Leigh Ann Vaughn, Patricia Burkins (Psychology BA, 2021), Rachael Chalachan (Psychology BA, 2021), Janak Judd (Psychology BS, 2021), Chase Garvey (Psychology BA, 2021), and Dr. John Luginsland (Air Force Office of Scientific Research) published this article in Frontiers in Psychology.
The article is publicly available: https://www.frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.710491
Numerous major holidays celebrate socially gathering in person. However, in major holidays that happened during the pandemic, desires to nurture relationships and maintain holiday traditions often conflicted with physical distancing and other measures to protect against COVID-19. The current research sought to understand well-being during American Thanksgiving in 2020. We found that feeling socially connected and focusing on growth related strongly to well-being. Additionally, participants who saw even one other person face-to-face reported significantly higher well-being than those who did not. Our research could help construct persuasive messages that encourage nurturing close relationships while remaining safe against the virus, during major holidays and at other times of the year.