Be busy to be happy

Even doing meaningless or unnecessary tasks makes you feel better than just sitting round getting bored, reports express.co.uk.





Being forced to wait for a quarter of an hour in the airport luggage lounge, 
for instance, leaves many of us feeling miserable. But if it was placed 
further away and we had to spend the same time walking there 
we would be much happier about it.
Unfortunately, our instinct is to be lazy because unless we have a reason
 for being active we choose to stare blankly into space - an evolutionary 
development that ensures we conserve energy.
Behavioural scientist professor Christopher Hsee, of the University of 
Chicago, asked students to complete a questionnaire and then wait 15 minutes.
They could drop off the completed survey nearby and wait out the 
remaining time or leave it at a place further away, where walking back and
 forth would keep them busy.
Afterwards the students who decided to walk reported feeling 
significantly happier than the idle ones. Professor Hsee believes it may
 be possible to use this principle to benefit society.
"If we can devise a mechanism for idle people to engage in activity
that is at least not harmful, I think it is better than destructive idleness," said Hsee.
"Governments may increase the happiness of idle citizens by having
 them build bridges that are actually useless," he added.
Source: IANS