Text 1

In a study of the benefits of having free time, Marissa Sharif found that the reported sense of life satisfaction tended to plateau when participants had two hours of free time per day and actually began to fall when they had five hours of free time per day. After further research, Sharif concluded that this dip in life satisfaction mainly occurred when individuals spent all their free time unproductively, such as by watching TV or playing games.

Test 2

Psychologist James Maddux cautions against suggesting an ideal amount of free time. The human desire for both free time and productivity is universal, but Maddux asserts that individuals have unique needs for life satisfaction. Furthermore, he points out that there is no objective definition for what constitutes productivity; reading a book might be considered a productive activity by some, but ideness by others.

Based on the texts, how would Maddux (Text 2) most likely respond to the conclusion Sharif (Text 1) reached after her further research?

Question

Accepted Answer

By warning against making an overly broad assumption, as there is no clear consensus in distinguishing between productive and unproductive activities

Answer

By acknowledging that free time is more likely to enhance life satisfaction when it is spent productively than when it is spent unproductively

Answer

By challenging the reasoning in Text 1, as it has not been proved that productivity commonly contributes to individuals' life satisfaction

Answer

By claiming that the specific activities named in Text 1 are actually examples of productive activities rather than unproductive ones