All Work and No Play Makes Life Dull

In this Article (Index)

• Pursuit of Happiness
• The Study
• Key Findings

The Pursuit of Happiness

All work, and no play, makes Jack a dull boy. John Ray, A Compleat Collection of English Proverbs (1768)

A study published in 2023 validates the truth in this old English proverb about the interplay between work and play, and their impact on happiness, well-being, and fulfillment.

Considering that subjective well-being not only makes life happier and more satisfying but also reduces the risk of disease and contributes to a longer life,(2) the findings of this study are even more relevant.

A study by a team led by Dr. Paul Hanel, of the Department of Psychology at the University of Essex,(1) found that focusing on achievements makes you less happy than focusing on enjoyment.

The Study

This study involved 184 subjects from three countries/regions: India, Tükiye (Turkey). and the European Union/UK. They were followed over nine days and analyzed the association between five core values with happiness as measured by positive feelings such as lower stress levels, better mood, and sleep, and also negative feelings.

The Five Values that were studied

These were the personal values analyzed in this study:

1. Self-direction: Freedom and creativity. Like independent action, thoughts, choosing, and exploring.
2. Stimulation: Daring, a varied life. Excitement, novelty
3. Hedonism: Pleasure, leisure, enjoyment, and gratification for oneself.
4. Achievement: Personal success, Ambition, Work. Showing you are competent according to social standards.
5. Conformity: Obedience. Following the rules.

Those who had Self-direction had an increase in well-being the following day, but those who pursued their hedonist wishes not only increased their well-being but also felt less negative feelings the next day.

Having more positive well-being allowed them to fulfill their achievement, hedonist, and freedom goals the next day. While, on the contrary, those with more negative feelings were less able to reach their achievement goals. In other words, if you feel good, you attain more, and if you are demotivated your performance drops.

From our results, it seems likely that such basic leisure activities are more beneficial to reduce negative feelings, such as anxiety, depression, and stress than the activities involved in the fulfillment of other values (e.g., achievement, stimulation). Hanel, Tunçnc, Bhasin, Litzellachner, & Maio (2024)(1)

The authors also found that "acting in line with one's values can increase well-being [and] that well-being can increase the likelihood of acting in line with one's values," a positive cycle of happiness and personal values.

Closing Comments

It is nice to see your intuition confirmed by a scientific study (being free and enjoying life makes you happier than reaching a goal at work). There is a lesson to be learned here, we should give ourselves permission to move away from ambition as a life goal and focus more on enjoyment, and do so without guilty feelings.