Why Does The Night Before A Day Off Feel Better Than The Day Off?
Lordn | Shutterstock Most people would agree that the night before a day off feels better than the day off itself, and it's all thanks to the psychological phenomenon of reward anticipation.
It’s Monday morning, and you are coming off a weekend that seemed to pass too fast. You spent Sunday anticipating the alarm that would go off for the first time in 48 hours. This feeling of dread is the opposite of how you may have felt Friday afternoon, with excitement swelling at the idea of the weekend. In fact, the excitement you felt on Friday was even more potent than how you felt on the actual days off. That Saturday feeling is one of “I have time”, but it’s simultaneously running out.
The night before a day off feels better than the day off because of reward anticipation.
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The reason a Friday feels so good compared to your actual days off is thanks to the psychological phenomenon of reward anticipation. In this case, anticipating the reward is even more valuable than the reward (the weekend off).
Reward anticipation can buffer negative feelings, such as cortisol overload, the stress hormone. In a study by Weiyu Hu and Juan Yang, “Results showed that reward anticipation relieved subjective stress feelings, as well as the overall cortisol secretion and the increased heart rate induced by psychosocial stress.”
Cortisol levels drop after a period of work, especially when you know you have the day off. The anticipation of knowing you have time off reduces stress more than the day off itself. Just the thought of your free day feels good, and people are more relaxed on that day than on the day they have to work.
Going right along with anticipatory reward is anticipatory pleasure, called anticipatory joy by Dr. Alex Lickerman. Dr. Lickerman said, “Anticipating something pleasant seems to have almost unequaled power to make our present glow.” This makes the day before your day off feel like you hit the jackpot.
Time feels like it slows down when you are working and speeds up on weekends.
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Another example of a good natural chemical feeling is the weekend time paradox. The weekend may seem to pass quickly, and at the same time, upon reflection, seems longer and packed full of activities. This could make one long for the weekend and simultaneously get a burst of dopamine from anticipating it.
When we spend too much time at work, we subject ourselves to higher stress, “disturbed sleep, heart conditions, and mental-health disorders like anxiety and depression.” The weekend works as a reset to that built-up stress.
The Sunday Scaries aren't just a made-up feeling, and you aren't alone if you feel them. It doesn't mean you hate your job or you are struggling with your mental health, either. Research has shown that energy levels drop substantially between Sunday and Monday, and the realization that a five-day workweek is ahead is the likely culprit.
Psychologist Emily Hylton-Jean, Ph.D., MPH, noted, "The most frustrating thing about the Sunday Scaries? They can cut your weekend short. When you spend a significant portion of Sunday worrying about Monday, you miss out on a day of potential rest and recreation."
Is there any real way to reduce the perpetual cycle of living for the weekend? Not really. The best you can do is to manage your stress throughout the week and enjoy that Friday feeling. The brain is always up to something interesting, and those good feelings you have the day before you have off are a treat for your mind, reducing stress and increasing happiness.
Laura Lomas is a writer with a Master’s degree in English and Creative Writing who focuses on news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.
