Poland vows to continue logging in Białowieża forest despite court ban

Government signals it will defy order from EU’s top court to suspend operations in Unesco-listed ancient forest

When push comes to injury: What pushing a wheelchair does to your back

COLUMBUS, Ohio—When you push someone in a wheelchair, you may be hurting your back without knowing it.

Researchers at The Ohio State University Spine Research Institute measured the forces on the spine caused by pushing a wheelchair, and discovered that people aren’t good at judging when they’re exerting forces strong enough to hurt their back.

The study appears in the journal Ergonomics.

When asked to push a simulated wheelchair against increasing resistance, study participants typically exceeded the recommended limits to avoid back injury by nearly 20 percent before they decided to quit.

William Marras

There’s no specific ergonomic standard when it comes to pushing wheelchairs, explained William Marras, director of the institute and Honda Chair Professor of Integrated Systems Engineering at Ohio State. Caregivers can judge only whether they can push a patient based on how their back feels. And, with rising obesity, patients are getting heavier and harder to push.

“Today, patient handling is one of the most dangerous jobs for your back. It’s more dangerous than working in construction, more dangerous than mining or any of the other jobs we typically think of as difficult,” said Marras, citing data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

“We’ve studied the risks of lifting patients, but until now, nobody’s done a solid biomechanical assessment of what happens when you push patients in wheelchairs.”

Along with obesity rates in the United States, the average patient size has grown over decades. Wheelchairs are now offered in larger sizes to accommodate larger patients, but the basic design of the chair has stayed the same.

Eric Weston

Based on the results of this study, there are simple design changes that could help make wheelchairs easier to push, the researchers said. If the handle height were adjustable, for instance, or the handles rotated 90 degrees to be more like a shopping cart, that would be a good start.

“We would also suggest building motor-assisted wheelchairs that could aid the person pushing when the pushing forces get too high,” said doctoral student Eric Weston, who performed the study for his master’s thesis.

For the study, 62 volunteers—31 men and 31 women, with an average age of around 25 years—pushed against a rig attached to an overhead braking system with adjustable resistance. The rig simulated the average height and placement of wheelchair handles. While the resistance started low, it increased until the volunteers felt like they couldn’t move the rig any farther. All the while, researchers measured the forces on the discs of their spine. The heaviest loads, though few participants reached them, corresponded to pushing patients weighing up to 485 pounds (220 kilograms).

The people in the study tended to keep pushing an average of 17 to 18 percent past the point where they should have stopped, based on the forces on their spine.

Pushing against a heavy object compresses the spine, and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health sets a compression limit at a little over 760 pounds of force (3,400 newtons) to prevent injury.

While pushing against the simulated wheelchair, male volunteers pushed past this limit about 34 percent of the time.

Weston said that “pushing heavy weights is risky for both men and women, but for different reasons.” Men can push loads that are heavy enough to hurt them, while women more quickly reach a point where they just can’t push any more.

Also among the findings: Turning a wheelchair is harder on the back than pushing in a straight line.

Turning the simulated wheelchair increased spinal forces by roughly 40 percent, because the volunteers had to stabilize their back using their core muscles while they pushed with one hand and pulled with the other.

This is the first time researchers have measured either biomechanical loads across a wide range of wheelchair pushing forces or biomechanical loads during wheelchair turning. The only somewhat comparable study was done in the Netherlands in 1995, when volunteers were asked to push a chair of fixed weight up an incline.

“When you look at the part of the back that we’re concerned about—the disc—it doesn’t have a lot of nerve endings, so you couldn’t possibly know whether you’re doing damage or not. That’s why we wanted to do something quantitative,” Marras said.

This study shows that people won’t feel uncomfortable after they’ve exceeded the actual limits for avoiding injury by around 20 percent, he added.

Marras and Weston co-authored the study with Safdar N. Khan, the Benjamin R. and Helen Slack Wiltberger Endowed Chair in Orthopaedic Spine Surgery at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.

This study was funded by the Spine Research Institute at Ohio State.

Duterte’s brutal drug war: Philippine mayor and more than a dozen others killed by police

Philippine police fatally shot more than a dozen people, including a mayor whom President Rodrigo Duterte publicly linked to the drug trade, during an early morning raid Sunday.

Reynaldo Parojinog, mayor of the city of Ozamiz in Mindanao in southern Philippines, and at least 14 others, including his wife, joined the thousands of casualties in Duterte's brutal drug war. Parojinog was the third mayor killed in the government's crackdown on methamphetamine, locally known as shabu.

