Loverboy was right: We feel physically, mentally better on Saturdays
January 14, 2010
Cathal Kelly
Loverboy wasn’t right about much. Red leather pants, for instance.
But they were bang on about one thing: Everybody really is working for the weekend.
New psychological research shows that we feel better on Friday than we do on any other weekday. We feel positively fantastic on Saturday. But by Sunday afternoon, we’re sliding back into a work-week malaise. Even people who have to work weekends feel better on the weekend, according to the research.
Everyone involved in this particular study showed the same “weekend effect,” regardless of age, how much they earned or how high-status their position.
The authors of the study attribute this to two factors: the chance to reconnect with loved ones and the ability to choose the tasks we do.
“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,” study co-author Richard Ryan, a professor at the University of Rochester, said.
Monday to Friday, you work for other people. On Saturday, you work for yourself.
The findings were published in the most recent issue of the Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology.
The study asked 74 adults, ranging from teenagers to those on the cusp of retirement, to answer a series of questions three times daily. The poll was designed to measure three variables: mood, energy levels and physical symptoms, such as headaches.
“According to our data, there is no such thing as a ‘hump’ day,” Ryan said.
But on Friday afternoon, everyone got a little happier. Their aches cleared up. As Mike Reno might put it, “You wanna be in the show. C’mon baby, let’s go.”
Levels continued upward into Saturday. But by Sunday afternoon, the crash had begun.
“Sunday’s when things start to go downhill. Especially mood,” Ryan said.
Then things levelled off for another five days until Friday.
The effect is so pervasive that it even infects those who have to work Saturdays and Sundays.
“We think that’s because on the weekend there are a lot of cultural events,” Ryan said. “Plus everyone around you is happier because they’re off work, so there’s a little social contagion effect.”
This sort of thing doesn’t have to make your boss feel like a weekday jailer. Ryan suggests a number of things that can be done to make the workweek more productive.
“A lot of employers are already get it — with flex-time or management-by-objective scenarios where workers are given a lot more choice about how they go about their jobs,” Ryan said. “They report a lot greater job satisfaction, which leads to a better mood.”
As for that rarest of species — the jovial workaholic — Ryan and his colleagues are still trying to spot him.
“I’m sure there are a few people who aren’t showing a big weekend effect,” said Ryan. “Those are the people who really love their jobs. We have to hunt those people down.”
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