scholarly journals The Pandemic of Productivity: A Narrative Inquiry into the Value of Leisure Time

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 6271
Author(s):  
Jessica S. Klaver ◽  
Wim Lambrechts

This study explored narratives derived from in-depth interviews to demonstrate how an increase in leisure time could positively affect both our subjective well-being, through a better balance of work and “self”, and the environment, through a change in consumption practices. Firstly, the analysis of the interviews provided insight into the social function of work. Work creates feelings of connection and belonging; however, it can also create the opposite, negatively affecting our experience of leisure time, our productivity, and our well-being. Participants described how paid work provided structure and routine, which resulted in an increased feeling of subjective well-being. However, a lack of structure and routine during the COVID-19 pandemic negatively affected feelings of “usefulness” and “productivity”. Secondly, an increase in leisure time created more opportunities for autonomy, leading to more unforced leisure activities and a better balance between work and self. Moreover, an increase in autonomy could be achieved through both increased work flexibility and a shorter working week. Lastly, this study aimed to demonstrate that more leisure time during lockdown periods can change how we spend our free time, therefore resulting in more pro-environmental consumer behaviour. This study intended to contribute to a gap in the literature: effects of leisure time on the balance between work and the “self”. The research setting offered limited opportunities for researching intentional, sustainable consumer behaviour, which provides an opportunity for further research.

2017 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-127
Author(s):  
Yun-Suk Lee

The prevalence of ‘commuter couples’ (a type of dual-earner couple in which the spouses live separately) is on the rise. The literature on this form of marital arrangement is, however, limited in that most studies are based on in-depth interviews of individuals with high-level employment in developed countries. Using cross-sectional data from the Social Survey (2012 and 2014) in Korea, this study examined (1) the relation of this newly emerging form of living arrangement with life satisfaction and (2) differences between wives and husbands in commuter couples in life satisfaction in Korea. Commuter couples in this study reported lower life satisfaction compared to typical dual-earner couples. In addition, in commuter couples, the husbands reported lower levels of life satisfaction compared to their wives. It appears that without immediate spousal support, both wives and husbands in commuter couples suffer from the burden of multiple social roles. Additionally, gender should be considered when examining the implications of this living arrangement for subjective well-being.


ACC Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 63-72
Author(s):  
Miroslava Knapková ◽  
Miriam Martinkovičová ◽  
Alena Kaščáková

This article focuses on the division of the daily activities of self-employed persons on entrepreneurial activities, unpaid work, leisure time and other activities, and their interconnection to the feelings of happiness (as part of subjective well-being). Modified Time Use Survey (TUS) methodology was used to gather data on division of time and to identify SWB. The 13 groups of activities and 161 self-employed persons were included in the analysis. The results suggest that both self-employed men and women dedicate more than 8 hours per day for paid work. Daily activities during which the highest part of self-employed men and women feel the happiest belong to leisure activities. Unpaid work activities bring the highest feeling of happiness to 12.5 % of self-employed women. Feelings of happiness of self-employed women are more fluctuating during the paid work than feelings of happiness of self-employed men. In the evening, the feelings of happiness of the self-employed women decrease significantly, which could be caused by double burden of self-employed women.


2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniël Johannes Herbers ◽  
Louise Meijering

<div><p>The aim of this article is to examine how experiences with interpersonal relationships contribute to older adults’ well-being in the residential context of sheltered housing. We draw on data collected from sixteen in-depth interviews with older adults living in sheltered housing in a small town in northern Netherlands. Our participants experienced the interaction with their children as of primary importance among their interpersonal relationships, while interactions with other residents were rather superficial. Their children offered emotional support as well as instrumental support and were found to play essential roles in our participants’ wellbeing. Moreover, participants expressed that the social and physical activities organized by the residential care-facility offered them the opportunity to remain physically and mentally active. The help received from housekeepers and caregivers was found to be another important element of interpersonal relationships and so was the reciprocal nature of support exchanged with other sheltered housing residents. We conclude that the benefits of interpersonal relationships in sheltered housing should be considered when designing policy for the well-being of older adults ageing in place.</p></div>


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 198
Author(s):  
János Debreceni

In recent years a large number of consumer studies focused on happiness, subjective well-being and satisfaction with life in relationship with material or experimental consumption. Most of the studies applied statistically reliable validated scales and measurements involving large numbers of respondents. There are only a few study that aimed to answer the meaning of happiness or satisfaction and their reflections in adolescents’ consumer behaviour at the present time. Due to the less represented academic literature in that area and the controversial results of our previous quantitative research on materialism we decided to conduct a qualitative research to investigate the meaning of happiness among adolescents in Hungary. Our non-representative sample consisted of students from 5 different high schools in 3 cities including Budapest. Respondents took part in in-depth interviews, peer interviews and worked in groups in associative experiments. According to our findings physical goods and material consumption contribute less to the individuals’ sense of happiness and interpersonal relationships are more appreciated. The teenagers of our sample showed signs of material emptiness, since possessing things were unimportant for them Family, stable personal relationships and safety were very significant among their values. Their consumer behaviour was influenced mostly by the need for gaining experiences rather than need for acquisition and possession of tangible goods.


