Want to Be Happier? Science Says Buying a Little Time Leads to Significantly Greater Life Satisfaction

 In 1930, the influential economist John Maynard Keynes assessed how technological and economic advances had reduced the number of hours the average person worked. He predicted that within two generations, most people would work only three hours a day.

Working hard wouldn't be a problem. Filling all that free time would, for most people, be the problem.

While Keynes got a lot of things right, he swung and missed on that one. Technological advances have not freed up the average person's time. Neither have broader economic advances.

Nor has increased wealth. In fact, some studies show that the more money people make, the less time they think they have.

Add it all up, and money can't buy you happiness. 

Unless, purposefully and consciously, you use a little money to buy a little time.

In a 2017 study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers surveyed thousands of people who sometimes paid other people to perform tasks they didn't enjoy or didn't want to do. Like mowing the lawn. Or cleaning the house. Or running errands. Stuff they needed to do, but didn't particularly want to do.

Unsurprisingly, people who were willing to spend a little money to buy a little time were happier and felt greater overall life satisfaction than those who did not.

Correlation isn't always causation, though. Maybe the people who spend money to buy time are happier simply because they have the money to buy time? 

Nope. While relatively wealthy people who spent money to buy a little time were happier than relatively wealthy people who did not, people at the bottom end of the economic spectrum who spent money to buy a little time were happier than those at the bottom end of the economic spectrum who did not.

No matter how much you make, no matter how wealthy you are, buying a little time makes you happier. (With a couple of catches; more on that in a moment.)

Just to prove the causation point, the researchers conducted a further experiment. One week, participants were given $40 and told to spend it on any item or items they chose. The only restriction was that they had to use the money to buy "things." 

The next week, participants were given $40 and told they had to spend it on freeing up time. Cleaning. Maintenance. Delivery. Paying someone to do something they didn't want to do so they could use that time to do something they did want to do.

You've already guessed the result: When the participants bought time instead of things, they felt happier, less stressed, and more satisfied.

There is a catch. The researchers found that "spending too much money on time saving services could undermine perceptions of personal control by leading people to infer that they are unable to handle any daily tasks, potentially reducing well-being."

Granted, most of us can't afford to spend so much money buying time that we feel inadequate or incapable. But still: Making a conscious decision about which tasks to occasionally farm out is key. 

And why you decided to farm out that task. If someone always cuts your grass, then you've likely made that your new normal. You probably still feel too busy. You probably still feel time is scarce.

The key to buying time is to consciously decide how you will use the time your money freed up. Buying time will make you happier only if it feels intentional and purposeful--not because you don't have the time, but because you want to use the time you have differently.

Instead of cutting the grass, you might decide (again, to make this work you have to decide) to spend the time with family or friends. Or working on that side project you can't seem to get to. Or reading. Or working out.

In short, doing something you enjoy--doing something you want to do--with the time you bought.

That's when money can buy you a little happiness.

No matter how much you make.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.   

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Persistent Myths about Exercising in Your Golden Years

Being fit is possible at any age. In fact, you’re better off doing some kind of exercise than sitting on the couch no matter if you’re 8 or 80, as regular physical activity will not only keep your physical and mental health in check, it will also help you feel more independent and capable in your everyday life. Sadly, many seniors give up on exercise, with only 30% of people past the age of 65 reporting having an active lifestyle, and we argue that the way we think about exercising in senior years is to blame.

Given everything we now know about the benefits of exercise, these false beliefs have to go, so let’s tackle these 6 common exercise myths together and get empowered for a happy and active life. 

 

Myth 1. “Exercising in Advanced Age is Pointless Due to the Inevitable Physical and Mental Decline.”

It is certainly true that we’re more prone to chronic illness and other health conditions as we approach our advanced years, but the weakness and loss of balance that we often associate with old age are actually signs of lack of exercise, and not old age itself.

And the proof is in the pudding: the people who don’t submit to this dangerous myth can run marathons, dance ballet, or lift weights all the way into their 70’s and 80’s. Of course, these people are exceptional and being an athlete in your golden years is not for everyone, but these cases prove that staying active and capable irrespective of your age is possible. 

 

Myth 2. “I don’t have the time or money to exercise.” 

