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Boredom proneness, political orientation and adherence to social-distancing in the pandemic.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Brosowsky, NP; Van Tilburg, W; Scholer, AA; Boylan, J; Seli, P; Danckert, J
Published in: Motivation and emotion
January 2021

Research recently showed that boredom proneness was associated with increased social distancing rule-breaking in a sample collected early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we explore data collected early in the pandemic to examine what factors might drive this relation. We focus on political affiliation. Given the functional account of boredom as a call to action, we hypothesized that this urge to act may drive individuals towards outlets replete with symbolic value (e.g., ideology, identity). In addition, given the politicization of some social distancing rules (e.g., mask wearing), we explored whether those who adhere to strong political ideologies-particularly conservative ideologies-would be more likely to rule-break. Moderation analyses indicated that boredom proneness and social (but not fiscal) conservatism were indeed predictive of rule-breaking. These results highlight the need for both clear messaging emphasizing the strength of communal identity and action (i.e., that "We are all in this together") and for interventions that emphasize shared collective values in contexts that appeal directly to social conservatives.

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Published In

Motivation and emotion

DOI

EISSN

1573-6644

ISSN

0146-7239

Publication Date

January 2021

Volume

45

Issue

5

Start / End Page

631 / 640

Related Subject Headings

  • Social Psychology
  • 5205 Social and personality psychology
  • 5204 Cognitive and computational psychology
  • 5202 Biological psychology
  • 1702 Cognitive Sciences
  • 1701 Psychology
 

Citation

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ICMJE
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Brosowsky, N. P., Van Tilburg, W., Scholer, A. A., Boylan, J., Seli, P., & Danckert, J. (2021). Boredom proneness, political orientation and adherence to social-distancing in the pandemic. Motivation and Emotion, 45(5), 631–640. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-021-09888-0
Brosowsky, Nicholaus P., Wijnand Van Tilburg, Abigail A. Scholer, James Boylan, Paul Seli, and James Danckert. “Boredom proneness, political orientation and adherence to social-distancing in the pandemic.Motivation and Emotion 45, no. 5 (January 2021): 631–40. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11031-021-09888-0.
Brosowsky NP, Van Tilburg W, Scholer AA, Boylan J, Seli P, Danckert J. Boredom proneness, political orientation and adherence to social-distancing in the pandemic. Motivation and emotion. 2021 Jan;45(5):631–40.
Brosowsky, Nicholaus P., et al. “Boredom proneness, political orientation and adherence to social-distancing in the pandemic.Motivation and Emotion, vol. 45, no. 5, Jan. 2021, pp. 631–40. Epmc, doi:10.1007/s11031-021-09888-0.
Brosowsky NP, Van Tilburg W, Scholer AA, Boylan J, Seli P, Danckert J. Boredom proneness, political orientation and adherence to social-distancing in the pandemic. Motivation and emotion. 2021 Jan;45(5):631–640.
Journal cover image

Published In

Motivation and emotion

DOI

EISSN

1573-6644

ISSN

0146-7239

Publication Date

January 2021

Volume

45

Issue

5

Start / End Page

631 / 640

Related Subject Headings

  • Social Psychology
  • 5205 Social and personality psychology
  • 5204 Cognitive and computational psychology
  • 5202 Biological psychology
  • 1702 Cognitive Sciences
  • 1701 Psychology