"We as a people have been living, for 12 months now, with an elevated level of stress," Professor Paul D'Alton, from the School of Psychology at UCD, has said.
He was speaking on a special RTÉ News programme discussing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on our well-being.
Prof D'Alton and Professor Niamh Hourigan from Mary Immaculate College in Limerick joined host Samantha Libreri for the programme, which was broadcast on the RTÉ News channel, as well as the RTÉ News Twitter and Facebook accounts.
Speaking at the start of the programme, Prof D'Alton said the pandemic has had "an enormous psychological toll" on people, saying that the "emotional toll" of the pandemic has sometimes gone unrecognised.
He said our "fight or flight" is turned on all the time at present, and we find ourselves hyper vigilant.
Prof D'Alton said it is not surprising to hear that people miss human contact, saying this is what helps us cope in times of crisis.
"What we've had to endure is social distance, probably at a time when it [contact] is most necessary," he said.
Professor Hourigan said that "the sustained and long nature of the lockdown in Ireland compared to other countries is starting to take its toll" on people.
She said that are closeness to the UK, and the greater roll-out of the vaccination programme there, is leading to frustration.
The programme also heard from Professor Roger O'Sullivan from the Institute of Public Health, who said "many more people have gained an insight into loneliness" due to the pandemic.
He said stereotypically loneliness was thought of as something that affects older people, but in November 2020 around a quarter of people aged 18 to 34 reported being lonely "often or always".
Prof D'Alton agreed, saying that for most people it has probable been "the loneliest year that most people have lived".
