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Try Independent Minds free for 14 days See the options Hi {{fullName}} * My Independent Minds * Account details * Help centre * Logout News > World > Europe Six-hour working day 'boosts productivity and makes people happier' Nurses who worked six-hour days were found to be 20 per cent happier and had more energy * Samuel Osborne @SamuelOsborne93 * Wednesday 11 May 2016 10:12 * {{#singleComment}}{{total}} comment{{/singleComment}}{{^singleComment}}{{total}} comments{{/singleComment}} * Click to follow The Independent Commuters walk to work over London Bridge ( Scott Barbour/Getty Images ) A shorter work day increases productivity and makes people happier, research has found. The Svartedalens retirement home in Gothenburg, Sweden's second largest city, conducted an experiment to determine whether cutting hours improved patient care and boosted employees' morale. Nurses who worked six-hour days for the past year were found to be 20 per cent happier and had more energy at work and in their spare time. Sweden's 6 hour work day explained The 68 nurses also took half as much sick time as those in the control group and were able to do 64 per cent more activities with elderly residents. Join Indpendent Minds For exclusive articles, events and an advertising-free read for just £5.99 €6.99 $9.99 a month (BUTTON) Start your free trial Get the best of The Independent With an Independent Minds subscription for just £5.99 €6.99 $9.99 a month (BUTTON) Start your free trial Get the best of The Independent Without the ads – for just £5.99 €6.99 $9.99 a month (BUTTON) Start your free trial They were also 2.8 times less likely to take any time off work in a two-week period, Bengt Lorentzon, a researcher on the project, told Bloomberg. Created with Sketch. The 10 happiest countries in Europe Show all 10 Created with Sketch. Created with Sketch. 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The 10 happiest countries in Europe 1/10 Denmark Coulourful houses and boats seen in the Nyhavn district in Copenhagen 2/10 Switzerland 3/10 Iceland Iceland, Northern Lights 4/10 Norway Wheel deal: cycling in Norway Visit Norway 5/10 Finland Getty 6/10 The Netherlands 7/10 Sweden AFP 8/10 Austria Sean Gallup/Getty Images 9/10 Germany Getty Images 10/10 Belgium The city hall on Brussels' Grand Place is illuminated during a light show, December 30, 2015 Reuters 1/10 Denmark Coulourful houses and boats seen in the Nyhavn district in Copenhagen 2/10 Switzerland 3/10 Iceland Iceland, Northern Lights 4/10 Norway Wheel deal: cycling in Norway Visit Norway 5/10 Finland Getty 6/10 The Netherlands 7/10 Sweden AFP 8/10 Austria Sean Gallup/Getty Images 9/10 Germany Getty Images 10/10 Belgium The city hall on Brussels' Grand Place is illuminated during a light show, December 30, 2015 Reuters "If the nurses are at work more time and are more healthy, this means that the continuity at the residence has increased," Mr Lorentzon said. "That means higher quality [care]." Sweden made headlines in 2015 when it was reported the country was moving towards a six-hour work day. Read more * Sweden introduces six-hour work day * The truth about Sweden’s six-hour work day * Sweden's six-hour work day comes to the UK at Agent Marketing in Liverpool A Toyota centre in Gothenburg, Sweden's second largest city, implemented shorter working hours over a decade ago, with the company reporting happier staff, a lower turnover rate and an increase in profits. Their results prompted a number of other Swedish companies to trial shorter hours. Six out of 10 bosses in the UK agreed cutting employees' work hours would improve productivity, the Daily Telegraph reported. Longer working hours have been liniked with heart disease and stroke, according to a medical study published in the Lancet. 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