Authorities said Parojinog and others were killed in an exchange of gunfire with police. Ozamiz police chief Jovie Espenido said officers went to search Parojinog's house for illegal firearms when they were met with gunshots and were forced to fire back, the Associated Press reported. A grenade held by one of the mayor's bodyguards exploded during the confrontation, Espenido said.

“He's a high-value target on illegal drugs,” Espenido said, according to the AP.

Politics

Free movement of EU citizens to Britain will end in March 2019, Theresa May's spokesman has said.

Downing Street said on Monday it was “wrong” to suggest free movement would “continue as it is now” once Britain leaves the EU.

It comes following days of confusion and rumours of infighting between Cabinet colleagues over the crucial issue of immigration after Brexit.

Tory Brexit tensions have heightened after Chancellor Philip Hammond and Home Secretary Amber Rudd backed transitional arrangements once the UK leaves the bloc. which suggested EU migration could continue with a registration scheme

But leading Brexiteer and International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said unregulated free movement of labour after Brexit would "not keep faith" with the EU referendum result. 

He added that the Cabinet had not agreed a stance on immigration.

Under pressure: the Chancellor, Philip Hammond (PA Wire)

The Prime Minister's official spokesman insisted the Government's position remained as set out by Mrs May in her Lancaster House speech on Brexit.

"The Prime Minister's position on an implementation period is very clear and well-known," he said.

No deal: International Trade Secretary Liam Fox (PA)

"Free movement will end in March 2019. We have published proposals on citizens' rights. Last week, the Home Secretary said there will be a registration system for migrants arriving post-March 2019.

"Other elements of the post-Brexit immigration system will be brought forward in due course. It would be wrong to speculate on what these might look like or to suggest that free movement will continue as it is now."

Downing Street acknowledged "it will take time to get immigration numbers down" but the Government remained committed to the aim.

Chancellor Mr Hammond said on Friday's Radio 4 Today programme there was "broad acceptance" in Cabinet of a post-Brexit transitional period lasting up to three years.

He said this would mean "many arrangements remaining very similar to how they were the day before we exited the European Union".

Mr Hammond said there would be a registration system in place for people coming to work in the UK after Brexit, during the transitional period.

But in an interview with the Sunday Times, Dr Fox said he not been involved in any Cabinet talks on extending free movement for up to three years after Brexit.

In remarks that were seen as directed at the Chancellor, Dr Fox said: "I am very happy to discuss whatever transitional arrangements and whatever implementation agreement we might want, but that has to be an agreement by the Cabinet.

"It can't just be made by an individual or any group within the Cabinet."

Number 10 dismissed the idea that the UK was seeking an "off-the-shelf" model for the transitional period, as Mr Hammond had reportedly told business leaders.

"We are not looking for an off-the-shelf model. Precise details of what the implementation period looks like are for negotiation," the spokesman said.

Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt sought to play down reports of a row within Mrs May's top team.

Sir Michael, taking part in Passchendaele memorial events in Ypres, said the issue of immigration policy during a transitional deal would be "one of the details" for the Brexit negotiations.

He said: "It's not an argument, it's part of the negotiations.

"We have always understood that we have to ensure immigration is managed properly, that's what the public expect to see - that there are controls of it.

"That's one of the details that's going to be sorted out during the negotiations. It's not an argument raging around the Cabinet table."

Health Secretary Mr Hunt insisted the Cabinet was "completely united", telling BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "It has to be a Brexit that works for business, it has to work for the NHS, the NHS needs to recruit doctors and nurses from all over Europe and that is going to continue after we leave the European Union."

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson's spokesman forced to dismiss a suggestion that he was about to quit over the way Brexit was being handled.

Mr Hammond also used an interview with Le Monde to downplay claims Britain could try to become a Singapore-style low-tax economy if it does not get the Brexit deal it wants - appearing to contradict his earlier position on the UK's potential future.

He said: "I would expect us to remain a country with a social, economic and cultural model that is recognisably European."

Shadow Treasury chief secretary Peter Dowd said: "This Government has broken down into farce.

"The Chancellor is not only disagreeing with Cabinet colleagues over Brexit, he is now in open dispute with himself given it is only his own comments on the matter in January which he is pretending to contradict."

Get ready for 80% humidity in UAE

Temperatures in the UAE are going from hot to hotter

Dubai: The weather across the UAE is expected to get stickier as humidity levels are expected to rise by Monday night and into Tuesday morning.

