Even a “forced sabbatical” can have profound benefits

Behind the unprecedented disruption of routine life by the coronavirus could lie one of the most profound transformations of our lives: closer connections, greater happiness, and a healthier relationship to work. Despite the anxiety, fear, and illness that is likely to touch each of our lives, there may be a silver lining once we’re on the other side, according to new research from hundreds of sabbatical takers. Sabbatees, as we call those who have taken a sabbatical, universally report that their time away from routine life was “one of the most important of their lives.”