How 'Time Poor' Americans Can Use Their Weekends To Increase Their Overall Happiness, According To UCLA Study
It's all about your mindset.
Alena Darmel | Pexels It won’t come as a surprise to any living, breathing, working adult that taking vacations makes us happier. When we take time off to travel, the daily demands of life slip away. We sleep later, eat special treats, and allow ourselves to indulge in a much-needed pastime: relaxing.
Most people can’t just take vacations whenever they want, but there is a way to harness those vacation vibes from the comfort of your own home.
‘Time poor’ Americans can use weekends to increase their overall happiness, according to a UCLA study.
Researchers at UCLA conducted a study involving 400 American workers over the span of one weekend in May 2017. Their inspiration for the study was rooted in how much time Americans spend at work and how little time they spend on vacation.
They established that the U.S. is the only industrialized nation that doesn’t have legally mandated vacation, which means that one in four workers get no paid vacation days, at all.
Even when American employees do get vacation days, they tend not to take them: Over 50% leave their PTO unused every year. When Americans actually take vacation, they tend to feel guilty and spend that free time doing work.
Researchers asked a group of participants to treat their weekend as a vacation instead of as they normally would.
The UCLA experiment instructed 200 participants to spend the weekend like they normally would. The other 200 participants were told to treat the weekend as though it were a vacation.
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On the following Monday, the researchers found that the people who had a staycation were way happier than the participants who stuck to their regular weekend schedule.
They ran the study for a second time with 500 people over a weekend in January 2018.
During this iteration of the experiment, they not only measured how happy the vacationers were on Monday, but they also measured how happy they were over the weekend, along with how they spent their time and how mentally present they were.
The weekend vacationers started the week happier and reported feeling happier on Saturday and Sunday, as well.
The people who treated their weekends like vacations did less work and fewer chores. Some stayed in bed later; some cooked a special meal. The common denominator in their experience was their presence of mind.
The researchers concluded that the vacationers had a mindset shift, so they were more present in whatever they were doing, which made them happier overall.
Practicing mindfulness sounds challenging, but in reality, it’s easier than it seems.
Emilie Leyes, a brain training specialist, explained it perfectly, saying, “The thing with mindfulness is that it feels like this just unattainable thing that we all should be doing in our life.”
Her approach to mindfulness made the concept seem actually accessible.
“Mindfulness in a nutshell, it’s just being aware, being present of what’s happening right now, in this moment,” she said.
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She shared that putting your attention on things that are happening in the present moment and noticing what’s happening in your environment are ways to be mindful.
“It doesn’t have to be this ethereal, intangible practice,” Leyes concluded.
Not everyone has the luxury of taking a weekend-long break from their routine, yet there are small ways to make sure you’re getting a mini-break, even if you’re doing housework or answering emails.
Implementing little joys into your day can boost your mood and keep you rooted in the present moment.
You can listen to your favorite songs while you fold laundry or take a new route through your neighborhood when you’re walking your dog. You can drink your morning coffee on your porch and look at the shapes the trees make. You can steal away for 30 minutes to soak in the tub or read a few chapters of a book.
Consider the small actions that make you feel restored, and make sure you do at least one over the weekend so you can start your week feeling a little happier.
Alexandra Blogier, MFA, is a staff writer who covers psychology, social issues, relationships, self-help topics, and human interest stories.