The National Centre of Meteorology and Seismology (NCMS) said the weather will become “very hot and hazy” over the next two days, especially over coastal areas.

The highest temperature recorded on Sunday was 51.8 degrees Celsius in Mezaira, at 3pm. 

Temperatures on Monday are expected to reach 44C in coastal areas and 47C in internal areas, with humidity levels to reach up to 80 per cent.

Anthony Scaramucci to media: Leave my family alone

Anthony Scaramucci, the White House’s new hard-hitting, foul-mouthed communications director,delivered a stern warning to the media on Saturday via Twitter: Lay off the family. A day after the New York Post reported that Scaramucci’s wife had filed for divorce, citing his “naked political ambition” as the grounds for the split, Scaramucci took to Twitter and implored reporters to keep his family's business out of the press. The report came just two days after Scaramucci went nuclear in a profane interview with The New Yorker,during which he called out White House strategist Steve Bannon and Trump's ex-chief of staff Reince Priebus (more on that below).

Trump's busy weekend

Trying to move forward after a big staff shake-up, facing issues ranging from North Korea to his own attorney general, President Trump said Sunday that Republicans should keep trying to repeal and replace Obamacare. Trump blasted the Republicans in the Senate Saturday for looking "like fools" after the GOP could not garner enough support to pass health care reform. The president spent the weekend at the White House after announcing late Friday he had replaced chief of staff Reince Priebus with retired general John Kelly, who moves to to the White House after a stint as secretary of Homeland Security.

On Twitter, President Trump did not hold back about his disappointment with GOP senators' progress on health care reform. Trump said they 'look like fools' over the recent defeat. Wochit

U.S. flexes military muscle after North Korea’s ICBM test

The United States confronted North Korea over its latest missile test amid signs that time is running out on efforts to halt the country's headlong rush to build a nuclear weapon capable of reaching the United States. The U.S. conducted a test of its missile-defense system in Alaska and flew two supersonic bombers over South Korea on Sunday in a show of force following North Korea's latest intercontinental ballistic missile test on Friday.

The United States successfully conducted a missile defense test using a Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system in Alaska. Veuer's Maria Mercedes Galuppo (@mariamgaluppo) has more. Buzz60

Putin responds to sanctions, orders U.S. to cut 755 embassy workers

Russian President Vladimir Putin said Sunday that the United States will have to cut its diplomatic staff in Russia by 755 by Sept. 1 in response to expanded U.S. sanctions. He said he ordered the move because he “thought it was the time to show that we’re not going to leave that without an answer.” The Senate voted 98-2 Thursday to approve a new package of tougher financial sanctions against Russia, Iran and North Korea. The main goal of the legislation was to punish Moscow for meddling in the 2016 presidential election and for its military aggression in Ukraine and Syria.

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at a Security Council meeting in the Kremlin on July 3, 2015. (Photo: Alexei Nikolsky, AP)

Voting underway in Venezuela after months of bloodshed

President Nicolás Maduro cast his vote Sunday for the powerful constitutional assembly he championed while foes boycotted the polls and accused the controversial leader of a power grab that would slam the brakes on democracy. The beleaguered South American nation is electing members to the assembly that would rewrite the country’s 1999 constitution and possibly create a single-party, authoritarian system. Opposition leaders refused to put up candidates, arguing the election has been structured to ensure that Maduro’s ruling socialist party dominates.

Tension continues to mount in Venezuela as the country prepares for a controversial vote that could rewrite its constitution. Video provided by Newsy Newslook

British baby Charlie Gard dies at 11 months

Charlie Gard, a terminally ill British baby at the center of a high-profile legal fight to take him to the United States for treatment, has died. He was 11 months old.  Charlie's mother, Connie Yates, confirmed his death on Friday. "Our beautiful little boy has gone, we are so proud of you Charlie," she said in a statement. Charlie died in a London hospice, where he was transferred on Thursday after the British High Court ruled — against his parents wishes — that he should not be allowed to die at home. After a five-month legal fight, the same court ruled that his rare genetic disease, which caused progressive brain damage and muscle weakness, would not respond to experimental therapy being offered by an American neurologist.  

