Watching TV, family time and eating out are some of the most popular ‘playtime’ activities but finding the perfect work/life balance has become difficult in recent times. These findings are highlighted in recent research commissioned by Virgin Media Ireland and conducted independently by RAM.
Other results, which are quite telling of the times, show that over 40% of respondents feel that their work/life balance has declined in the past 2-3 years (41%) with over 70% agreeing that they would like more playtime in their lives.
The survey results went on to tell how a third of respondents spend 1-2 hrs daily doing something that brings them joy with Saturday being the day most associate with ‘playtime’ (83%), followed closely by Sunday and Friday. Tuesday was seen as the most unplayful day of the week.
Unsurprisingly, Christmas is the most playful holiday with 52% of respondents indicating its importance, followed by Bank Holiday Weekends and St Patrick’s Day. On the whole, ‘playtime’ is seen as extremely important to 45% of respondents.
Commenting on the finding, Dr. Malie Coyne, Clinical Psychologist and Adjunct Psychology Lecturer at the University of Galway said: “Play is a human being’s bread and butter, no matter what age. Play is not an optional part of our lives but is crucial for healthy development and good mental health.
“Although most of us link play with children, play is just as important for adults, as it helps us to experience joy, relieve stress, nurture a sense of belonging, foster meaningful relationships, stimulate brain function and boost creativity, amongst many other benefits.
“Play can activate optimal levels of our ‘feel-good’ brain chemicals. The endorphins act as a natural pain reliever, whilst the serotonin serves as a mood lifter without the side effects. In a world full of pressure where many of us can feel quite stressed a lot of the time, I am not surprised that those polled would like more ‘playtime’ in their lives.
“Play is the perfect antidote to our busy lives, as we simply cannot feel anxious when immersed in something we enjoy. For this reason, this survey is important to raise awareness of the need for us to consciously bring more playtime into our lives”.
Contrastingly, respondents to the survey highlighted a number of factors which get in the way of the quality of their ‘playtime’ activity.
Financial constraints (42%) and a busy lifestyle (46%) impact on the quality of respondent’s ‘playtime’ while housework (53%) and general life admin (46%) were seen as the most boring/unplayful parts of respondents’ lives.
Paul Higgins, Vice President of Commercial at Virgin Media said: “This research really begins to highlight how now, more than ever, people are looking for ways to disconnect from work and escape the mundanity of the 9-5.
“We all know the importance of finding the proper work-life balance and, with our recent ‘It’s Playtime’ campaign, we want to help our customers enjoy all of life’s experiences and unleash their play, whatever play looks like to them.”
The research surveyed 532 people nationally aged 18 and over and across all regions of the country.
