The economics of napping

Michael at www.2blowhards.com writes:

• Some see napping as a reflection of a failing. If you were doing everything right, you wouldn't need to nap. This stems from the American conviction that a person ought to be bursting with dynamism 24/7, and if he isn't then something is dreadfully wrong.

• Some see napping as an aspect of a larger problem that needs to to be addressed and licked: "Today, in the news -- fatigue, and how to overcome it."

• To some of a scientific bent, napping is strange -- a peculiarity to be investigated. We aren't perfect robots: Let's try to explain why not!

• To others, napping is a productivity question. A person who naps isn't wasting time. No, he's doing what needs to be done to be even more productive than he'd otherwise be.

• And then there's the "it's good for you," napping-as-health crowd.

Here is his paean to napping.  Here in Buenos Aires they use naps as a means of abolishing ordinary sleep.  As they are waking up to go out, I wish to go to bed.  A status game (positive-sum?) among the youth leads going-out times to stretch later and later into the night.  Many clubs don´t get going until 2 a.m.  (How do one-night stands work when you are out until 7 a.m. or so?)  The last time I was here I would commonly eat my dinner at the end of their lunch hour.

Addendum: Daniel Drezner has a siesta update from Spain.