A federal agency, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, gathers information every few years for something it calls the American Time Use Survey. The survey measures how happy people are with their work, along with stress levels. It also asks respondents how meaningful they found their leisure activities.
It all sounds kind of sappy, but The Washington Post analyzed more than a decade of results and came up with this surprising finding:
“Envy the lumberjacks, for they perform the happiest, most meaningful work on earth. Or at least they think they do. Farmers, too.”
The survey results, ranked on a low-to-high scale of zero to 6, are evident. People who work in agriculture, logging or forestry averaged a 4.4 happiness rating, the highest of 18 job categories. (The two lowest were professional, scientific and technical services at 3.7 and finance and insurance at 3.6.)
The agriculture group also ranked first in the meaningful job ratings, at 5.2. Health and social assistance was second; education services were third.
As for job stress, the farmers had the lowest score there, at 1.9. Tied for the most stress at 2.9 were education; and finance and insurance.
Looking at time away from work, religious activities provided the most happiness and meaning, and were also the least stressful. Ranked just below that was sports, exercise and recreation, which the Post story noted usually occurs outdoors — the same as farming and forestry. And a third analysis showed that aside from a place of worship, people are happiest when they’re outdoors.
“Researchers across the social and medical sciences have found a strong link between mental health and green space or being outdoors,” the story said. “Even seeing a tree out your window can help you recover from illness faster. So imagine the boost you get from being right next to a tree — even if, like our friend the lumberjack, you’re in the process of chopping it down.”
The Post talked to a South Carolina forester who said that even on her worst day, going into the woods is great therapy, and the scent of pine sap can “just take you to a place of peace instantly.”
A Georgia forester added that the nature of growing trees — it’s usually 20 or 30 years before they’re harvested — forces people in the business to slow down and look at things for the long term instead of expecting instant results.
There also is the satisfaction of doing something for the greater good: As trees grow, they remove more carbon from the air. They provide habitat for wildlife and are an essential part of any area’s ecosystem.
These results are practically an advertisement for Mississippi, which is full of farmland and timberland. The frustrating thing is that the obvious work trend in America is away from rural areas and into big cities — where there aren’t a whole lot of farms or forests. But a happier, more meaningful life awaits, if we can just get more people to see that.
— Jack Ryan, McComb Enterprise-Journal
