ABSTRACT

Imagination is relevant in many aspects of our lives and has been associated with creativity and overall cognitive development, yet imagination may also have a dark side. In two studies we examined the link between imagination, anxiety, and loneliness during the COVID-19 pandemic. US college students (N = 101, Study 1) and participants from an international community sample (N = 61, Study 2) were tested when that rates of COVID-19 cases were escalating. Across both samples, we found that spending more time in one’s imagination was associated with elevated levels of anxiety. Furthermore, frequency of imagination interacted with loneliness in predicting changes in anxiety during, compared to before the pandemic. Specifically, lonely people who spent more time imagining experienced the largest increases in anxiety during, compared to before the pandemic. In Study 1 valence of imagination and changes in anxiety were also moderated by feelings of loneliness, although this effect was not replicated in Study 2. Results indicate that at least some features of imagination, particularly how much time people spend in imaginative states, may be associated with negative mood states, such as feelings of anxiety. Implications and future directions are discussed.

摘要

想象力与我们生活的许多方面都息息相关，与创造力和整体认知发展有关，但是想象力也可能有阴暗面。在两项研究中，我们研究了COVID-19大流行期间想象力，焦虑和孤独之间的联系。美国大学生（N = 101，研究1）和来自国际社会样本的参与者（N= 61，研究2）是在COVID-19病例比例上升时进行测试的。在这两个样本中，我们发现花更多的时间在想象中与焦虑水平的升高有关。此外，与大流行之前相比，想象的频率与孤独感在预测焦虑期间的变化有关。具体而言，与大流行之前相比，花费更多时间进行想象的孤独者在此期间的焦虑感增加最大。在研究1中，孤独感也减轻了想象力和焦虑的改变，尽管这种影响在研究2中没有重现。结果表明，至少某些想象力特征，特别是人们在想象力状态上花费的时间可能是与负面的情绪状态（例如焦虑感）相关联。