Learn about the science of human-wildlife conflicts; and what you risk by believing that leisure is a waste of time. More from “America’s funniest science writer” Mary Roach: Pick up "Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law" at your local bookstore: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781324001935 Mary Roach’s official website: https://maryroach.net/ Follow @mary_roach on Twitter: https://twitter.com/mary_roach Believing leisure is a waste of time makes you less happy by Steffie Drucker Believing leisure is wasteful reduces happiness. (2021, August 24). EurekAlert! https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/926261 Selin Malkoc. (2021, August 25). I studied people who think leisure is a waste of time – here’s what I found. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/i-studied-people-who-think-leisure-is-a-waste-of-time-heres-what-i-found-165929 Tonietto, G. N., Malkoc, S. A., Reczek, R. W., & Norton, M. I. (2021). Viewing leisure as wasteful undermines enjoyment. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 97, 104198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2021.104198 Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to learn something new every day withCody Gough andAshley Hamer. Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go to https://discoveryplus.com/curiosity to start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.
Learn about the science of human-wildlife conflicts; and what you risk by believing that leisure is a waste of time.
More from “America’s funniest science writer” Mary Roach:
Believing leisure is a waste of time makes you less happy by Steffie Drucker
Follow Curiosity Daily on your favorite podcast app to learn something new every day with Cody Gough and Ashley Hamer. Still curious? Get exclusive science shows, nature documentaries, and more real-life entertainment on discovery+! Go to https://discoveryplus.com/curiosity to start your 7-day free trial. discovery+ is currently only available for US subscribers.
Find episode transcript here: https://curiosity-daily-4e53644e.simplecast.com/episodes/human-wildlife-conflict-and-believing-leisure-is-a-waste-of-time
CODY: Hi! You’re about to get smarter in just a few minutes with Curiosity Daily from curiosity-dot-com. I’m Cody Gough.
ASHLEY: And I’m Ashley Hamer. Today, you’ll learn about the science of human-wildlife conflicts, with “America’s funniest science writer” Mary Roach. You’ll also learn why it can be unhealthy to believe that leisure is a waste of time.
CODY: Let’s satisfy some curiosity.
We share the planet with lots of different animals. And sometimes, our habitats overlap. Luckily, there are experts who know how to handle these human-wildlife conflicts so that nobody gets hurt — and today's guest is here to tell us about them. Mary Roach has been called "America's funniest science writer" and is the author of five bestselling nonfiction books, including her latest: "Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law." And we asked her: what's a science writer doing writing about human-wildlife conflict? Is there science there?
[CLIP 5:48]
Who you gonna call? The elephant response team! Again, that was Mary Roach, author of the new book "Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law." Mary will be back tomorrow to talk about some simple solutions for dealing with everyday wildlife woes.
It can seem impossible to achieve work/life balance, especially in America where “hustle culture” discourages relaxation. That culture is so ingrained that many people believe that taking a break to have fun is a waste of time. According to new research, people who believe that actually end up enjoying leisure less. If that’s you, never fear. There may be a fix.
For a study, researchers from Rutgers University, The Ohio University, and Harvard had 141 students fill out surveys. They had to rate how strongly they agreed with statements saying hobbies are a waste of time. In the middle of these boring tasks, they got to watch a popular cat video and rated how much they enjoyed it. The students who felt leisure time wasn’t worthwhile didn’t enjoy the videos as much.
To dig into these results a bit more, the researchers did a follow-up study where they had students rate how much they enjoyed different leisure activities. Some were more active, like exercise, or passive, like relaxing; and others were more social or solitary. The survey also asked questions about their mental health: things like happiness, depression, anxiety and stress. Those who felt leisure time was wasteful said they enjoyed every activity less overall. They also reported having poorer mental health.
The team wanted to know whether this was a uniquely American viewpoint, so they surveyed participants from France, where leisure is highly valued, and India, where work ethic is even more prized than in the US. Consistent with prevailing stereotypes, fewer French people felt that leisure time was a waste compared to the work-oriented Americans — and fewer Americans believed it than Indians. Even still, the French folk who did show disdain for leisure were just as likely to find it unpleasant and to be anxious or depressed.
Now I did say there’s a fix, and it comes down to an additional survey the researchers did where they asked people how they had celebrated Halloween. Those with a negative view of leisure time preferred activities that felt productive or fulfilled responsibilities, like exercising or trick-or-treating with their kids.
In the end, the researchers suggest that if rise-and-grind types can reframe leisure activities as helping them work toward a goal, they might benefit. Maybe think of watching TV as a way to stay updated on pop culture, or hanging with friends as a way to keep those bonds strong. You can also pursue actually goal-oriented hobbies, like learning a language. The key is to put reason behind your recreation.
Let’s do a quick recap of what we learned today
[ad lib optional]
ASHLEY: The writer for today’s mental health story was Steffie Drucker.
CODY: Our managing editor is Ashley Hamer, who was also an audio editor on today’s episode.
ASHLEY: Our producer and lead audio editor is Cody Gough.
CODY: [AD LIB SOMETHING FUNNY] Join us again tomorrow to learn something new in just a few minutes.
ASHLEY: And until then, stay curious!