2012宣言：休假有理，浪费可耻

    休假事关个人身心健康。几年前，美国心身医学学会（American Psychosomatic Society）曾研究过压力与心理健康之间的关系，之后公布的调查结果引起了人们的关注。该项目历时16年，共跟踪调查了12,338位年龄在35至57岁的男性。结果发现，在控制其他因素（饮食、健身、吸烟）的前提下，通过休假获得放松的人在研究期间患病和死亡的比例比放弃休假的人低了21%。正常休假的人死于心脏病的几率比放弃休假的人低32%。

    其他研究显示，女性之间的差距更加显著：每年休假两到三次的女性经理人患心脏病的风险比放弃休假的女性低一半。

    此外，大量证据证明，休假能提高员工的工作效率。（谁在精疲力竭的时候还能保持最佳状态？）或许这是因为，休假使员工可以与最心爱的人共度美好时光。Ultimat牌伏特加的最新调查显示，在所有接受调查的公司中，69%的员工目前工作过于繁忙，疏远了家人；另外，有约7/10（67%）的员工表示过去一年中曾有过由于工作原因缺席家庭或社交活动的经历。

    可以理解，但如果你愿意的话，不妨听听《财富》杂志（Fortune）专栏作家斯坦利•宾的金玉良言：“决定暂停工作，前往圣约翰岛度假之时，你所爱的人要陪伴在身边；同时，要保证他们能获得和你说话的机会。”也就是说，如果那些只知道工作的人打算毁掉你的业余时间，你应该礼貌地拒绝。

    如果你过于忙碌，或者过分焦虑，为期一周以上的休假只是一种奢望？没关系。调查显示，每年只要能享受有几次三到四天的周末，同样能够让人精力充沛，缓解压力。而且，考虑到如今的情况，“大周末”或许更实际。

    Your health may depend on it. Some years ago, the American Psychosomatic Society, which studies the connection between stress and physical well-being, announced some arresting research results. A detailed sixteen-year project tracking 12,338 men aged 35 to 57 found that, with other factors (diet, exercise, smoking) controlled, the men who took annual vacations where they actually relaxed were 21% less likely to get sick and die during the study period than those who took no real vacations. The regular-vacationers' chances of dying of heart disease in particular were 32% lower.

    Other studies suggest that, for women, the difference is even more dramatic: Female managers who take two or more vacations per year cut their heart attack risk in half, compared to women who take no time off.

    Moreover, there's plenty of evidence that vacations boost people's productivity (Who does their best work when they're exhausted?) That may be in part because time off provides a chance to hang out with loved ones. A new survey from Ultimat brand vodka, of all companies, says that 69% of employees are now working so much that they're losing touch with their families, and almost seven in 10 (67%) say they have missed a family or social event in the past year because they were working.

    Understandable, but consider, if you will, some words of wisdom Fortune columnist Stanley Bing once wrote: "The people you love should be around long after you decide to hang it up and move to St. John"; and ensuring that they'll still be speaking to you by then "means pushing back respectfully every time people with no life try to steal yours from you."

    Too busy, or too anxious, to schedule a getaway lasting a whole week or more? That's okay. Research has shown that taking several three or four-day weekends throughout the year creates the same energizing, stress-busting effects as a single long break -- and, especially these days, may be more realistic, too.