New research from Michigan State University finds that in the four years after the COVID-19 pandemic upended campus life, the majority of college students successfully bounced back. Students experienced rising life satisfaction and declining loneliness and, surprisingly, even a fonder remembrance of online classes from the early days of the pandemic.
The study, published in Personality and Individual Differences, is one of the few longitudinal studies to come out of the pandemic. Researchers tracked the same 248 college students from 2020–21 through 2025.
The study — which sampled MSU students — found broad improvements in psychological functioning. Participants reported higher life satisfaction, less loneliness and seeing friends more often in person again.
Largest of all, participants reflected more fondly on their online courses nearly five years after the initial shift to online learning. They also reported having a preference for in-person and hybrid work and learning opportunities over fully remote options.
“The fact that people now see remote learning more favorably — even though they hated it at the time — tells us something important about how we design flexible education and work options going forward,” said William Chopik, co-author of the study and associate professor in the Department of Psychology. “People’s preferences for remote versus in-person work are tied to who they are as people and how they might work or learn best, so blanket policies probably aren’t the best approach.”
Personality traits were a small predictor of outcomes years following the pandemic. Extraverts reported higher life satisfaction and lower loneliness, while more anxious people struggled a bit more with loneliness over time.
“This study gives us a clearer picture of how personality matters more during crises but less so once things stabilize,” said Logan Gibson, co-author and undergraduate research associate. “It’s reassuring to know that people aren’t locked into bad outcomes just because of their personality traits.”
However, researchers emphasize that the findings suggest that one-size-fits-all approaches to postcrisis recovery may leave vulnerable individuals behind.
“We’re hoping this helps organizations and mental health professionals understand that while most people are resilient, not everyone rebounds at the same rate,” said Chopik. “If you know that certain people might need extra support during big transitions, you can actually do something about it. This could help schools and workplaces design better support systems instead of assuming everyone’s fine once restrictions lift.
