The Saad Truth about Happiness by Gad Saad

Author:Gad Saad
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Regnery Publishing
Published: 2023-07-25T00:00:00+00:00

Variety of Activities and Geographic Locations

At my home, we have three cardio machines: an elliptical, a stationary bike, and a treadmill. Does the fact that we have three machines increase the amount of exercise that I do as compared to if we had only, say, one machine? Anecdotally, I would answer with an emphatic yes! In the same way that a food buffet induces greater eating, a buffet of exercise machines yields greater exercising. I often will do a “home biathlon” (using two of the machines in one session) and more rarely a “home triathlon” (all three machines in one session). This has certainly augmented the amount of time that I dedicate to my daily exercise routine. The science supports my anecdotal evidence. Incorporating a variety of exercise machines yields many benefits, including a greater number of completed repetitions, more cumulative weight lifted (on resistance machines), as well as greater liking of the exercise sessions.64 The variety effect can make us fatter (greater food intake), but it can also make us thinner (greater amount of exercising)!

Of course, variety can also be challenging. At the beginning of my career as a professor, I was irked by the imposition of mundane errands that interrupted the flow of my work as an academic. If I was preparing lectures, I did not want to be bothered with anything else—and I was dedicated to completing one task before moving onto another. As my career progressed, I had to learn quickly how to multitask as my professional life took on a very hectic turn. I was soon juggling many assignments, from working on scientific papers to writing articles (for a lay audience) or books, teaching, supervising theses, applying for research grants, fielding media requests, hosting The Saad Truth online, answering fan emails, being a dad and a husband, and numerous other responsibilities and activities.

Does such a variety of activities lead to happiness? It turns out that it depends on a given time frame. Within a relatively short time frame (like an hour), greater variety leads to lesser happiness because it is usually regarded as a hindrance to productivity. But in longer time periods (say, over the course of a day), variety augments one’s happiness because the variety of activities is more likely to be regarded as stimulating.65 In today’s era of social media interruptions, this finding resonates deeply with me. When I was working on my earlier books, prior to the era of hyperactive social media engagement, I never experienced a break of my writing flow stemming from this lure. Today, on the other hand, I detest the fact that I often experience the irresistible pull of scrolling through my Twitter feed. Twitter interruptions over a one-hour period are annoying, whereas tweeting during a dedicated thirty-minute block can be rewarding. Speaking of time management, using data from four countries (Canada, the United States, the Netherlands, and Denmark), researchers found that when individuals purchase time-saving products or services, their happiness increases.66 In a world of endless time pressures, freeing up one’s time is a pathway to well-being.

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