Social interaction is an important source of psychological and physical well-being during normal times. However, following the COVID-19 outbreak, which spreads rapidly from person to person, social interaction poses a fatal threat to one’s health and life. Therefore, several countries including South Korea implemented an intense social distancing mandate to prevent the spread of the virus. During these unique times of pandemic, the current research investigated whether and how an individual’s well-being varies as a function of their interaction with various relationship partners using experience sampling data (Study 1) and online longitudinal data (Study 2). The results indicated that being alone was more detrimental to well-being during the pandemic than before it. Specifically, interaction with close relationship partners (e.g., romantic partner, spouse, or friend) was positively related to well-being, whereas interaction with formal relationship partners (e.g., coworker, boss) was negatively linked to momentary well-being during the pandemic. Furthermore, our study showed that the association between social supports from close relationships and well-being was temporally strengthened during COVID-19 pandemic. In sum, the benefits of close relationships on well-being were stronger during the COVID-19 pandemic than before it.

社交互动是平时心理和身体健康的重要来源。然而，随着新冠肺炎（COVID-19）疫情在人与人之间迅速传播，社交互动对人的健康和生命构成了致命威胁。因此，包括韩国在内的多个国家实施了严格的社会疏远指令，以防止病毒传播。在大流行的这些独特时期，当前的研究使用经验抽样数据（研究 1）和在线纵向数据（研究 2）调查了个人的福祉是否以及如何随着与各种关系伙伴的互动而变化。结果表明，在大流行期间独处对健康的危害比之前更大。具体而言，在大流行期间，与亲密关系伙伴（例如浪漫伴侣、配偶或朋友）的互动与幸福感呈正相关，而与正式关系伙伴（例如同事、老板）的互动与暂时幸福感呈负相关。此外，我们的研究表明，在 COVID-19 大流行期间，亲密关系的社会支持与幸福感之间的关联暂时得到了加强。总之，在 COVID-19 大流行期间，亲密关系对幸福感的益处比之前更大。