Charlie Gard was an 11-month-old baby in London with a rare genetic disorder. He has died despite his parents' fight to seek treatment in the United States. USA TODAY

Jon Jones wins light heavyweight title from Daniel Cormier with TKO in UFC 214 rematch

Jon Jones knocked out Daniel Cormier with a dramatic flurry of third-round strikes to reclaim the Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight championship in the main event of UFC 214 on Saturday night. The fight was evenly-matched, with perhaps Cormier enjoying a slight edge, when Jones unleashed a vicious head kick that rocked his rival. Jones followed up with a series of blows and kicks that comprehensively ended the fight. “I made it back man,” Jones said. “I have done the right things to get back to this point.”

4 Fat Loss Mistakes Most Women Make

If you’re a woman on a mission to burn fat, there’s a good chance you are making one or two (or more) mistakes along the way. I see it time and time again and yet, few women ever actually crack the weight loss code.

It really doesn’t need to be as complicated as it seems. By learning what these mistakes are, you can quickly put them behind you and get on track to seeing better results.

Let’s look at four fat loss mistakes you need to know about.

Starvation Diets

If 1400 calories is good, 1000 must be better, right? Wrong. Your body needs fuel to burn fat properly. As strange as it may sound, if you cut your calories back too far, your body will just cling onto what fat it does have, making further fat loss feel impossible.

You want to use a moderate calorie deficit, like the guidelines set forth in the 3 Week Diet plan as this will ensure that your metabolism stays revved and you keep burning fat.

Failing To Plan Ahead

Another big mistake many women make is failing to plan ahead. They think about their next meal about an hour before that meal takes place. Often, this is because they’re busy and just don’t have time to do all that cooking.

If you want to see results, however, you need to plan ahead. The trick is using a weight loss program that doesn’t call for overly complex meals that mean you spend hours each day in the kitchen.

No woman can handle that — you have a life to lead. But, with a diet plan that makes planning ahead simple, you will stand a much better chance of sticking with your menu. You should never wonder ‘what to eat’ when hunger hits or you’ll be tempted to eat something you shouldn’t.

Overdoing Cardio Training

If there’s one thing that most women have in common, it’s hours spent on cardio machines. While some smart cardio training (such as sprint training) can be beneficial for fat loss, you really don’t need to chain yourself to the treadmill, bike, or the elliptical. In fact, doing so can do more harm than good.

Instead, what you need is a basic weight training program that focuses on key lifts that make you stronger.

Check out The 3 Week Diet workout program if you need assistance in this area. This program will go over the top calorie burning exercises that will firm and tighten your body while helping you melt fat quickly.

Overcomplicating The Process

Finally, the last big mistake that many women make is overcomplicating their program. They find a diet plan that has a million rules and regulations that they must follow and then wonder why they aren’t sticking with it and it’s not working.

Simplicity is best. With a few smart guidelines that you can easily implement into your life, you can be on track to seeing superior results.

Fat loss isn’t rocket science. It all boils down to fueling your body with the right food choices and amount of energy to encourage the release of energy from body fat cells.

The 3 Week Diet plan will explain how to do this without feeling like you need a Ph.D. in diet lingo.

So keep these mistakes in mind. If you see yourself making any of them, make a few changes and get yourself on track to seeing better results in the future.

The 3 ‘Fat Loss Foods’ Sabotaging Your Results

Feel like you’re doing everything right on your diet plan but still not seeing the results you desire?

Many people find themselves in this position. They are working hard on their approach and taking care to follow their diet to the letter. But yet, something is amiss. The scale just isn’t going downward and they aren’t getting the results they were hoping for.

What gives?

Often, the big problem is not their effort or motivation. The problem is that they are letting certain foods into their diet plan that are sabotaging their results. Often these foods are designed to be fat loss foods but they really aren’t. Instead, they’re holding you back from success.

What are these foods? Let’s go over three foods that you need to cut out of your diet immediately.

Fruit Flavored Yogurts

Fruit flavored yogurts are a favorite among many dieters but little do they know they’re digging into pint-sized sugar bombs each time they eat a small container.

Next time you’re picking out your favorite yogurt, double check the sugar content. You might just find yourself surprised to know there are 15 or more grams of sugar per serving.

Of course you can purchase the sugar-free varieties, but then you’ll be taking in a number of unwanted artificial sweeteners, which can be just as bad for you.

Instead, opt for plain Greek yogurt. Flavor it yourself by adding a handful of fresh berries.

Fat-Free Products

Next up on the list of foods that you want to get out of your diet plan are any products that are built to be ‘fat free’. These often state that they are fat free on the label and proud of it.

