Are you surprised
by the results? The lowest level of happiness was when students were in school
and the highest level occurred when they were out of school conversing or
playing with friends particularly on weekends but dipped by Sunday afternoon in
anticipation of the coming school week, when they would lose control of their
time management and activity schedule. The authors concluded with what I
consider the most significant quote in this book:
Teenagers ascribe happiness to their moods
when they are in situations of relative freedom, in the company of age-mates,
able to engage in flow activities that stretch their skills and makes them feel
alive and proud.
Csikszentmihalyi, M., Hunter, J., (2003). Happiness in Everyday Life: The Uses of Experience Sampling, Journal of Clinical Psychology, 185-199
photo: Nazareth College staticflickr