This myth isn’t specific to seniors, it’s one that spans across all age groups. The truth is, however, that you don’t actually need to exercise for hours every day at the gym to stay fit. Experts recommend exercising at least 150 minutes a week, which is around 20 minutes a day.

Even if you’re very busy, you can divide this time into 2 chunks and just spend 10 minutes of walking in the morning and another 10-15 minutes of yoga, strength building exercises or sometimes even vacuuming your house or doing any other house work to hit your daily activity goal. Any physical activity counts, and so you don’t have to sign up for a gym membership to stay fit. 

 

If you want to lift weights, you can use cans or bottles filled with sand as your weights. If you want to improve your flexibility and balance, you can try some age-friendly chair yoga.

 

Myth 3. “Exercising at My Age is Unsafe, I’m Afraid to Fall and Break Something.” 

This myth is one of the most popular and also one of the most ridiculous ones because it is precisely the lack of exercise that makes you have a worse sense of balance and less strength, and so every time you don’t exercise, you’re raising your own risk of injury.

Furthermore, regular exercise was shown to prevent bone loss, a process precursive to osteoporosis, when the bone density begins to decrease, so physical activity can actually make your bones stronger as well. The same goes for joint health, by the way, as studies have confirmed that exercising actually helps reduce the sensitivity, stiffness, and pain accompanying arthritis.

Myth 4. “Exercise is only beneficial for the heart.” 

After reading about the previous myth, you can probably already debunk this one on your own. To be brief, exercise benefits your entire body, starting from your heart, blood circulation, your lung capacity, metabolism, digestive issues like constipation and gas, as well as your bones and joints. 

 

But even that is not the full list of the health benefits of exercise, as it can also help your brain work properly, preventing dementia. Finally, exercise also promotes mental health in several ways, here is a dedicated article on this topic. 

 

Myth 5. “I’m too weak to exercise.” 

 Often enough, our concept of what it means to exercise doesn't match our own self-image. We imagine someone who exercises as this bodybuilder or professional yogi who can do all sorts of incredible feats with their bodies. However, what is exercise to you isn’t what would count as exercise to them. This is especially true when it comes to people who just recently recovered from an illness or accident, who often find it challenging to raise their hands or get up from a chair.

Don’t think that to truly exercise, you need to start running marathons or turn yourself into a human pretzel. If you find it difficult to walk for more than a few minutes, or even if you’re bedridden, talk to a physical therapist or your physician and ask them for exercises that can get you started off on a path of self-improvement. 

 

The best way to think of your own physical activity goals is “celebrate what you can do and your personal accomplishments and don’t compare yourself to others”. 

 

Myth 6. “I Never Exercised When I Was Younger and Now It’s Too Late to Start.” 

You definitely didn’t do yourself a favor by being a couch potato for decades, but that’s not a reason to give up on yourself now. It’s never too late to start exercising, building strength, and increasing your flexibility and balance. Certainly, experienced athletes have also reaped the long-term benefits of exercise, but the absolute minimum that starting an exercise routine will do for you is to build muscle, which will help stabilize your bones and joints, increase your blood circulation and lift your mood. 

 

In fact, a recent study even showed that senior beginners are just as good at building muscles as experienced senior athletes. There’s also evidence that physical activity can help manage the symptoms of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, and prevent their development in seniors. So, even if you start exercising for the first time in your 60’s, 70’s or later, it will benefit you plenty.

This is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.     

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations  
https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes    
https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

Nickel allergy ( money)

A handful of change can leave you with an itchy rash. Body piercing is another common trigger. Nickel (a metal found in coins, jewelry, keys, and other everyday objects) is one of the leading causes of allergic dermatitis. A quick test in your allergist's office can often tell whether that's the problem. You can treat breakouts with a prescription corticosteroid cream.

this is only for your information, kindly take the advice of your doctor for medicines, exercises and so on.

https://gscrochetdesigns.blogspot.com. one can see my crochet creations

https://gseasyrecipes.blogspot.com. feel free to view for easy, simple and healthy recipes

https://kneereplacement-stickclub.blogspot.com. for info on knee replacement

The Truth About Hand Washing and Bacteria

Are you a person that takes care to properly wash your hands? Well, if you answered yes then you are one of a worldwide minority of people who wash their hands.  Surveys conducted in the United States suggest that while 2/3 of people do wash their hands, 95 percent of them are washing them wrong. In Britain, one experiment found that while 99 percent of the people tested admitted to washing their hands after using the facilities, a camera revealed that only 32% of the men and 64% of the women actually washed their hands with soap and water.    You may be asking 'why did the test subjects lie?' Well the only viable answer to that question is that they sincerely believed that their hands weren't dirty enough to spread disease or infect. But after viewing these unexpected places that are dirtier than your toilet, we promise you will never not wash your hands (or lie about it) again!