But ask yourself, if the fat is removed, what is added? Something had to be added otherwise these just wouldn’t taste good.

The answer to that is sugar. Sugar has often been added to these foods and is what is causing them to still taste appealing.

And, if you are trying to lose body fat, sugar is just as bad — if not worse — than fat is.

Protein Bars

Finally, the last of the foods that you need to be careful about including in your diet plan are protein bars. These may seem like a great option since they do contain protein and you’re probably trying to get more protein into your day.

But once again, you need to check that sugar content. Most protein bars are upwards of 15 grams of sugar or more per bar. Some measure in as high as 30 or even 40 grams of sugar depending on the calorie content.

In actuality, these aren’t much more than a glorified chocolate bar. While you can buy a few bars that do keep the sugar content very low (five grams or less per bar), you do need to search for those. Be careful about buying these bars.

So there are three foods that you may be currently eating that could be causing you some issues. Are any of these in your diet?

If you want to learn the two must-eat foods that will help catapult fat loss into high gear, make sure that you check out The 3 Week Diet which goes over the harmful and helpful foods for weight loss.




Get it now

• To really see best results from any diet plan you choose to use, you need to learn a few ‘diet commandments’. These are guidelines that must be followed if you are going to see superior results that will help propel you forward. Sadly, many people miss out on one or more of these and it greatly costs them their success. Want to learn more? Check out the list of five commandments below. Thou Shall Eat More Protein Of all the foods that you could eat while on a fat loss diet, protein is perhaps the most important. Protein helps combat hunger, it helps stabilize blood glucose levels, and it helps prevent lean muscle mass loss. This in turn helps speed up your metabolism and accelerates the process of fat loss. Don’t let your diet intake fall short. Aim to eat some protein in each and every meal and snack that you consume. Thou Shall Eat Regularly While the concept that your metabolism will increase the more often you eat isn’t entirely accurate — as the boost you get after a meal is directly related to the size of that meal — eating regularly does help to keep hunger at bay. By feeding your body frequently throughout the day, you’ll help avoid food cravings, energy lows, and make it that much easier to stick to your diet program. Thou Shall Prioritize Fresh Foods When selecting your foods, eating fresh is a must. We live in a world where processed foods are around every corner and just waiting to cause us weight gain. Eliminate these and you’ll really give your diet a boost. Focus on foods in their natural state — fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats and oils, and lean proteins. If you only make one change to your diet plan, make it this one. Thou Shall Set Short Term Goals One diet rule that you should abide by and follow is to always set short term goals for yourself. Think about what you are doing in the here and now, not months from now. It’s too easy to lose sight of your goals if they are going to take place six months to a year down the road. Try thinking in three-week segments. Three weeks is about how long it takes for good habits to form, so is the perfect amount of time to you build behaviors that will stand the test of time. This is precisely why The 3 Week Diet was created. It will help you stay motivated and consistent until you don’t even have to think about making those changes any longer — They’ll just be automatic. Thou Shall Stop Comparisons Finally, stop comparing yourself to others. Realize that this is your own journey and your own body. It’s unlike anyone else’s so you simply can’t expect to see the same results as everyone else. Instead, start comparing yourself today to yourself from yesterday. That will give you all the details you need to know. If each day you are getting better, you are successful in your journey. So keep these diet commandments in mind. Focus on these and you can feel confident that you are headed in the right direction.
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People Are Happier When They Are Having More Sex Than Their Peers

Most people are happier if they know they are having sex more often than their friends, according to new research published by Tim Wadsworth, an associate professor of sociology at the University of Colorado Boulder. 

We already know that people are happier if they know they are earning more money than their peers. This is one of the first studies to evaluate what relative impact sexual activity has on people's happiness when they compare themselves with others. 

The paper, titled "Sex and the Pursuit of Happiness: How Other People's Sex Lives are Related to Our Sense of Well-Being," was published in Social Indicators Research. 

Wadsworth analyzed results from national survey data and found that higher sexual activity was associated with higher levels of happiness. In addition, he found that people who thought they were having sex more often than their peers were in general happier than those who thought they weren't. 

Wadsworth said: 

"There's an overall increase in sense of well-being that comes with engaging in sex more frequently, but there's also this relative aspect to it. Having more sex makes us happy, but thinking that we are having more sex than other people makes us even happier."

He gathered the data from the General Social Survey which asked the participants whether they were "very happy, pretty happy or not too happy". Since 1989 the survey has also included questions about sexual frequency. 

