By Robert A. Creo, Editor

New research finds that people who take short naps are happier than those who take long naps or no naps at all. This conclusion comes from a survey of over 1,000 peoples’ napping habits and their happiness.

66% of the people who took naps under 30 minutes said they were happy. This is compared with 56% who took naps over 30 minutes and 60% who did not take naps.

Leader of the research, Professor Richard Wiseman, said:
“Previous research has shown that naps of under 30 minutes make you more focused, productive and creative, and these new findings suggest the tantalizing possibility that you can also become happier by just taking a short nap. Similarly, longer napping is associated with several health risks and again, this is in line with our results.”

“A large body of research shows that short naps boosts performance. Many highly successful companies, such as Ben & Jerry’s and Google, have installed dedicated nap spaces, and employees need to wake up to the upside of napping at work.”

The survey also found that only 11% could take naps at work.

References & Resources

This post contained excerpts from: Professor Richard Wiseman, study presented at the 2017 Edinburgh International Science Festival. https://www.sciencefestival.co.uk/