Do The Weekends Improve Your Health - By: Elaine Ferguson

Do you spend most of your week waiting for Friday, i.e., TGIF (thank God it's Friday)? Many of us do. I admit, I am happy to see the weekend roll around, but it comes and goes too quickly, so I've focused on enjoying each day. More heart attacks occur on Monday morning, because, I believe people don't want to go to work, due to the stresses they face at the job.

University of Rochester psychologist Richard Ryan, Ph.D, Kirk Brown, Ph.D, a professor from Virginia Commonwealth University and Jerry Bernstein, Ph.D., from McGill University Ph.D., Jessey Bernstein, found evidence to support the conventional wisdom that weekends are more enjoyable than weekdays. They also gained insight as to why the weekends are critical to our physical and emotional health and well-being.

The researchers evaluated the moods of 74 adults between the ages of 18 to 62 who worked at least 30 hours per week. For 21 days, the participants were randomly contacted via pagers three times throughout the day and asked to complete a brief questionnaire describing the activity they were engaged in at that moment. They rated their feelings on a scale, positive feelings such as happiness, joy and pleasure, along with negative feelings such as anxiety, anger and depression. Also, the group reported headaches, low energy, respiratory illnesses and digestive problems, all physical signs of stress.

People from all walks of life, secretaries, blue collar workers, such as construction laborers, to lawyers and doctors were included in the study. Regardless of their occupation, they all experienced more vitality, and fewer aches and pains from Friday evening to Sunday afternoon, concludes the first study of daily mood variation in employed adults to be published in the January 2010 issue of the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology. And that 'weekend effect' is largely associated with the freedom to choose one's activities and the opportunity to spend time with loved ones, the research found.

"Workers, even those with interesting, high status jobs, really are happier on the weekend," says author Richard Ryan, a professor of psychology at the University of Rochester. "Our findings highlight just how important free time is to an individual's well-being." Ryan adds. "Far from frivolous, the relatively unfettered time on weekends provides critical opportunities for bonding with others, exploring interests and relaxing - basic psychological needs that people should be careful not to crowd out with overwork," Dr. Ryan cautions.

The work week "is filled with activities involving external controls, time pressures, and demands on behavior related to work, child care and other constraints." Workers also may spend time among colleagues with whom they share limited emotional connections.

"Our findings highlight just how important free time is to an individual's well-being," Ryan said.

The work week is typically filled with activities most people have no control over, time pressures and behavior requirements, child care, and other constraints. In general people spend a lot of time with co-workers and colleagues with whom they have limited, if any emotional connections.

About the Author

Learn more about holistic health. Visit Dr. Ferguson's site and get the latest research info mind body techniques to improve your health.

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