Having read your article, Want to be Happier? Hire a Housekeeper, Researchers Suggest, which promotes the idea that spending money to get rid of annoying activities makes people much happier than buying material things, I felt perplexed. On the one hand, the message and the tone of this article seem rather convincing and attractive (since we all know that no one is eager to spend time on unpleasant things); yet, on the other hand, it is unclear to me how such behavior can be encouraged without putting on a thinking cap.
It goes without saying that many of us would be happy to forget how to mow a lawn, use public transport, dust, or wash the dishes. However, I firmly believe that the position “less hardship–more happiness” is equally wrong. Although research may prove that for a certain period of time, people become less stressed getting rid of their daily responsibilities, this effect cannot be long-term. As soon as a person realizes that an irritating task is no longer on the to-do list, there will appear other stress factors. A human being can never be satisfied for a long time either with material purchases or with the amount of free time.
There is a paradox that people who are really pressed for time usually manage to do everything as compared to those who spend their day watching TV on a coach. Thus, I believe that it is wrong to state that we become happier, receiving more leisure time. We feel relieved; this is true. However, real happiness is, in contrast, that appears as a result. You get stressed and exhausted not because of the burden of work but due to routine. Thus, it is time-management and diversification of activities that should be promoted instead of buying time artificially.
The point I would like to emphasize is that a significant percentage of your readers are teenagers. I am convinced that it is wrong to confirm them in the thought that you can become happy getting rid of daily responsibilities. It justifies their idleness and wrong perception of labor.