we found that lacking a sense of productivity is why people with excessive amounts of available time feel less satisfied in their lives.14

The results from over a million instances are clear: people are happier outdoors. Furthermore, this boost in happiness doesn’t depend on a) the weather (though people are happier when it’s sunny and warmer), b) what activity they’re doing (though some particularly happy activities in the data, like gardening and bird-watching, can only be done

To avoid this feeling, make sure you engage in at least one social activity every day.

When we feel as though we have too little time, we end up living a smaller life. But

In addition to the unhappiness from having too little time, the downward slope on the other side of the arc shows that having more than approximately five hours of discretionary time in a day is also linked to less happiness.

Those who place more value on their time rather than money report feeling more positive in their days and more satisfied about their lives.

Having between two and five hours seems to be about right.

If an activity thwarts any of the three basic drives of 1) relatedness (feeling interpersonally connected), 2) autonomy (feeling a sense of personal control), or 3) competence (feeling capable), it is likely to make you feel unhappy.24

The graph makes clear that happiness is lower with less than approximately two hours of discretionary time in the day.