The enjoyable moments of day-to-day life A question of activities - and their context

We can divide the average day into five major phases : time devoted to physiological necessities (sleeping, washing, eating), time spent working, time spent doing domestic tasks, time spent travelling and, last but not least, the time left over after these four necessities - free time. The activities we enjoy the most are those associated with our free time (see Graph 1). Physiological necessities are also considered to be enjoyable experiences. Time spent travelling and time spent performing domestic chores are next in the appreciation stakes, but they fall far behind our enjoyment of leisure activities and physiological functions. Finally, time spent working or studying is generally the time we least enjoy (Box 1).

Broadly speaking, periods of free time are the most enjoyable moments of the day, with an average rating of +2.2 (the scale runs from -3 to +3), but our appreciation of our free time varies according to the activities to which it is devoted. Free time activities can be divided into two main categories : the first covers social activities (conversations, religious practices, clubs and associations), with the second including all leisure activities (watching television, playing games, sport). DIY and gardening are quasi-leisure activities, and for the purposes of this study are classed as domestic tasks.

Only people engaging in a leisure activity can decide whether that activity is enjoyable or not. The enjoyable nature of a period of free time does not depend upon whether that time is spent alone or in company. Outdoor activities such as walking or going to the beach are among the activities judged to be the most enjoyable by those engaging in them (see Graph 2), particularly by women (receiving an average rating of +2.6, compared to +2.4 from men).

People who engage in artistic activities, such as singing in a choir or taking dance lessons, rate these activities highly. Watching television takes up on average 42 % of our free time, but time spent in front of the screen does not rank among the most enjoyable leisure activities, regardless of age, socio-professional category or gender. Only the most dedicated television-watchers (people who watch an average of more than 4 hours of television every day) particularly enjoy this activity (+2.2 average rating, while the average among people who watch less TV is +2.0).

The average rating attributed to time spent on the internet or on the computer is only slightly higher than that accorded to television viewing, despite the fact that the time devoted to such activities continues to grow (the average time devoted to these activities across the whole population is 15 minutes per day).

Social activities involving a degree of responsibility, such as supervising a polling station or doing voluntary secretarial work for a club, are the free time activities deemed least enjoyable.

Although the average time spent sleeping has been declining over the past twenty years, sleep is still considered enjoyable (see Graph 3). The ratings attributed to by both sexes and across the different age categories show little variation. It is those people who find other activities encroaching upon their sleep time who most appreciate the time they do get to spend in bed.

Mealtimes are considered to be enjoyable moments, particularly when they involve guests from outside the household. This spike in enjoyment is more notable in women than it is in men. The people who most enjoy moments relating to mealtimes are those who devote the most time to such moments.

Although the time devoted to dressing and taking care of one's appearance has increased by fifteen minutes per day over the last decade, women still derive little pleasure from such activities - though they still rate it more highly than men. Administering medicines or care is held to be very disagreeable, as such activities are linked to health problems (rating of around 0).

The most enjoyable domestic tasks are taking care of children or taking care of animals (see Graph 4). Quasi-leisure activities such as gardening and DIY rank among the domestic tasks we most enjoy, but their average appreciation ratings are still inferior to those given to free-time activities. Shopping and cooking come next. Finally, household chores are deemed to be the least enjoyable domestic activities, particularly those involving laundry, cleaning or administrative formalities. Shortage of time has a great influence on the way people perceive domestic tasks : people who are often short of time rank domestic chores at 1.1 on the enjoyment scale, while the average is 1.4 among people with fewer time constraints. Thus housewives and retired people find household tasks less unpleasant and spend more time on them that people in employment or education : 35 % of working people say they feel time pressure every day, compared to 9 % of retirees and 17 % of housewives. It is possible that women who have made a decision not to work find performing domestic duties less disagreeable than women who have jobs. Nonetheless, despite the fact that women devote an average of 100 minutes more to domestic duties than men do, they do not find these tasks any more enjoyable than their male counterparts.

The time spent travelling is seen as a burden by those people who say they are often in a hurry (+1.2 against +1.5 for people with fewer time constraints).

Irrespective of the length of travelling time, whether or not a journey is pleasant is strongly dependent on its purpose (Graph 5). A journey is not an end in itself but a necessity for the fulfilment of numerous activities. Commuting is thus judged to be the least agreeable journey, even though commuters can read or listen to music as they travel. Even here there are nuances. The journey into work is enjoyed even less (+0.7) than the trip back home (+1.5). Trips to get to an association or to help other households are the ones most positively experienced.

Irrespective of the purpose of the trip, walking and cycling are far more enjoyable than driving or taking public transport. Lastly, travelling with someone makes the journey more enjoyable (+1.5 against +1.2 for a journey alone).

The activities considered as least enjoyable are those related to work or studies, with an average ranking of zero, although they do not prejudice general well-being (Box 2). The youngest school pupils like study periods the least, and appreciation of study time increases with age (although these results should be treated with caution due to the low number of observations). This may be explained by the fact that the young people who least enjoy school are those who are least inclined to continue their studies.

Self-employed people enjoy the time spent on their professional activity more than employees (Graph 6). Among employees, there is little difference in enjoyment levels according to hierarchical position or the status of their employer (public/private). Working outside home or at home does not change the level of enjoyment of professional tasks.

The more people say they are tired at the end of the day, the less they enjoy the time devoted to work, particularly when the tiredness is due to the atmosphere at work. Unlike with domestic tasks, being short of time has no influence on their judgement. Lastly, the two extremes are in agreement : the judgement is even more negative when the working day is very short or very long.

The average level of enjoyment of a day is the result of all the effects highlighted above (Box 2). Working days are those that are enjoyed the least (Graph 7). Retired people show no difference in satisfaction between these days and the weekends. It is also observed that the scores are higher in July and August, usually the months where people work the least, than in the other months of the year.

Lastly, on average, a day is considered more enjoyable when the weather is clement. This is not only linked to the summer : the nice-weather effect remains constant independently of the day of the week, the month, and whether the day under consideration is a working day or not.