Feeling Overworked? Take a "Fika" Break

The Science of Happiness

PRX and Greater Good Science Center

Science, Social Sciences

4.4 • 1.9K Ratings

🗓️ 25 May 2023

⏱️ 15 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

A short break does more than just fuel our bodies, it strengthens our minds. Our overworked guest tries the Swedish practice of 'Fika' – taking short coffee breaks throughout the work day.

Episode summary:

In the United States, we’re taught that it’s a good thing to work more, and work harder. But research shows that overworking isn’t just physically and mentally draining, it can also be deadly. One strategy to manage our work culture? Take more breaks. Our guest this week is Mike Heyliger, a music executive and self-described “workaholic.” He incorporated the Swedish tradition of fika – taking coffee and snack breaks throughout the day – into his own life, and found it not only helped him de-stress, it also shifted his mindset and enabled him to connect with others. Later, we look at the scientific benefits of taking microbreaks and hear from Anna Brones, co-author of Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break.

Practice:

Actively choose to take a break during your day. Typically, fika breaks happen twice. Once in the morning and once in the mid-afternoon.
Traditionally, fika breaks include a drink, like coffee, and a snack, but this is not required. Often, fika breaks are taken with others.

Today’s guests:

Mike Heyliger is a music executive and the creator of Detoxicity, a podcast on progressive masculinity.

Learn more about Mike’s Initiative, ‘Mindful Vinyl’: https://mindfulvinyl.org/about/

Listen to Mike’s Podcast, ‘Detoxicity’: https://tinyurl.com/vc72tjn2

Anna Brones is a Swedish-American writer and artist. She produces the newsletter and podcast, Creative Fuel. Anna is also the co-author of Fika: The Art of the Swedish Coffee Break.

Learn more about Anna and her work: https://www.annabrones.com/about

Listen to the Creative Fuel Podcast: https://www.creativefuelcollective.com/podcast

Read Anna’s book on Fika: https://tinyurl.com/yhdzaj2m

Resources from The Greater Good Science Center:

Five Reasons to Take a Break from Screens: https://tinyurl.com/333tuvax

Why You Should Take More Time Off from Work: https://tinyurl.com/k5brkp46

Tuesday Tip: Take a Break: https://tinyurl.com/5986ste3

How to Avoid Burnout – or a Breakdown: https://tinyurl.com/bddw7cap

Why You Should Take a Relaxing Lunch Break: https://tinyurl.com/2p8axdba

More Resources on Fika:

NYT - In Sweden, the Fika Experience: https://tinyurl.com/54wpw8p5

Insider - A daily habit from Sweden could make you more productive at work: https://tinyurl.com/4exjydrr

TED - Forget the Pecking Order at Work: https://tinyurl.com/yk68dmzy

BBC - The Swedish tradition that can make you happier at work: https://tinyurl.com/yx28x2v8

Have you tried incorporating fika in your life? Tell us how it went. Email us at [email protected] or use the hashtag #happinesspod.

Help us share The Science of Happiness! Share this episode with a friend: https://tinyurl.com/4uyr2w35

Leave us a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/2p9h5aap

Transcript

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0:00.0	I've always loved music, and I kind of stumbled into working in the industry.
0:09.9	When I got out of high school, I ended up getting a job in a record store, and that led
0:13.0	to one thing, and that led to something else, and that led to something else, and 30 years
0:16.4	later, here I am.
0:19.6	There's always a party, there's always a show, there's always a conference, and there's
0:24.4	also always a showcase, or a concert, or, you know, people looking to get together at
0:29.9	a bar, and like have drinks, and network, and young professionals, and this net, so it
0:34.5	is constant stimulation.
0:38.5	I'm a generally anxious person, but when you're in the office, and you're looking at people,
0:43.5	and people are expecting things from you, and the phone's ringing, and, you know, you're
0:47.0	looking at your computer screen, and you see the number in your inbox, keep going up
0:50.3	and up, then that adds anxiety on top of the like self-imposed anxiety, which is like
0:56.7	you can't really escape, because, you know, from the blackberry to the, you know, iPhone,
1:01.6	whatever, like work is, it's really just a click of a button away, and being able to step
1:07.2	away, again, it just gives your brain a chance to recalibrate and reset, and just taking
1:13.6	the time for myself is not something that I'm accustomed to.
1:17.3	I am a workaholic, I love to work, you know, I grew up in a family of immigrants, and,
1:21.6	you know, work was all you did, if you were resting, you were working, you know, so it's
1:26.4	just like non-stop work, and yeah, I don't know that I've ever fully been able to break
1:31.0	that, it certainly takes a toll on my mental health, like I don't think I know really what
1:36.6	a vacation is.
1:44.6	Welcome to the Science of Happiness, I'm Dacker Keltner.
	...

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