On the Benefits of Laziness: 5 Reasons to Allow Yourself to Be Idle

According to psychologists, being lazy is not only possible, but even necessary – it is good for your health. We tell you why it is so important to maintain a balance between activity and laziness and why you should set aside time for idleness every day.

Many people still consider laziness a bad quality that prevents them from moving forward and achieving their goals. But it is not without reason that famous authors and artists regularly find time in their schedules for long walks. They are well aware of the so-called “incubation effect”: when you stop concentrating on the task at hand and allow yourself to relax, your subconscious finds a better solution without your help.

Psychologists call this phenomenon insight or illumination. The fact is that during moments of rest, our brain switches on algorithms for unconscious processing of accumulated data. According to numerous studies, after a break, people cope with complex creative tasks much faster and find more unconventional solutions. Therefore, in order to make creativity a part of your life, it is important to learn how to rest properly.

Until recently, books and articles on psychology often wrote about how to overcome laziness, force yourself to work and get a lot done. Now, more and more books about useful and productive laziness are appearing on store shelves. “You need to constantly move forward,” “you can’t sit still,” “it’s important to develop in all areas” — because of such attitudes, life becomes like a squirrel running in a wheel, and the body increasingly fails and refuses to work.

To prevent such crises, it is necessary to find time for rest every day. You can meditate, watch a movie, lie down and stare at the ceiling, or watch the ships sailing. It is very important to enjoy your rest. Try not to think about the unwashed dishes in the kitchen and your work project still unfinished. By the way, computer games where you have to achieve some goals are not rest.

During intense mental work, the brain consumes about a quarter of the body's energy. And with the help of laziness, it protects itself from overload and recovers. Temporary idleness helps us become more efficient and perform any work more efficiently and in the shortest possible time. In addition, inactivity allows us to dream, reflect, and thus better understand ourselves and our lives.

Scientists from the University of British Columbia believe that our brain is genetically predisposed to laziness: saving energy was necessary for human survival. When we are lazy, the brain reboots and strengthens its neural connections. It is no coincidence that many great discoveries were made during moments of idleness. As is well known, Archimedes discovered the law of hydrostatics right in the bath, and Newton guessed about the force of gravity while relaxing under an apple tree.

American scientists invited 12 women and 12 men to participate in the experiment, dividing them into two groups. One group was given a simple computer joystick, while the other group had a malfunctioning joystick (for example, when they moved it to the right, the cursor moved down). The researchers studied brain activity during periods of rest and work on tasks. It turned out that during breaks, the brains of the participants in the second group did not rest, but processed and recorded new information.

According to experts, if you spend more than four hours a day on intellectual work, your brain simply won’t have time to recover. In addition, during moments of rest, those parts of the brain that are dormant in everyday life are activated. As a result, we become more organized, focused, and better able to concentrate. And vice versa, by refusing the opportunity to laze around, we deprive ourselves of all these benefits.

Try to plan breaks between work tasks in the same way as the work tasks themselves. Set a bell to remind you that it's time to take a break. When we fill our schedules as tightly as possible, it becomes more difficult for us to maintain our attention, and incoming information is absorbed much worse. Small breaks help to regain control over yourself. The most important thing is not to occupy the free time with other things.

Laziness is a mechanism built into our nature that prolongs our life. Scientists from the University of Kansas conducted an unusual study. Observing mollusks in the Atlantic Ocean, they found that those squids, cuttlefish and octopuses that spent their energy more than others died (or became extinct) much faster. At the same time, slower individuals were better adapted to survival.

Since the human heart resembles a motor, the softer and calmer it works, the stronger the health will be. Working non-stop increases blood pressure, weakens the immune system and activates the production of cortisol, the stress hormone. It negatively affects not only our well-being, but also our beauty. If energy consumption drops, the neurons of the brain produce hormones of joy and happiness. In other words, we are “programmed” to be lazy.

So is it worth going against nature? If everything starts to fall apart, this is a signal that you need a good rest. To relieve all the accumulated fatigue and prevent professional burnout, take an unplanned day off. Perhaps, if you are lazy and enjoy it, the next day's work will be much more pleasant and effective.