up or slowing down for some during the first six months of the pandemic.[1] Sociologists using Gallup data documented multifaceted time disorientation, with Americans reporting both slowness and quickness of time, as well as days blending together.[2] These distortions were closely linked to pandemic-related stressors, such as economic hardship, working from home, homeschooling, and household conflict.[2][5]

Experiencing the 2020 effect was associated with lower levels of mental well-being and increased feelings of loneliness.[2][1] Temporal disintegration, or the breakdown of regular time perception, is considered a risk factor for mental health challenges, particularly in the context of collective trauma.[1]

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Holman, E. Alison; Jones, Nickolas M.; Garfin, Dana Rose; Silver, Roxane Cohen (July 2023). "Distortions in time perception during collective trauma: Insights from a national longitudinal study during the COVID-19 pandemic". Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice and Policy. 15 (5): 800–807. doi:10.1037/tra0001326. ISSN 1942-969X. PMC 9898469. PMID 35925689.
  2. ^ a b c d e f "The Days Blur Together: Study Shows How the COVID-19 Pandemic Affected Perceptions of Time… and Our Mental Well-being". news.web.baylor.edu. 2024-02-02. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  3. ^ a b Jarow, Oshan (2023-08-08). "How the pandemic messed with our perception of time". Vox. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
  4. ^ a b c Pawlak, Daria A.; Sahraie, Arash (2023). "Lost time: Perception of events timeline affected by the COVID pandemic". PLOS ONE. 18 (5): e0278250. Bibcode:2023PLoSO..1878250P. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0278250. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 10231762. PMID 37256835.
  5. ^ a b "The pandemic altered our perception of time. Here's how". Texas Standard. Retrieved 2025-05-26.
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