Cassie Holmes explains the relationship between time and happiness

Photo by Diana Henderson

We could all stand to be a little happier, but how we can do that can sometimes seem like a bit of a mystery. Self-care? Quiet quitting? There are a lot of suggestions on how to be happier, but rarely is our perception of time considered a main player in the pursuit of happiness. Dr. Cassie Holmes, a professor at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, wants to change that. In her new book Happier Hour: How to Beat Distraction, Expand Your Time, and Focus on What Matters Most, Holmes argues that time is our most precious resource and also our best bet to increase our happiness.

While it’s based on her groundbreaking research from her time spent researching happiness, the book doesn’t read like a textbook. Holmes’s voice is upbeat and unstuffy, presenting data points and research in a way that doesn’t make your eyes glaze over, all with the express purpose of making you happier.

She covers everything from time affluence and the effects of time on your happiness, how having less than two hours of free time and more than five hours can lead to dissatisfaction, to how focusing on time and its finite nature leads to happiness. While reading a book on how to be happier might sound a bit absurd at the outset, I found that the book armed me with practical exercises and key insights on how to focus on my time to be happier. And I did find myself at least a little happier after finishing the book.

Check out my full interview with Cassie Holmes on Morning Brew’s website here.