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the adaptive dimensions of leisure
Author(s) -
RUBIN JOSHUA,
FLOWERS NANCY M.,
GROSS DANIEL R.
Publication year - 1986
Publication title -
american ethnologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.875
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1548-1425
pISSN - 0094-0496
DOI - 10.1525/ae.1986.13.3.02a00080
Subject(s) - scarcity , subsistence agriculture , leisure time , unit (ring theory) , work (physics) , yield (engineering) , resource (disambiguation) , adaptive strategies , socioeconomics , geography , demographic economics , sociology , economics , psychology , agriculture , computer science , microeconomics , physical activity , engineering , medicine , mechanical engineering , computer network , materials science , mathematics education , archaeology , physical medicine and rehabilitation , metallurgy
One response to scarcity is to invest more effort in subsistence activities. It is also possible to respond by adjusting the level of effort in nonwork, or leisure, activities. The authors examine the concept of a “Zen road to affluence” using time‐allocation data from four closely related Indian communities in central Brazil. Two of the groups live in relatively degraded environments, where yield per unit of work is lower. Total time spent working is about the same for all four groups; however, for the two groups living in degraded environments, the proportion of nonwork time spent in “low energy cost” activities is higher. This strategy of reducing needs is probably a response to resource depletion.