Family Still Matters: Human Social Motivation during a Global Pandemic

How have people’s fundamental social motives changed during the COVID-19 pandemic? Across 32 countries (N=9353) before the pandemic a) people prioritized family (romantic relationship maintenance, kin care) over mating motives (mate-seeking, breakup concern), and b) subjective well-being was positively associated with family motives but negatively associated with mating motives (Ko et al., 2020). The pandemic caused drastic social changes for many, including separation from friends and coworkers, and enforced close contact with family. Did those changes affect the priority of family-related motives and their relationship with well-being? Across 28 countries (N=6532) during the pandemic, people’s disease avoidance motivation increased, but a) the prioritization of family over mating motives remained unchanged, and b) well-being remained positively associated with family motives and negatively associated with mating motives. Given that humans historically relied on family bonds during social upheavals, it may be unsurprising that powerful family-related motivations persist even during this unique disruption