This amount of daily free time would make you happier according to science

Whether it’s watching a film, reading a book, practicing an activity or even doing yoga… all our breaks generally do us good. The free time that we manage to grant ourselves increases our well-being But how much free time is needed to be happier on a daily basis?

If we might believe that the secret to happiness would be to have entire days free from all obligations, researchers seem to prove the opposite. While premature retirement and idleness seem to be the key to happiness, make no mistake: too much rest would reduce the feeling of well-being and increase stress.

Do not abuse free time

A study published in September 2021 by theAmerican Psychological Association reveals that if a lack of free time is detrimental to health, having too much and doing nothing with it would increase the stress gauge. The researchers conducted four experiments to get to this point. First, they analyzed the rest days of more than 22,000 Americans. The more free time they had, the happier they felt. However, after 5 hours, well-being declined.

Similarly, the researchers examined a panel of 14,000 American workers, surveyed between 1992 and 2008. The finding was the same, their satisfaction increased when they were resting, before dropping after a few hours. To corroborate their experiment, they studied the rest times of 6,000 people online. Those who had 7 hours of rest felt less productive, less happy and more stressed than those who had 3.5 hours.

An ideal time of rest to be happy

So, is having a whole day of doing nothing the key to fulfillment? It wouldn’t seem like it. “Our results suggest that having entire days to fill as you please can make a person just as unhappy. Instead, people should strive to have a moderate amount of free time to spend as they wish,” recommends Marissa Sharif, professor of marketing at the Wharton School and lead author of the article. When free time is unlimited, it can cause depression. This is particularly the case for unemployed or retired people, after 3 hours on the sofa, unpleasant sensations can be felt, they are linked to lack of productivity.

To be happy, the ideal free time would be estimated at 5 hours, according to researchers. Following this, researchers suggest doing an activity, learning a language or an instrument.