&gt; having people sit around idle probably isn&#x27;t<p>Basic income doesn&#x27;t aim for people to sit idle, and in practice basic income doesn&#x27;t seem correlated with idleness. Some studies show an increase in work hours [0], and another showed a slight decrease in work hours among new parents and teenagers [1].<p>Loss of self-worth need not occur when people are given the freedom to say &quot;no&quot; to unfulfilling and unproductive jobs, the freedom to take time off to care for their own or another&#x27;s health issues, and the ability to pursue their passions -- teaching inmates, launching a startup, or becoming a world-class gamer.<p>[0] e.g. <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;papers.ssrn.com&#x2F;sol3&#x2F;papers.cfm?abstract_id=2268552" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;papers.ssrn.com&#x2F;sol3&#x2F;papers.cfm?abstract_id=2268552</a><p>[1] <a href="http:&#x2F;&#x2F;public.econ.duke.edu&#x2F;~erw&#x2F;197&#x2F;forget-cea%20(2).pdf" rel="nofollow">http:&#x2F;&#x2F;public.econ.duke.edu&#x2F;~erw&#x2F;197&#x2F;forget-cea%20(2).pdf</a>