Tijs Goldschmidt explains to us that it is vital to lounge around enough. Most animals work hard every now and than but they hang around a lot too.

How can they afford this? Do they have such a thing as ‘leisure time’? And how vital is lounging for their well-being? Tijs says that it is of serious importance to lounge, to avoid burnout and to live a longer healthier life. It is a significant ingredient for a creative process. Who wants to make something new or discover something better, spends a lot of time doing nothing. He believes that the word ‘lummelen’ (lounging) in Dutch has a falsely negative connotation.

Tijs Goldschmidt

Tijs Goldschmidt (1953) is a biologist and writer. After obtaining his PhD from Leiden University, he continued to work there as a researcher until 1993, when he left to dedicate himself fully to writing. His first book, Darwin’s Dreampond: Drama in Lake Victoria was nominated, among other things, for the major Dutch AKO Literature Prize. It has since been translated into many languages.