Thinking of Leisure as a Waste of Time Undermines Enjoyment
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2021.104198
Explanation
Although leisure provides many benefits to mental and physical health, many people believe that leisure is wasteful and unproductive.
Four studies (n = 1310) have shown that believing that leisure time is wasteful detracts from the enjoyment of enacted leisure activities.
Studies 1 and 2 reported that people who tend to perceive leisure as wasteful in general report less enjoyment of leisure activities on average, and the belief that leisure is wasteful is associated with decreased well-being, depression, anxiety, and increased stress.
Studies establishing this causal relationship3, 4 have shown that priming the belief that leisure is wasteful or unproductive ultimately reduces the enjoyment of motivated leisure activities.
Unfortunately, however, it has also been shown that priming the belief that leisure is productive does not increase enjoyment.