There have always been those who wrongfully believe that Covid-19 is nothing more than a glorified flu, and that no restrictions were ever necessary to fight it. But as the coronavirus spreads and the crisis deepens, more people — even those who take the pandemic and the science about how it’s transmitted seriously — seem to be growing weary of social distancing guidelines.
Quarantine fatigue — exhaustion and waning discipline surrounding the restrictions to daily life needed to prevent the spread of the coronavirus — is entirely understandable. Staying home is stressful, boring and, for many, financially devastating.
But even as some states lift their lockdown orders, public health experts warn that the coming weeks are the critical window for decreasing the number of new cases and starting to push this virus into retreat. Unfortunate as it may be, we have to ignore the overly optimistic messages of politicians and fight the urge to return to socializing and normal life.
The data shows that quarantine fatigue is real. Researchers at the University of Maryland studied cellphone location data and found that starting on April 14, people across the country began going out more frequently and traveling longer distances from home. “It just seems that people are getting a little tired collectively of staying at home after we passed that one-month mark,” Lei Zhang, the director of the Maryland Transportation Institute at the University of Maryland, College Park, said.
A few weeks further in, our resolve has continued to wear. Public spaces like parks and beaches are seeing increased foot traffic. It’s hard to scroll through Instagram without seeing social media posts documenting walks and meetups with friends, unconvincingly tagged as “socially distanced.” The idea of loosening isolation to make room for “quarantine buddies” and “expanded social distancing pods” — in which “a couple of families or a group of friends” agree to socialize together — is taking hold.
As understandable as these urges may be, we can’t give in. Those of us who are able must continue to stay home. But why is this proving increasingly hard to do?
Part of the desire to ease up on social distancing is surely financial. Only a few weeks into lockdowns, many are unable to make rent payments or even to afford groceries. There are endless car lines at overrun food banks. Delays in the disbursement of direct federal stimulus payments mean many are still waiting for their promised $1,200. Sadly, it seems that a great deal of Americans’ quarantine fatigue is better described as financial desperation.
And yet, there’s evidence of quarantine fatigue even among those with the means to ride out the crisis. Tom Brady was seen exercising in a closed public park, and celebrities like the actor Josh Brolin have offered public mea culpas for violating lockdown guidelines. Recreational golfers are sneaking onto closed courses.
One simple explanation for this behavior is what economists call “diminishing marginal utility.” Think of it this way: During the first few days in lockdown, you probably had the opportunity to do things in the house that you were fairly enthusiastic about. Maybe you binge-watched “Game of Thrones” or “Tiger King.” Or perhaps you finally got around to building that cardboard box fort with your son. But that was several weeks ago. Now your son is driving you nuts, and you’re into the dregs of Netflix shows, and you just want it to stop. In other words, you’ve used up all the “high utility” (i.e., high happiness) activities and are now scraping the bottom of the barrel. Cue quarantine fatigue, and the creeping desire to get out.
Behavioral research also suggests that people don’t actually like to sit around and do nothing. In one study, researchers found that when subjects were told to sit in a room and do nothing, they chose to give themselves electric shocks rather than pass the time in silence. In another study in Kenya, two colleagues and I found that people got greater psychological satisfaction from working for payment than from being idle and receiving the same payment.
This “idleness aversion” might drive our desire to get out of the house and do something, whether it’s a visit with friends or a trip to Target that’s more a craving than a necessity.
Even those who are working from home are probably longing for the outlet that the office used to provide. In a survey of working women in Texas in 2006, Daniel Kahneman and Alan Krueger found they got more satisfaction from socializing both at work and after work than from many activities in the home, like watching TV, cooking, housework or child care — the things that make up a large majority of many people’s experience under quarantine.
So what can we do to fight off quarantine fatigue at this crucial time?
First, remind yourself that while fatigue may be setting in, the biological nature of the virus is not changing. It remains highly contagious and, while perhaps not as lethal as we once feared, brutal in its impact on many who contract it. Remember that your fatigue-induced sojourns into public spaces might inadvertently spread infection. Remind yourself that you don’t want to be responsible for the deaths and suffering of those in your community.
This might be a good time to learn a language, teach yourself a new home-based skill like crafting or art, or to take one of the many online classes available in a host of disciplines. Not all of these activities have to be done alone. So ask your friends, what are you all doing to stay sane inside, and can I (remotely) join you?
If your only problems are boredom and cabin fever, consider offering support to people who have reasons to struggle even more with quarantine fatigue than you do. If you have friends who have lost jobs or live alone, pick up the phone and call them; they need you now. If you have the means, donate money to help with grocery or meal delivery for those who cannot afford it. Maybe offer to read a book over Zoom with a working mom or dad’s child, to help them cope with the challenge of working and parenting.
When you do have to go out in public, where maintaining true social distancing is growing increasingly difficult, show social solidarity by wearing a mask — even if you feel silly doing it. And make it easy for others to keep their distance from you, crossing the street if need be. Seeing you behave in this way might make others feel subtle pressure to be more responsible.
But there is only so much we can do as individuals — we need real leadership from our elected officials. They need to do more to make it financially feasible for people to stay home, and they have to be honest with us about the fact that this is going to be a long and difficult struggle.
Too many politicians have erred on the side of irrational optimism in their public statements. This sets an expectation for the public that this will end soon, which makes it hard to maintain the discipline we’ll need in the coming months. We need realistic reference points, not implausible idealism.
This will be a long process. Lockdowns and restrictions may be seriously challenging our psyches, but we can’t let quarantine fatigue drive us into the arms of the spreading virus.
Syon Bhanot is an assistant professor of economics at Swarthmore College.
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