Challenges

- Spending time on others, rather than on yourself, makes time seem more plentiful.
- As time becomes more precious with age, we’re more likely to find happiness through ordinary, rather than extraordinary, moments.
If you’re feeling time-crunched, take this test. It’s a lovely Saturday morning. You’ve had a crazy, busy week, and you have two options for your day. Option number one: getting a massage. Option number two: cutting your elderly neighbor’s grass. It’s a no-brainer, right? You choose the massage. Duh.
But wait. While the massage is certainly more relaxing, you’ll feel less time-constrained if you mow your neighbor’s lawn. Why? People who help others feel like they have more time — a condition known as “time affluence” — than those who don’t lend a hand, according to a study by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, Harvard University and Yale University.
In one of four experiments for the study, half of the participants spent 30 minutes doing something for someone else. One woman cooked her husband's favorite dinner. Another wrote a letter to her grandmother. Others shoveled snow for neighbors or picked up litter in a park. The remaining participants spent 30 minutes on themselves, which included such ah-inducing activities as taking a bubble bath, getting a pedicure, lounging on the couch or reading a book. The result? The people who spent the half hour focusing on someone else felt like they had more time than the group who indulged in personal pleasures.
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