Only the lonely: learning, use of skills, and sense of meaning buffer the costs of reduced social connection for life satisfaction

Humans are motivated to connect, be autonomous, and exercise competence.When the social distancing compelled by COVID-19 compromised people's abilities to connect, did certain autonomy-and competence-fulfilling behaviors and psychological resources compensate for reductions in social connection?To address this question, the present study assessed changes in social connection, changes in life satisfaction, and the potential buffering effects of positive shifts in competence-and autonomy-related behaviors and resources before to after the onset of the pandemic in 2020.An online panel completed surveys in January/February 2020 (N T1 = 396), April 2020 (N T2 = 336), and May 2020 (N T3 = 299).Sharper decreases in connectedness and sharper increases in loneliness from January/February 2020 to May 2020 predicted sharper decreases in life satisfaction.However, these effects were buffered among those who reported sharper-than-average growth in learning, sense of meaning/purpose, and use of skills.