Covid-19 Australia: UNSW psychologist reveals why memory loss is spiking in lockdown

Psychologists have revealed why the monotony of lockdown is wreaking havoc on our concentration – and how yoga and phone calls could be key to regaining focus.

While there is little to no data on the effects of Australia’s current shutdowns, a study of 4,000 Italians under strict stay-at-home orders for about two months in 2020 showed a significant increase in distraction, daydreaming and forgetfulness.

The study suggests our short-term memory deteriorates in lockdown because we are living a sort of repetitive ‘Groundhog Day’, which makes it harder for our brain to record memories and retrieve them later on. 

UNSW School of Psychology Professor Brett Hayes analysed the research and found the most common problems involve forgetting where you left your phone, difficulty recalling tasks and losing concentration reading books or watching movies.

Professor Hayes says memory fog can be reduced by keeping up some level of daily exercise, particularly dancing and yoga, and keeping in contact with friends and family through phones calls or social media.

Psychologists have revealed why the monotony of lockdown is wreaking havoc on our concentration – and how yoga and phone calls could be key to regaining focus (stock image)

The link between lockdown and distraction

Professor Hayes says lockdown causes mental difficulties because we are met with the same scenarios day after day.

‘What we know about human memory is that the context is really important,’ he explained.

‘You might be doing a job at home, chatting to a friend, or watching a movie…but your brain is actually encoding a lot of other things just incidentally, like where that’s happening, the location, where and when it’s taking place.’

Because of this, Professor Hayes says it is much easier to record memories when the background is changing, as we move around and visit different places at different times each day.

Why am I feeling forgetful in lockdown?

Studies suggest our short-term memory deteriorates in lockdown or isolation because we are living a sort of repetitive ‘Groundhog Day’, which makes it harder for our brain to record memories and retrieve them later on. 

UNSW School of Psychology Professor Brett Hayes analysed the research and found the most common problems involve forgetting where you left your phone, difficulty recalling tasks and losing concentration reading books or watching movies.

Doing daily exercise, keeping in touch with family and friends via phone calls or social media and making small changes to your routine such as walking different routes or making unusual dishes can help to reduce memory fog, according to Professor Hayes.

But when our world becomes smaller for an extended period of time, it becomes harder to separate one experience – and consequently one memory – from the next.

‘When you are in lockdown, your opportunities to move around in the environment and engage in different activities are very limited,’ Professor Hayes added.

‘The days do tend to start blurring into each other, because we have the same context for each day.’

Professor Hayes noted distraction and memory loss was worse for those with mental health issues such as depression, anxiety and chronic stress.

How can I improve my focus?

UNSW School of Psychology Professor Brett Hayes (pictured) says exercise and keeping in touch with friends can reduce memory fog

Professor Hayes says there is a close connection between mental ability and physical activity, which means exercising regularly is a good way to keep your memory and rational thinking in shape during lockdown.

‘There’s some evidence that even if you are really restricted, even doing something like playing online exercise games where you watch a screen and jump around, does show some benefits,’ he said. 

Keeping in touch with family, friends and co-workers through phone calls or social media is another way to improve your focus, according to Professor Hayes. 

‘Complete isolation is very bad for our cognitive functioning, but if we can keep up that interaction to some degree with whoever is in our house or online, that seems to be good for our cognitive functioning,’ he said 

The Italian research also showed those who had conversations within the last three days maintained better cognitive health during long periods of lockdown than those who did not speak to anybody. 

Women exercise in Sydney’s eastern suburbs on August 11, 2021, halfway through the Harbour City’s seventh week of lockdown

The good news 

A study published in the 2021 volume of Applied Cognitive Psychology on a two-month lockdown in Scotland in 2020 found participants had difficult with memory, decision-making and maintaining attention.

But once restrictions were eased and social interaction resumed, their abilities recovered quickly.

‘While there hasn’t been time to conduct research on the long-term effects of lockdowns on memory, the evidence so far shows that as restrictions are eased, cognitive issues should improve,’ Professor Hayes added.

New South Wales is halfway through its seventh week of lockdown, as Covid  continues to spread from its epicentre in western and south-west Sydney with another 344 cases recorded overnight.

Of the newly-acquired cases, 101 were out in the community for either part or all of their entire infectious period – while the isolation status of 100 cases is still under investigation. 

That means as many as 201 cases were not self-isolating when they were contagious.

Police speak to a group of beachgoers as they patrol Bondi Beach to enforce Covid restrictions on Tuesday, August 10

Newly locked-down residents of Byron Bay tried to lift spirits with this sign

NSW Health said 112 of the new cases were found in south-west Sydney, along with 110 infections in the city’s west and 43 in the Nepean Blue Mountains region.

Byron Bay has also been plunged into a week-long lockdown after Covid-infected Sydney man Zoran Radovanovic, 52, drove there from Rose Bay last month.

Ms Berejiklian also confirmed earlier reports Dubbo will go into a snap week-long lockdown from 1pm Wednesday after two cases were found in the regional town.

NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said the cases were a young child and a woman in her 40s.

Further south in Victoria, Premier Daniel Andrews has extended Melbourne’s lockdown by another seven days until Thursday, August 19, after the city recorded a further 20 cases overnight.

Meanwhile locked-down Queenslanders will be freed at 4pm on Wednesday after the state recorded just four new cases.

Masks will remain mandatory in Cairns as they are throughout south-east Queensland for the foreseeable future.

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