The Wall Street Journal
1211 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10036
Dear Editor,
I am very eager to make comments on the recent article by Eric Morath, Aging Americans Sleep More, Work Less, Survey Finds, in the Wall Street Journal. The content looks very dreadful for the US economy, and we should all make note of the data published by Department of Labor. The article gives an excellent comparison, between two ages: 2003 and 2013, of the time spent by a typical American Citizen in various activities. In a span of ten years the lifestyle of US citizens show unwholesome trends; they sleep more and work less. The figures and data presented in the commentary have potential for an interesting economic analysis, but it is appalling.
Even though the amount of time spent in sleeping and TV watching have increased only by few minutes, it has tremendous macro-economic implications on factors such as national productivity, consumption rate, etc. Hypersomnia (the technical term for sleeping too much), has impeding effects on work, social, and economic life of the individual (Poul, Rikke Ibsen, Kirsten Avlund, and Jakob Kjellberg 2014). Their study substantiate that people with hypersomnia had a higher rate of health-related issues, medication habits and socioeconomic backwardness. From labor economics angle people who sleep more have lower employment rates, and those with employment have lower income level than normal individuals.
Similarly, the research by (Frey, Christine Benesch and Alois Stutzer 2005) explains that Watching TV provides immediate immersing experience at negligible marginal costs which tempt people to watch it more. But it prevents them from pursuing more productive activities. Individuals who lack the self-discipline to control the temptation to watch TV compulsively which increases their opportunity costs of time, leading to lower income generation and life satisfaction.
With concern for our sagging economy, I request your editorial team to provide awakening articles that can influence your educated readers to practice productive work habits. Though this suggestion may look remote in growing the economy, I am sure it would have a lasting effect on the readers.
I look forward to your assertive actions.
John Jack
Pittsburgh, PA
REFERENCES
Eric Morath, Aging Americans Sleep More, Work Less, Survey Finds, Wall Street Journal, Web 18 June 2014
Poul, Rikke Ibsen, Kirsten Avlund, Jakob Kjellberg, Health, social and economic consequences of hypersomnia: a controlled national study from a national registry evaluating the societal effect on patients and their partners, The European Journal of Health Economics, April, Volume 15, Issue 3, pp 303-311, 2014. Print
Frey, Bruno S. and Benesch, Christine and Stutzer, Alois, Does Watching TV Make Us Happy?, Journal of Economic Psychology 28 , 283–313, 2007.Print
