How many hours do you work per day? Is it the traditional 8 with 2 hours lunch or is it more? Do you work 9, 10, 12, 14 hours? If the routine is tiring at this level, how to manage it? You can’t take it anymore and want to take care of yourself or romanticize it, are you one of those people who finds it beautiful to say that they are “extremely dedicated to their own career”? Whatever your answer, it does not change the results of the research carried out at the University of Kansas, in the United States.
They spoke to about 2,000 people. All young, between 12 and 25 years old. The question was about something trivial: what effects does a live musical performance have on you? Do you know what 8 out of 10 people answered? Who believe that music and live entertainment have a positive impact on their mood and overall well-being. And do you know which artist provokes this the most among all these people? Taylor Swift was the answer for almost a third of those surveyed!
There’s a really cool report right here on the CNN site that shows this research in detail and talks with experts to explain why this is the case, why it makes sense to have pleasant sensations in these moments, and how to helps us in life. But what I really want to bring to this piece is the most important aspect of all of this, at least to me: how much we despise the power that leisure in general has over our well-being.
Do you know why I started asking you about your hours worked? Because many people only see the work routine as the only possible routine during a working day. And this cannot be normalized in any way. Those who say this are the figures of the World Health Organization, WHO, which in 2021 carried out a data survey in partnership with the International Labor Organization and discovered that very long working hours killed 745,000 people. And these figures show a reality that existed in 2016, well before the pandemic. Imagine how things are today?!
The data even speaks to the bar considering “working too much” as abusive. Those who exceed 55 hours per week are 35% more likely to suffer a stroke. This person is also 17% more likely to die from heart disease than someone who works 35 to 40 hours during the same period.
I already wrote a text some time ago on the importance of understanding that working hard is not necessarily synonymous with working efficiently because someone who is too tired will obviously produce less. But there’s also no point stopping work and not having tools to slow your mind. This is where we return to the history of live music as a means of achieving this.
Accompanying an artist we love on stage is a very powerful attitude to combat many of the emotional problems we can have these days, with so much information bombarded in our heads at the same time.
There are many profiles on social networks that constantly try to convince us that, as beautiful as it is, our life will never be “enough” compared to what exists. Music makes us forget this logic a little (and this is precisely the conclusion I draw from my own experience). Experts speak of “moments of ecstasy”, “feeling of happiness”, “excitement”, “fulfillment and well-being”. Absolutely everything we practically can’t achieve while sleeping analyzing spreadsheets in front of a computer.
That’s when I say…whether it’s a Thiaguinho show or a Taylor Swift show, go after what makes you happy. I understand the importance of the more intense phases of life, which require greater dedication to a specific project or an attempt to get a promotion at work. But your health should be your limit. Live music is an example of what can get you off that laboratory wheel, but any escape is valid. Anything that brings you to your state of grace, that brings back the smile that might scare away the possibility of burnout or something like that.
I’m not saying it’s an easy balance to achieve, everyone has to pay a bill, of course. But there is no point in having your bills up to date and having a negative blood test. For me, a Thiaguinho show is what gets me out of this state of professional despair. And you? What’s the ticket to your less risky life?
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