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idleness
You are happier when you stay busy.
In a 2010 study, participants who were assigned a task were significantly happier when they had to perform it, even if the task was tedious, than when they were left idle.
This is known as 'idleness aversion.' People are only happy being busy if they have a justification for their activity, but they consistently report higher life satisfaction when they are occupied rather than bored.
You need a reason to be busy, but you need to be busy to be content.
Where this comes from
- Study
- Hsee et al., 2010, Psychological Science
- What the check found
- The study 'Idleness Aversion and the Need for Justifiable Busyness' by Hsee et al. (2010) was published in Psychological Science and confirms the premise that people prefer to be busy rather than idle.
- Confidence
- Solid, with limits
Related
One of these every day, and every one names the study it came from. When a finding is contested, it says so.