The Hindu Business Line : Is leisure, pleasure?

Think about this. How would you feel if your employer were to ask you to take a month off? Would you be happy that you will have more leisure time? Or would you feel depressed that you will be away from work? If you are like most of us, you will be happy at first, more so if your employer pays you for the holidays! Indeed, classical economics tells that we derive more pleasure from leisure than we do at work. But you and I may be wrong in assuming that leisure is more pleasure. Why?

Take the case of my friend, an automobile engineer based in Canada. He worked for one of the big three auto firms till August, which was when he was laid off. Until then, he had a busy schedule, working nearly 9 hours every day and then teaching engineering students after work. Like most of us, he also wished to take a month or two off from his busy schedule.

Now that he has only leisure time, how you do think he feels about it? He wishes that he can get back to work, perhaps, even for 10 hours a day! Why?

Search for meaning

Work is more than a means to earn money. We derive some meaning from our work. And if you believe Victor Frankl, the famous Viennese Psychiatrist and a Nazi concentration-camp survivor, it is this search for meaning that motivates people’s lives.

In other words, you and I are happy to be busy. And work keeps us crazy-busy if you will. Give us leisure and we waste our time thinking what we should do!

A survey conducted in the US found that nearly 70 per cent of people preferred to work even if they have enough money to retire.

Of course, you may not agree with this especially if you do not like your job. But sometimes, your boring job may be better than having more time for leisure than you actually need. My friend who got laid-off knows that well.

(The author is a Chennai-based financial analyst.)

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