Author(s):  
Pengfei Wang ◽  
Xiang Wei ◽  
Xu Yingwei ◽  
Cao Xiaodan

AbstractAs the main tension in Chinese society has become that between people's growing need for a better life and unbalanced and inadequate development, leisure activities have become a main factor affecting the subjective well-being of Chinese residents. This study uses micro data from the 2019–2020 Chinese Residents’ Economic Life Survey as the sample, applies the latent class analysis (LCA) method to conduct a joint analysis of all leisure activities of individuals, and then divides individual leisure time modes into four types: general leisure, stationary leisure, family-friendly leisure and sports/health care-related leisure. To overcome endogeneity problems from missing variables, sample selection bias, and two-way causality, this paper uses the Heckman two-step and propensity score matching methods to empirically analyse the impacts of residents' leisure time allocation patterns on individual subjective well-being. The study finds that sports/health care-type leisure is most helpful in improving individual subjective well-being, followed by general leisure, family-friendly leisure and stationary leisure, which have relatively weaker impacts on subjective well-being. The estimation results remain robust and reliable after we introduce the idea of ​​misclassification probability to test the robustness of the findings. On this basis, a group heterogeneity analysis by region, income level, education level, marital status and age is carried out. The research conclusions of this article can help guide residents in rationally allocating their leisure time and provide a policy reference for the construction of leisure facilities in China’s cities.


GeroPsych ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ljiljana Kaliterna Lipovčan ◽  
Tihana Brkljačić ◽  
Zvjezdana Prizmić Larsen ◽  
Andreja Brajša-Žganec ◽  
Renata Franc

Abstract. Research shows that engagement in leisure activities promotes well-being among older adults. The objective of the current study was to examine the relationship between subjective well-being (flourishing) and leisure activities (total number of different activities in the previous year) in a sample of older adults in Croatia, thereby considering the variables of sex, marital status, financial status, and self-perceived health. The differences in the examined variables between the groups of older adults who reported to be engaged in new activities with those who did not were also examined. The sample of N = 169 older adults aged 60 years and above was drawn from a convenience sample of adult internet users in Croatia. Participants reported their self-perceived health and the number of leisure activities they engaged in over the previous year as well as completing the Flourishing Scale. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that older adults who were engaged in more various leisure activities, who perceived better financial status, and who were married reported higher levels of flourishing. A comparison of the two groups of older adults with and without engagement in leisure activities showed that those engaged in at least one leisure activity were more likely to be women, reported higher levels of flourishing, and perceived their own financial status as better. This study indicated that engaging in leisure activities in later life might provide beneficial effects for the well-being of older adults.


Author(s):  
Margot P. van de Weijer ◽  
Dirk H. M. Pelt ◽  
Catharina E. M. van Beijsterveldt ◽  
Gonneke Willemsen ◽  
Meike Bartels

AbstractSocio-environmental factors play an important role in adolescent well-being, but potential genetic contributions to these associations are rarely assessed. To address this gap in the literature, associations between well-being and family conflict and functioning, number of friends, friendship importance and satisfaction, and leisure time variables were studied in N =  ~ 4700 twin pairs from the Netherlands Twin Register, us ing generalized estimating equations and twin-difference scores. When twin-difference scores indicated a role for genetic factors, we used bivariate genetic models to quantify genetic and environmental contributions to these associations. We identify significant associations between well-being and family functioning, family conflict, different leisure time activities, number of friends, and satisfaction with friendships. Additionally, we find evidence for large (73–91%) genetic influence on the associations between well-being and family conflict and functioning, leisure time sport/scouting clubs, and satisfaction with friendships. Finally, findings support the hypothesis of a causal association between well-being and family conflict and functioning. These findings have important implications for research into the social correlates of well-being in adolescence, as not taking genetic factors into account leads to overestimations of the influence of identified correlates and consequently to recommendations of these correlates as intervention targets.


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