Scientists over in Britain are now claiming that helping out around the house may very well be the key to a better life. Well, for men at least.
So if I do the dishes tonight will I feel better about myself?
According to scientists from Cambridge University, doing your share around the house will give you a better sense of wellbeing. Apparently, you’ll also have a better work-life balance if you do your bit. So yeah, give them a scrub later on and see how you feel.
May I ask what the scientific reasoning behind all this is?
The experts suggested that while this may be down to men feeling less guilty once they do their bit, it could also be because us blokes have simply learnt the secret to a quiet life – who knows.
Anyway, data from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, France and Britain was gathered from participants who were asked a few questions, such as how long they spend doing household tasks. The researchers were expecting to see certain results, however they were pleasantly surprised by what they found.
What did they find?
Well, the questions that they asked the participants all related to household chores such as cooking, cleaning and DIY jobs. The researchers expected to see that when men shouldered more of the burden, women’s happiness levels increased. However, as it turns out, even when the men in the study did their share of the housework, their wives and girlfriends appeared to be largely unmoved. Basically, the women didn’t really care that much, but we’re sure they were glad that the dishes were clean.
So my missus doesn’t actually care that I do my share of the chores?
Well not exactly. Don’t do them for a week and see what she says (if she’s still around). The study did note that it was actually men who regularly done their chores that came out as the happiest. Men who did more housework generally reported less of a work-life conflict and they also scored slightly higher for their overall wellbeing.
Interesting, but why are men doing more chores all of a sudden?
Apart from feeling less guilty after doing some housework, the researchers noted that it may be because more men support gender equality than in the past.
Jacqueline Scott, professor of empirical sociology at Cambridge, also said that nowadays, women are more likely to let their husbands know that they’re a bit of a lazy b*stard – however, she said it a tad more eloquently.
“Times are changing,” she said.
“There were really good reasons from the literature for thinking that it would be women who really benefited if the men did more, but that is not what we found and that is what is interesting.”
