In the hustle culture of modern society, taking a break from the rat race and being at leisure is seen as a cardinal sin. However new research has entered the chat, much to our collective delight, that shows the benefits of taking a break.
The research led by Ohio State University and published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology suggests that those who believe that leisure is wasteful are more depressed and stressed. Results showed that the more the participants considered some time off to be wasteful, the higher were their levels of depression, anxiety and stress.
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But when the participants were explained the benefits of leisure to be a part of a larger goal and not the end goal itself, they did enjoy some leisurely activities. Co-author Rebecca Reczek, Professor of Marketing at Ohio State said that when leisure is sold as a productive goal, it helps those who think leisure to be wasteful, to get some of the benefits.
The negative view towards leisure is not limited to the U.S. only. The study compared people in the United States, India, and France and found that the French were less likely than those in the U.S. and India to believe leisure time to be wasteful.
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