The effect of passion for activities on fear of COVID-19 and mental health among the Japanese population
As the pandemic limited our lives, people engaged in their favorite activities; either in alternative ways or while disregarding the restrictions. These major activities and our engagement in these activities of life are considered to have a significant impact on our mental health. Thus, this study aimed to examine the relationship between two types of passion (harmonious passion and obsessive passion), fear of COVID-19 (emotional fear responses, symptomatic expressions of fear), and mental distress. To this end, 322 Japanese participants completed an online questionnaire. The results showed that harmonious passion (HP) was positively related to emotional fear responses and negatively to mental distress. On the other hand, obsessive passion (OP) was positively associated with symptomatic expressions of fear and negatively with mental distress. Symptomatic expressions of fear have a stronger positive relationship with mental distress than emotional fear reactions. This study evidenced that HP is a protective factor against pandemics as it improves mental health while appropriately recognizing fear of COVID-19. Focusing on different types of passion may prove effective in improving mental health amidst the pandemic.