Here comes the weekend! Assuming you work Monday to Friday, how you perceive those two days off affects your level of happiness.
Some people turn weekends in to different kinds of workdays. They save their chores for Saturday and Sunday. I used to do that. And then it hit me. Saturday morning is less fun when it means laundry and vacuuming every time. I changed my chores to stuff I did when I could, and not a commitment every week. Things improved.
Researchers at UCLA Anderson looked at the how we view our weekends and what it means with regard to happiness. When test subjects considered their weekend a mini-vacation they came in on Monday more refreshed.
Why?
Because they didn’t subject themselves to the usual mundane chores. They got out of the same-old and did something they enjoyed. Researchers found it wasn’t the thing they did that made them happier, it was living in the present moment. On vacation, we tend to stay in the present instead of ruminating on the past or planning the future. Happiness increased whether people went skiing, to a spa or just sat and read a book.
The best part of this mind shift is that it’s free! Anyone can access it. So, where will you go on vacation this weekend?