Thaindian News

Washington, Oct 20 (IANS) The mantra for happiness in consumer society is a sensible and balanced use of time — too little or too much of it can be counter-productive, researchers suggest.

Young people with compulsive buying issues need just the right amount of spare time to feel happier, showed a new study by Chris Manolis from Xavier University, Cincinnati, and James Roberts of Baylor University, Texas.

“We now live in a society where time is of essence. The perception of a shortage of time is linked to lower levels of happiness,” the journal Applied Research in Quality of Life reported.

Manolis and Roberts examined the effect of spare time one perceives one has, on the consequences of materialistic values and compulsive buying for adolescent well-being, according to a statement from the universities.

A total of 1,329 high school students participated in the study.

They were queried on how much spare time they thought they had; the extent to which they held materialistic values and their subjective well-being.

The findings confirm that both materialism and compulsive buying have a negative impact on teenagers’ happiness.

Specifically, moderate time affluence — being neither too busy, nor having too much spare time — was linked to higher levels of happiness in materialistic teenagers and those who are compulsive buyers.

“Living with a sensible, balanced amount of free time promotes well-being not only directly, but also by helping to alleviate some of the negative side-effects associated with living in our consumer-oriented society,” concluded the authors.