This is the amount of free time you need in a day to be happy - Walla! health

2021-10-21T06:42:32.546Z

Most of us believe that if we have full time available during the day to do what we want we will be happier. This study claims otherwise, and quantifies the free time you need

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This is the amount of free time you need in a day to be happy

Most of us believe that if we have full free time during the day to do what we want we will inevitably be happier.

This study claims otherwise, and quantifies the free time you need to be happier

Researchers have discovered the secret to a happy life and it is terribly simple

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People who had up to two free hours a day generally reported feeling better than those who had less time.

But people who had five hours or more of free time a day usually said they felt worse.

So in the end an average of two to three hours a day is probably the ideal continuation of free time that will make you happier.

"Most people have too little free time, but not always too much free time is better," Professor Marissa Sheriff, a marketing expert at Wharton School and lead author of the study, said in a press release.

A lot of free time is good?

Liran Kohner eats avocado toast (Photo: screenshot, Instagram)

Time is of the essence, but so is how it is filled

In addition to the survey analysis, the researchers also conducted some smaller online experiments.

In one they asked participants to imagine that they had 3.5 to seven free hours a day.

They were asked to imagine that they were spending this time in "productive" activities (like physical activity) or to imagine that they were doing "non-productive" activities (like watching TV).

Study participants believed that their well-being would be harmed if they had plenty of free time during the day, but only if they used it unproductively.

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In other words, how people use their free time is important, but what feels "productive" depends on each one.

"If watching two hours of real housewives in your free time increases your happiness, you must do so. The point of all this is self-care, not shame," Professor Sheriff added.

"In cases where people do find themselves with excessive amounts of time, following retirement or leaving work," Sheriff said, "our results show that these people will benefit from spending their new time with a purpose."