Terms such as “hope”, “hug” and “prayer” reached a record high on Google search in 2020, offering a snapshot of the national mood a year on from the UK’s first lockdown.  

Searches for “panic attack”, “hypochondriasis” and “how to help” also saw a new high, according to Google Trends data, while interest in “party”, “travel visa” and “festival” dipped to a record low as a result of lockdown restrictions.  

A surge in people looking up “puppy”, “barbecue”, “books” and “hot tub” gives a sense of the types of things users sought out to cope during the pandemic. From the Irish News.