New Research Shows Unhappy People More Likely to Take Naps”
A new study from the Pew Research Center shows that unhappy people are more likely to take naps than happy people. Unhappy people are more likely to nap (43%) compared to happy people (31%).
So, why should we care? Well, according to an article in today’s New York Times, napping “should have the status of daily exercise.” Turns out that napping is quite important for our health.
“There are plenty of happy nappers, but, overall, our survey finds a correlation that runs in the other direction. People who aren’t happy are more likely to nap on a given day than are people who are very happy (43% vs. 31%). Likewise, unhappy adults are much more likely than very happy adults to report having had trouble sleeping in the past 24 hours (46% vs. 18%)
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Very interesting…maybe this has to do with people who either ruminate and worry about their problems too much (unhappy people who can’t sleep) or those who wish to escape their problems (those who nap often).
Correlation doesn’t equal causation. It could be that unhappy people are more likely to have the time to take a nap because they are either unemployed or sick. The Pew Research Center article notes that napping is more common among people at the bottom of income scale.
Me? I’m a happy napper.
It all seems a little contradictory. It would be nice to see whether the inverse correlation between happiness and naps existed when controlling for salaries, exercise levels etc.
Like John – I’m a happy napper. And I feel happier after a nap.
I think there needs to be more clarity on this, as well. But, I could see someone who is suffering from an episode of depression having less energy, less interest in the task at hand, and being more willing to nap even with a looming deadline of sorts. Remember, depression can create a feeling of hopelessness. On the other hand, here is an interest post from Psychology Today on napping vs caffeine vs getting more sleep at night: http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sleep-newzzz/200907/nap-vs-caffeine-vs-more-nighttime-sleep