Science Confirms That EVERY Weekend Should Be A 3-Day Weekend

by Samantha Maffucci

Does that mean I can take off every Monday?

Now that Labor Day has come and gone, I'm sure you're finding yourself yearning for another coveted three-day weekend. Since these weekends only come a few times a year, they're basically a saving grace for those of us who work over 8 hours a day, and have to answer an endless stream of emails.

And now, science has confirmed that three-day weekends should happen EVERY weekend, as they actually improve work ethic, efficiency, and generally make you a better person (probably).

How exactly would three-day weekends benefit you (aside from the additional sleep and extra time for shenanigans)?

1. You'll improve your health.

One meta-analysis of multiple studies, published in The Lancet, looked at the link between heart disease and being overworked in 600,000+ Americans, Europeans, and Australians, both men and women. Researchers discovered that employees who work more than 55 hours per week were 33 percent more likely to have a strong risk of stroke than those who worked less than 40 hours per week.

Not only that, but the overworked employees were 13 percent more likely to develop heart disease. Another meta-analysis found that labor workers in particular had a 30 percent increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

2. You'll be less of an asshole.

Another study published on sleep deprivation found that people are more likely to misread and confuse other people's emotions, even the most obvious ones (like feeling happy or sad). Overtired people also start more fights in their relationships than those who get enough rest.

Instead of taking out your aggression on your partner because you're not sleeping enough, why not take Monday off?

3. You'll be more effective at your job.

A survey conducted by Harvard Business School researchers put this notion to the test. In an experiment, researchers had employees from a consulting firm take a day off in the middle of the workweek. This experiment continued for five whole months, after which the firm's clients reported an improvement in service from those employees who took time off.

Obviously, having a three-day weekend every weekend isn't probable for most jobs. But it's nice to think that maybe, just maybe, in the near-distant future, we can all have a blissful 4-day work week.