The impact of physical distancing on stress, interpersonal relationships and social wellbeing

The COVID-19 pandemic, and in particular the physical distancing policies put in place to contain its spread, has the potential to change the nature of our interpersonal relationships. Its adverse impact on our social wellbeing is aggravated by elevated stress levels triggered by the threats and uncertainties of the disease as well as the dramatic reduction in social contact. In this project, the team will generate a comprehensive trans-national and trans-cultural panel database on maladaptive social and non-social decision-making in times of crisis, as well as mood, state, trait, and cultural variables as well as subjective and objective measures of acute and chronic stress. This study will provide the basis for designing and testing interventions to arbitrate the negative impact of life-transforming adverse events on interpersonal relationships, health behaviors, and general wellbeing.