Finding the right work-life balance is not a new issue in our society. The tension between the two has been heightened by the Pandemic, with workers increasingly dwelling on the nature of their work, its meaning and purpose, and how these affect their quality of life.
Studies suggest people are leaving or planning to leave their employers in record numbers in 2021. What should we be aiming at if we're rethinking where and how work slots into our lives?
It's easy to believe that if we didn't need to work or work less, we'd be better off. This doesn't explain why some retirees pick up jobs on the side and some lottery winners go straight back to work.
If there is a perfect work-life balance, it isn't about changing when, where and how we work, it's about why we work. Sources of happiness that might not be obvious to us, but which have crept into view over the course of the Pandemic will be understood.
There are attempts to find a better work-life balance. Work is a large part of our identity. Ask yourself who you are, and you will be able to describe what you do for work.
Our jobs can give us a sense of competence. Researchers have shown that when our feelings are threatened, we're more drawn to activities that require effort because they show our ability to shape our environment.
When we prefer leisure, work makes us happier. There were a number of clever experiments in which participants had the option to be busy or inactive, and they were shown.
Only a few people chose to be busy, unless they were forced to make the walk or given a reason to attend.
The researchers found that those who spent 15 minutes walking were happier than those who spent 15 minutes waiting. When you think you'd prefer to be busy, busyness contributes to happiness. In experiments, most animals prefer to work for food than for free.
The idea that work contributes to our general wellbeing is related to the idea of eudaimonic happiness. Optimal functioning and realizing our potential are what makes this sort of happiness possible. Research shows that satisfaction and pride are what you feel when you complete a tiring task.
Hedonic happiness is defined as the presence of positive feelings such as cheerfulness and the relative scarcity of negative feelings such as sadness or anger. leisure is a great way to pursue hedonic happiness because it offers empirical mental and physical health benefits.
Our unconscious orientation towards busyness is still present even in the realm of leisure. A recent study suggests that there is a lot of free time, and that our subjective wellbeing begins to decline if we have more than five hours of it in a day. Long-term happiness doesn't seem to be related to effortless days on the beach.
Some people prefer to work hard during their leisure time. Researchers have likened this to a CV, sampling unique but potentially unpleasant or even painful experiences, such as joining an endurance desert race or spending a night in an ice hotel.
People who take part in these forms of leisure talk about fulfilling personal goals, making progress, and accumulating accomplishments, not the hedonism we associate with leisure.
The balance is real.
A new concept in the field of wellbeing studies states that a rich and diverse happiness is the third component of a good life.
A recent study found that most people in nine countries would still prefer a happy life typified by hedonic happiness.
Around a quarter of people prefer a life of happiness, and a small but significant amount of people choose to pursue a rich and diverse life.
The key to long- lasting wellbeing is to consider which lifestyle suits you best: hedonic, eudaimonic, or experiential. The real balance to strike post-pandemic is between these three sources of happiness.
Senior lecturer in psychology at De Montfort University.
The Conversation's article is a Creative Commons licensed one. The original article can be found here.
