http://www.themedguru.com/20100114/newsfeature/people-happiest-during-weekends-study-86131803.html
I found this article to be rather interesting, the study suggests that weekends have a significant effect on the body. Researchers suggest that, "simply being in charge of your own day, spending quality time with family, provides better mood, greater vitality and (fewer) physical ailments from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon."
While the results of this study are probably to be expected - most people are visibly happier on the weekends - it is interesting to hear about what they believe specifically causes physiological changes, such as hormone release, and a more positive attitude overall.
They attribute some of these changes to higher feelings of autonomy. At first, I wondered if this effect was mainly seen in those with relatively low paying jobs (those with consistently low autonomy throughout the week), but the effect was found regardless of occupation, age, gender, or relationship status.
I actually found it very interesting that even those with high status jobs experience this effect on weekends. I have generally thought that workers with high status already tend to have significantly higher levels of autonomy and leisure, so the presence of the weekend would not make as much of a difference to them. According to this study, I may be wrong.
I wonder if another reason for this affect is that people are often able to rest more on weekends. In BioPsychology I remember the author (John Pinel) mentioning that over time people can gradually reduce the amount of time they sleep to as little as two hours per night with only minor effects, but I have not yet looked at the studies on which he based those statements. I wonder how much of a role (perhaps 2 additional hours) additional sleep can play in improving one's mental and physical condition. I find studies involving sleep to be among the most interesting, and from what I have read it seems like much more research needs to be conducted in this area.
Another question I have is, "Why don't the effects seem to carry past Sunday afternoon?" I suppose the answer may lie in their original report, but if it does it would be rather odd for them not to have included it in the article. I have often heard people say that they will be revitalized and refreshed for work after the weekend, but in my experience I'm not sure people tend to be any better or any worse at their jobs whether it is a Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. In any case, I think some of the questions that arise from this article merit further research.
This was a great article! Many of us probably take for granted that we are happiest on the weekends—why wouldn’t we be? We are given more control over what we will do with our time, and we often plan to have fun on those two precious days every week that we do not need to work or go to school. The fact that we have the freedom to choose who we will spend our time with and what we will do seems to dramatically impact our moods as well. But even those who work on Saturday and Sunday feel better on the weekend—perhaps because the rest of us do (social cotangent effect). This study has generated a significant amount of media attention, and the underlying theme seems to be that the “weekend effect” reflects the problems with the workplace that are inhibiting the amount of autonomy given to workers. People are feeling restricted, alienated and less connected with their co-workers while at work, and the lack of autonomy and choice in addition to being away from those they love may be the greatest contributing factor to the “weekend effect” itself. When people have free time they are rejuvenated and something is added to their lives. Vacation and free time are valuable and it is becoming increasing common for this time to few and far between in our culture. Interventions in the workplace to generate greater autonomy, free time, and choice may greatly improve mental health. The University of Rochester has created a page to highlight this study including a YouTube clip of Richard Ryan discussing the results. Check out the link to learn more about this study!
http://www.rochester.edu/news/show.php?id=3525
The results of this article seem pretty obvious. The fact is that most people do not enjoy their work very much if at all. A lot of jobs are structured and involve repetitive tasks and occur in the same environment, so that environment may become associated with negative states (boredom) regardless of the task. One reason why free(unstructured) time is more pleasing to people could partly be due to the neurotransmitter we talked about in class, dopamine. On the weekend people have more control over what they do and usually they do things that they enjoy (concerts, fishing, drinking). Planning and engaging in things they already find rewarding triggers dopamine release making them feel good. Also, the fact that weekends can be unstructured means more unexpected positive events are likely to happen on the weekend (parties, sex), which triggers dopamine release.
Then, the fact that these planned enjoyable activities and unexpected positive events(increased dopamine) are associated with the weekend and not the work week leads us to dread (feel worse) going back to work (or school sometimes for that matter) and anticipate the weekend (which can trigger dopamine release making us feel good). The anticipation of weekend events makes us more motivated to engage in them again, which reinforces the notion of the weekend being more enjoyable (unless we have to do yard work or something).
