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The study does not account for the fact that some people simply choose to spend their free time by themselves and do not indulge in 'social' activities. Includi

The study does not account for the fact that some people simply choose to spend their free time by themselves and do not indulge in 'social' activities. Including the average size of the participant's social circle and how they chose to spent their free time could have been useful. I am sure a lot of people who travel around by themselves or spend the weekend(s) hiking/biking their favorite trail, etc. do not really rely on their free time coinciding with others'. Thoughts?

davesque 11y ago
I agree with this since I think I'm the person you're describing :).
yason 11y ago
Definitely so. For the half(?) of people who are like this, more time off from work would be valuable. It would mean more time for being alone and doing your own things. It's hard to take hours and hours of alone time if you're married with kids and you stick to the traditional work week schedule. You would basically need that "other weekend" for yourself, after having been with your family (and maybe friends) for the "first weekend".
gutnor 11y ago
Well it also assume the social circle is fixed. There are plenty of people doing activities all the days of the week. I worked part-time for a few months. I took a hobby and found that I could attend cheap course on the Wednesday afternoon (I think) and I was not alone, far from it. Those people became part of my social circle too - people I could meet within the week. I kept my regular circle for the we, which is what the other people attending the course did too. If it was not for the money, I can't think of any downside of that arrangement. Which bring me back to the article, it focuses on unemployed to try to derive a rule for all. A lot of unemployed are not unemployed by choice, and they expect to get back into employment. So they will not invest into a parallel social circle like a Stay at Home Parent could. In addition to that their free time could also be a reminder of their failure to find a job, or of their financial problem. And anyway, most people are only available during the we. So feeling a spike during the we is almost expected even if you are super-active during the week as you will have more time if anything with your partner/kids. Does that mean your week would be better with a job instead of hobbies, somehow I don't think that's the case.

davesque 11y ago

I agree with this since I think I'm the person you're describing :).

yason 11y ago

Definitely so. For the half(?) of people who are like this, more time off from work would be valuable. It would mean more time for being alone and doing your own things. It's hard to take hours and hours of alone time if you're married with kids and you stick to the traditional work week schedule. You would basically need that "other weekend" for yourself, after having been with your family (and maybe friends) for the "first weekend".

gutnor 11y ago

Well it also assume the social circle is fixed. There are plenty of people doing activities all the days of the week. I worked part-time for a few months. I took a hobby and found that I could attend cheap course on the Wednesday afternoon (I think) and I was not alone, far from it. Those people became part of my social circle too - people I could meet within the week. I kept my regular circle for the we, which is what the other people attending the course did too. If it was not for the money, I can't think of any downside of that arrangement. Which bring me back to the article, it focuses on unemployed to try to derive a rule for all. A lot of unemployed are not unemployed by choice, and they expect to get back into employment. So they will not invest into a parallel social circle like a Stay at Home Parent could. In addition to that their free time could also be a reminder of their failure to find a job, or of their financial problem. And anyway, most people are only available during the we. So feeling a spike during the we is almost expected even if you are super-active during the week as you will have more time if anything with your partner/kids. Does that mean your week would be better with a job instead of hobbies, somehow I don't think that's the case.