Recent research conducted by the researchers at the Ohio State University suggests that believing leisure is a waste of time and unproductiveness may lead to a higher level of stress, depression and less happiness. The study has been carried out by the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology.
According to a Hindustan Times report, in a series of studies, the researchers at the university examined the effects of a common belief in our society that productivity is the final goal and if you are just having fun, you are only wasting time.
The research revealed that the individuals, who wholeheartedly agreed to the aforementioned sentence, not only enjoyed leisure less but also reported poorer mental health as compared to others, who disagreed with the widely-held belief.
Speaking about the research, Selin Malkoc, co-author of the study and marketing professor at Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business, said that there is fair research that proves that leisure has benefits on individuals’ mental health and it leads to more productiveness as well. However, in a recent study, we found that if people start to believe in the belief, then they may end up being more depressed and stressed.
Another co-author Rebecca Reczek, professor of marketing at Ohio State said, “If leisure can be seen as having some kind of productive goal, then it might help people who think leisure is wasteful to get some of the same benefits.”
In one study, 199 college students were asked to evaluate how much they enjoyed different leisure activities and were asked to complete the analysis that measured their levels of depression, happiness, stress, and anxiety. They were also given five statements measuring the amount to which participants believed leisure is wasteful. The results revealed that the more participants believed that leisure is wasteful, the less they enjoyed leisure activities.
The study further revealed that it’s not easy to convert an individual’s beliefs about leisure’s value but a different approach is required.
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