While this article is seemingly an obvious study, it is interesting to consider why people's emotions are so much different on the weekend than they are during the weekdays. I agree with the blogger above that oftentimes it's the environment and the associations we make with those environments. During the college school week or even a 40-hour work week, I truly believe the monotony of our daily routines dampen any and all motivation we originally had. We go to school to earn a degree and become employed, that is our motivation. Yet this motivation wanes as the daily routines seemingly provide diminishing returns week after week. The weekends, however, are liberating for an individual. It is said that we live in the land of the free, but it is intersting to consider just how free we are...Many individuals work non-stop to earn a living and fulfill their "role" in society. There is no time in their day to focus on their psychological needs as a human being. We also have choices and the freedom to explore our interests on the weekends, whether it being drinking and socializing, going to a country concert, or going to Wrigley to watch the Cubs play. For me, these are all things I look forward to during the stress of the week. The weekends are essentially my motivators to endure the five-day grind.
This was indeed a very interesting article! It has basic common sense behind it...most people recognize that they are happier on the weekends and it's the part of the week that people most look forward to. Even though it has face validity of common sense, it's nice to have research and study behind a commonly held belief as well.
In my opinion, the cause for the effects of weekend happiness only lasting until Sunday afternoon is that anticipation of Monday and being back to work changes a person's thinking into the upcoming loss of autonomy and relaxation time.
I learned in my organizational psych class that one of the biggest motivators on the job is achievement. Though the upcoming weekend and relaxation may be strong motivators to get through the work week, achievement motivation is actually stronger. I think this might be different among college students and our motivation to get through the week, because attending school is very different from attending a job, so the motivators are likely to be different as well.
When I read the title of the article I thought these guys can't be serious. Isn't it just too obvious weekends are more enjoyable, why would a study need to be done on this. Then I though what's their next study "Kids like Candy" or maybe "Rocks Sink in Water." Then I read it and found it too be rather interesting. In our text, Reeve writes "When people have days that allow them to feel autonomous, competent, and interpersonally related, they are significantly more likely to agree with the following statements: 1. I feel alive, 2. Sometimes I feel so alive I just want to burst, 3. I feel engergized." On the weekends the events in our lives seems to be more satisfying as they involve our psychological needs. Where some of us may have jobs that we really enjoy, nothing is better than the feeling of being in total control of our day.
I thought this article was also interesting. Although the results were pretty obvious to me, it was still interesting reading the different findings. From personal experience, I know that I am always in a much better mood on the weekends. There's freedom to do what I want, when I want, without having to work it around work or a school schedule. Also, sleep may play a role in this. During the week people may not be getting as much sleep as on the weekends. People are trying to meet deadlines for work or get that paper done for class at the last minute. On the weekends, even if people go out late at night, they are able to sleep in and get a good night's rest without having to worry about what needs to get done the next day at work/school.
Since people tend to be in better moods on the weekends, would this also be the case if they had a day off in the middle of the week? It would be something to consider. If people are in better moods on the weekends because they aren't working and get more sleep, would they perform better at work if they had a day off on a Wednesday to break up the week? It's something to think about. It could increase job and life satisfaction.
Having experienced one of the most stressful semesters of my life, I was drawn to the posts dealing with stress. I found this one particularly interesting.
The original article (http://www.themedguru.com/20100114/newsfeature/people-happiest-during-weekends-study-86131803.html) explains that people are in general happier on the weekends. This is due to several factors, primarily “being in charge of your own day” and spending time with those you are close to. The positive attitude provided by the weekends' autonomy is unmatched. Even those with high-status or interesting jobs are shown to be happier on the weekend. Age, marital status, earning potential, hours of work, all did not have an impact on the findings. These studies further emphasize the importance of relaxation to an individual’s well-being.
Nothing I read in this article came to me as a surprise, especially when relating this to my own life. As I mentioned above, this has been the most stress-induced semester I have ever experienced. I am currently the Student Body Vice President. Sitting on over 20 committees, it is a 40 hour per week job. On top of that, I am in several student organizations, including the Student Admissions Ambassadors (the people that give prospective student tours). I am also very involved with the Men’s Glee Club, a group that I rehearse about 8 or more hours a week with. Somewhere among all of this, I manage to take classes and attempt to maintain the high quality academic work I am accustomed to.
Now, I am not trying to vent about my busy schedule, and I am certainly not bragging about my involvements. I am just putting my life into context. Amidst all of this hectic-ness, a guy like me needs to try to have some free time to remain sane. The majority of my de-stressing is provided by the weekend. Even though I usually have to spend each weekend catching up on work, I find myself significantly more elated on those magical two days per week. As explained by the article, simply being able to have control over my day (doing what I want, when I want), gives me a stronger sense of freedom and control. I am a bit of a perfectionist, so when I become so busy that I cannot do things to their fullest or best extent (like turning in blog posts for class late), I become very uncomfortable. The relief of being commitment-free one or two days a week helps bring back some of that comfort.