A recent study by GroundingWell ranked countries based on their need for relaxation, with South Africa ranking fourth in relaxation needs with a Relaxation Need Score of 71.
The study measured:
- Annual working hours
- Paid vacation days
- Work-life balance
- Stress levels
- Anger levels
- Life satisfaction index
These factors were weighted and combined into a “Relaxation Need Score” on a scale of 0-100, revealing which countries most need to unwind.
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South Africa’s relaxation crisis
South Africans were feeling the pressure due to the second-highest working hours among analysed countries.
The country shows concerning metrics with a notably poor work-life balance index of 47.88, coupled with only 15 vacation days annually.
In addition, South Africa’s population faces significant well-being challenges, recording the lowest life satisfaction score of 0.3 among all studied nations.
“The data reveals a complex picture of South Africa’s relaxation crisis, particularly concerning the striking contrast between its relatively moderate anger levels and extremely low life satisfaction score,” explained Oliver Bennett, a spokesperson from Grounding Well.
“The combination of long working hours and limited vacation time creates a perfect storm for workplace stress, suggesting an urgent need for structural changes in how the country approaches work-life balance. The findings indicate that while emotional regulation appears better than some peers, the overall quality of life requires immediate attention.”
Bennett highlighted other noteworthy findings about South Africa’s results, such as the significant disparity between its work-life balance index and actual life satisfaction outcomes.
“While the country maintains a relatively stable work-life balance index compared to other nations in the study, the extraordinarily low life satisfaction score of 0.3 suggests deeper systemic issues affecting citizens’ overall well-being. This disconnect points to factors beyond traditional workplace metrics that need to be addressed in any comprehensive solution to the country’s relaxation crisis,” he concluded.
Article supplied by https://www.groundingwell.com/
Author: Pedro van Gaalen
When he’s not writing about sport or health and fitness, Pedro is probably out training for his next marathon or ultra-marathon. He’s worked as a fitness professional and as a marketing and comms expert. He now combines his passions in his role as managing editor at Fitness magazine.
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