John de Graaf @F4H2014
If you want to know where your free time went, and how happiness relates to well-being (surprise!: not directly), watch this talk given by John De Graaf at Franchise for Humanity, Stanford University, California Feb 20th, 2014.
You are also in for a treat as Master of Ceremonies Denise O'Brien leads the audience in a 'happy dance' as she introduces this pre-eminent videographer (PBS's 1991 film 'Running out of Time') and author (Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic about over-consumption in America and its impact on many things).
Growing up in the bay area of California, John recounts how his father would drop he and a friend off in the Sierras when they were just teenagers, allowing them to spend 2-6 weeks wandering the great outdoors and appreciating nature. This early exposure to just 'being' in nature left John De Graaf with not only a love of the environment & wild places, but a special appreciation of the value of time.
Though he dropped out of college one semester shy of graduation to become a community activist, his 1968 sociology class at University of Michigan, left an indelible impression as the class was told that by the year 2000 (according to US Senate sub-committee), Americans would only be working 15-20 hrs of work per week, with 7-10 weeks of vacation each year, and so much time on our hands that we wouldn't know what to do with it.
The world turned out differently, and by 1991 found himself working on a film for PBS called 'Running out of Time.' By then everyone's life was a complete frenzy. Rather than working less, people were on average working a month longer/yr than in 1968.
The answer to 'how are you?' become 'busy!'
John became recognized as an expert on time-balance, and in2009 he was invited to Brazil to talk at the 5th International Gross National Happiness Conference. On well-being surveys developed in a project he conducted at SFState University, time-balance consistently gains the lowest marks.
Well-being is linked to externally measurable impacts; Happiness on the other hand is linked to skills like generosity, tolerance, mindfulness and self-discipline that can be learned.
John is currently involved in a campaign to think about various ways to win time back in America, asking the key question: "When will we slow down to enjoy all these things we are working for?" He notes that the United States is one of only 5 countries in the world that don't require paid vacation time.
More about John's work can be seen at: