science
The lockdown has changed the perception of time for many. In some cases, the unusual loss of structure was accompanied by “weekday amnesia”, shows a study by the University of Vienna. In April, a third sometimes forgot the day of the week.
18.12.2020 07.19
Online since today, 7.19 a.m.
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What seems to be a seemingly harmless observation could, according to the research team around Jakob-Moritz Eberl, have a “very serious core”: The loss of a perceived time structure is often accompanied by feelings of passivity and resignation in the long run. “So the weekday amnesia must also be seen as an indicator of the mental health of the population.”
61 percent of boys are affected
Like other symptoms of the pandemic, “weekday amnesia” does not affect all population groups alike: In addition to school and university students, among whom six out of ten sometimes forgot the day of the week in the survey during the first lockdown in early April, the unemployed were particularly hard hit at 40 percent. Despite all the prejudices about forgetfulness, it was only 24 percent among retirees – more than in any other group. This is shown by the blog post on the “Austrian Corona Panel Project” at the University of Vienna.
Contrary to expectations, there were no differences in the perceived loss of time structure between respondents who were in the home office and those who were able to go about their work normally (28 and 29 percent, respectively). People on short-time work suffered somewhat more often from “weekday amnesia” (34 percent).
Phenomenon could repeat itself soon
Parallel to the (temporary) relaxation of the strict CoV measures (curfews, closing of educational institutions, restrictions on leisure activities), the “weekday amnesia” then decreased drastically again, show the data of the “Austrian Corona Panel Project”, for which 1,500 people have been regularly since March be interviewed.
In April, 33 percent of the entire population were affected, in October it was only twelve percent. For schoolchildren and students, the value fell from 61 to 25 percent, among the unemployed from 40 to 30 percent, among retired people from 24 to eight percent. For the researchers, given this parallel development of CoV measures and being affected by “weekday amnesia”, it can also be “assumed that with the reintroduction of stricter measures and repeated restrictions in the leisure area, a changed sense of time may occur again”.
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