Differences in the temporal extension of self-continuity over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

ABSTRACT This study examined whether the average levels and the temporal extension of self-continuity varied over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. Three demographically matched adult life-span samples (n = 223 each) were gathered in the U.S. in fall 2016, summer 2020, and winter 2022/23. Participants rated their self-continuity 1/5/10 years into the past and future. Multi-level analyses examined the effects of temporal distance, past/future direction, and assessment time while controlling for demographics. The tendencies to report lower self-continuity for more distant times and for past versus future were weaker during the pandemic, and past/future differences remained after the pandemic. Discussion focuses on the possibility of mid-pandemic slowed time perception, increasing nostalgic self-reflection, and uncertainty about the future.