Keyboards: Your computer keyboard, yes the one you are typing on right now, can have up to 200 times more bacteria than a toilet seat. During a test of the equipment in a busy London office, microbiologists found a few keyboards that were so dirty that they were classified as 150 times the acceptable limit for bacteria.  The most common bacteria found on the keyboards was Staphylococcus, which lives in our noses, throats, hair and skin. This is the bacteria that spreads when we touch our faces or sneeze into our hands, and fail to wash them after. Many of the items on this list are here because they are heavily ridden with staph.

Restaurant menus: Of course, with everyone touching, sneezing or coughing on the menu in front of them, it's no wonder that they usually carry 100 time more bacteria than a restaurant toilet seat. In fact, a large percentage of food-borne diseases like E. coli spread in restaurants when someone has contaminated hands.

Door knobs: It's not secret that hands are one of the dirtiest parts of the body, so when we touch a door knob, we are spreading all of our germs and then some onto the handle for the next unsuspecting person to pick up.

Your Pillow: Believe it or not, but your pillow is dirtier than a toilet seat! Dead skin cells, dust mites, spores, and other body secretions remain on the pillow you rest your head on every night. Therefore, it is important to change pillow cases once a week to ensure optimal hygiene.

Money: In a recent study in the United Kingdom, it was found that 26 percent of hands have fecal matter on them, as well as 14 percent of banknotes and 10 percent of credit cards. That means any of the money you handle could infect you with the common cold, the flu or even stomach poisoning.

Kitchen sponges: Everything that you make or do in the kitchen involves some form of bacteria. Yet what is meant to be a cleaning vehicle may actually be the dirtiest thing in your house! It has 10 million bacteria per square inch, making a quarter of million times dirtier than your toilet seat.

Cellphones: Your cellphone is packed with bacteria from your hands, face and everything in between. Cellphones are about 10 times dirtier than a toilet seat because we are touching them and spitting into them all day long.

Ice: A recent study of fast food restaurants in the United States found that 70 percent of the ice served has more bacteria than the water in the toilet bowl. We'll take our soda lukewarm!

Toothbrush: Although it may only enter your mouth, your toothbrush is ridden with bacteria. Research has found that one tooth brush can harbor more than 100 million bacteria, including dangerous E. coli bacteria, which can cause diarrhea, and staph. Make sure you change your brush on a regular basis!

Light switch: The light switch can have up to 217 bacteria per square inch, which means that every time you turn the light on and off, you could be exposed to dangerous bacteria that has accumulated there over time. Make sure that you clean the light switches regularly at your home and office with bleach! Remember, you should wash your hands thoroughly with antibacterial soap for a total of around 40 seconds to a minute. Make sure the soap reaches a rich lathery consistency before washing it off. If everyone washes their hands the way they should, it is predicted that over a million deaths from disease a year could be prevented. So for your good and the good of all, wash your hands responsibly! PS- THIS IS ONLY FOR INFORMATION, ALWAYS CONSULT YOU PHYSICIAN BEFORE HAVING ANY PARTICULAR FOOD/ MEDICATION/EXERCISE/OTHER REMEDIES. PS- THOSE INTERESTED IN RECIPES ARE FREE TO VIEW MY BLOG- HTTP:GSEASYRECIPES.BLOGSPOT.COM/ FOR INFO ABOUT KNEE REPLACEMENT, YOU CAN VIEW MY BLOG- HTTP://KNEE REPLACEMENT-STICK CLUB.BLOGSPOT.COM/ FOR CROCHET DESIGNS HTTP://MY CROCHET CREATIONS.BLOGSPOT.COM