(2006-02-22) Economist America Leisure Increase

The Economist says that the US is having an increase in Leisure time. But why do Americans feel so harried? Weirdly, prosperity may be to blame in two ways. First, thanks to rising real incomes, an American's time is worth more now. A walk in the park is more expensive than it used to be. (When people complain to him about being too busy, Mr Hamermesh tells them that their real problem is too much money.) Second, economic advances allow people to squeeze ever more possible activities, both work and leisure, into a day, which encourages people to try to do too much. Mr Robinson reckons that people will feel less busy to the extent that they can control their schedule and gain flexibility. It is easy to see why a personal video recorder, which offers near-total mastery of the television, is such a popular device; and why traffic jams and security queues at airports exasperate modern workers. Finally, there is the changing nature of work. Mobile phones and e-mail make people accountable on short notice (no Slack), and competition may make them less secure in their jobs. So even if they are playing golf or walking in the park, they may feel as if they are working. It is surely nicer to feel overworked in the park than to be overworked at the office, but few Americans seem to look at it that way. Think about that in your spare time.