A total of 15,386 people were included in Wadsworth's sample. The respondents who had sex at least two to three times a month were found to be happier than those who had no sex during the 12 months prior to being asked.

Happiness also linked to how often people have sex

People who had sex once a week were 44 percent more likely to be happier than those who had no sex in the past year, while those who had sex two to three times a week were 55 percent more likely to be happier, Wadsworth found.

How can people know how much sex their peers are having, given that sex is a private matter? Wadsworth said: "There is plenty of evidence that information concerning normative sexual behavior is learned through discussions within peer groups and friendship networks." 

The results showed that if people who are having sex two or three times a month believe that their peers are doing it every week, they are 14% less likely to report a higher level of happiness.

The author concluded: 

"I can't think of a better explanation for why how much sex other people are having would influence a person's happiness. We're usually not looking down and therefore thinking of ourselves as better off, but we're usually looking up and therefore feeling insufficient and inadequate."

Previous research presented at the The Gerontological Society of America's (GSA) 64th Annual Scientific Meeting in Boston, revealed that the more often older married individuals have sex, the more likely they are to be happy with both their lives and marriages. 

Written by Joseph Nordqvist

Can we buy happiness? New research weighs in

Allocating cash to shop for ourselves free time by hiring some other person to require up some of our chores will build U.S. feel happier, a replacement study suggests.
Researchers from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada, teamed up with colleagues from the Harvard grad school in Beantown, MA, to do to answer the question, "Can cash purchase U.S. happiness?"

Dr. Ashley Whillans, Associate in Nursing prof at Harvard grad school, and her colleagues found that cash will purchase happiness once it's invested with in time-saving expenses, like hiring a cleaner or a nanny.

The results of the study were printed in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

According to studies from across the world, researchers note that in countries wherever income is on the increase, free time has become one thing of a luxury. Lack of free time is reportedly chargeable for a shrivelled sense of well-being, status to anxiety, and sleep disorder.

With this in mind, Dr. Whillans and her colleagues come into being to check whether or not or not hard currency to accumulate longer - by hiring somebody to assist with home duties and any unpleasant chores, as an example - might absolutely impact people's lives.

Time-saving investments bring happiness

They initially analyzed data sourced from 4,469 respondents from Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands, and the United States.

In the U.S., they reviewed information from 366 freelancers who sourced their work using a major online platform, as well as 1,260 regular working U.S. adults, who were representative of the general population.

In Denmark, the data came from 467 representative workers, and in Canada, they were collected from a similar population sample of 326 respondents. From the Netherlands, they evaluated 1,232 nationally representative workers, as well as a population of 818 millionaires.

All the respondents at this stage had to provide information about any money they spent on a regular basis to hire helpers and free up time for themselves.

The researchers found that more than 28 percent of the participants invested money in time-saving expenses each month. These respondents also reported feeling happier and more satisfied with their lives.

What surprised Dr. Whillans and her colleagues was that the same degree of satisfaction was felt by people who invested in domestic help regardless of their personal income.

"The benefits of buying time aren't just for wealthy people. We thought the effects might only hold up for people with quite a bit of disposable income, but to our surprise, we found the same effects across the income spectrum," says senior author Dr. Elizabeth Dunn, from the University of British Columbia.

Few people buy time out

Dr. Whillans and her team sought to consolidate their results by recruiting a further 1,802 U.S. participants, to whom they rephrased their initial questions so that "time-saving investments" would be defined less restrictively. Their initial findings still held.

Finally, the researchers also decided to conduct a field experiment, in which 60 working adults from Canada were randomly allocated $40 for two consecutive weekends. They were then asked to spend this money first on time-saving investments, and then on a material purchase.

It was found that the participants felt happier at the weekend when they had invested the money on help with chores, which allowed them to have more free time.

However, the researchers were in for another surprise when they noticed that relatively few people, even counting those with significant expendable incomes, chose to spend their money on time-freeing purchases.

Out of the 818 Dutch millionaires that they surveyed, a little less than half declared that they never invested in purchases that allowed them to avoid unpleasant and time-consuming chores.

When they asked a further sample of 98 working adults how they would spend an expendable $40, only 2 percent of them reported that they would invest in free time.

Dr. Whillans suggests that we should try thinking about our investments differently, and buy ourselves more time when we can.

"Lots of research has shown that people benefit from buying their way into pleasant experiences, but our research suggests people should also consider buying their way out of unpleasant experiences."