In April 2020, economist and Barnard Distinguished Scholar Daniel Hamermesh published the new study "Lockdowns, Loneliness and Life Satisfaction" in the IZA Institute of Labor Economics, concerning the effects of the COVID-19 quarantine on couples versus singles.
With assistance from colleagues and the University of Minnesota Population Center, Hamermesh found that while in quarantine, who a person spends time with and how they spend it could have an impact on happiness. It was found that in married couples, satisfaction increases with time spent together, while single people saw decreases in satisfaction with time spent alone. In both groups, loss of working time and income had adverse effects on happiness.