Competing Motives in a Pandemic: Interplays Between Fundamental Social Motives and Technology Use in Predicting (Non)Compliance with Social Distancing Guidelines

During the COVID-19 pandemic, individuals were advised to adhere to various social distancing guidelines to limit physical interpersonal contact. Humans have a suite of adaptations to effectively satisfy belonging needs while avoiding diseased conspecifics, and competition between these motivational systems may explain adherence and resistance to contemporary social distancing guidelines. The current study is a preregistered analysis of data collected during the pandemic investing how individual differences in affiliative and pathogen-avoidant motives differentially predict interest in physical interactions (N=2,409). Heightened germ aversion was predictably associated with less interest in physical interactions during the pandemic with chronic need to belong conversely predicting more interest. Additional analyses revealed utilization of technology satisfied belonging motives that further reduced interest in physical contact. We frame results through a framework of competing fundamental social motives and how this knowledge could inform work on future pandemics.