We Americans work long and hard. Compared with the rest of the world we log more hours and take less vacation, spending about 25 percent more hours at work than Europeans. And overall, compared with Europeans, more Americans between the ages of 15 and 64 work.

When it comes to time off, our vacations "are pathetically short by comparison," says Arthur C. Brooks, visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, in a recent Wall Street Journal article. The average U.S. worker takes 16 days off each year; Germans, by comparison, usually take 35.

Do we love work that much?

Opinions vary. Some say we just can't tear ourselves away from the Puritan work ethic.

Brooks gives another standard explanation — that "we are under the yoke of hard-bitten capitalism." He points to London's Daily Telegraph, which reports that the intense U.S. work effort is not due to a "special affinity Americans have for work," but rather, because we are "terrified of losing (our) jobs."

What do Americans say about this? When polled about how satisfied they are with their current job security, 39 percent said they were completely satisfied, and 46 percent they were somewhat satisfied, according to the PSRA/Pew Research Center.

Apparently, even though we work more, there's little difference in productivity between the United States, France and Germany, says The New Yorker financial columnist James Surowiecki. But because more people work in America and put in more hours, Americans create more wealth, he says. Americans trade their productivity for more money, while Europeans trade it for more leisure.

Why? Surowiecki also cites the standard cultural differences, saying that depending on your perspective, "Europeans are ambitionless cafe-dwellers" or "Americans are Puritan grinds with no taste for the finer things in life."

But many, including Surowiecki, point out "a more plausible explanation" forwarded by economists: "European labor unions are far more powerful, and European labor markets are far more tightly regulated, than their American counterparts." In other words, it "isn't a matter of European workers' individually deciding they'd rather spend a few extra hours every week at the movies; it's a case of collectively determined contracts and regulations."

Because Americans spend more time at the office, they spend less on things like cooking, cleaning and childcare, he adds. Americans work more hours and use the money to pay for the things they can't do because they're working.

Who is happier? Brooks says "most Americans don't feel particularly shackled." Gallup's latest poll shows 43 percent of employed people were completely satisfied with their jobs, 47 percent were somewhat satisfied.

If you ask me, I'd say forget about what everyone else is saying and periodically stop and look at what you want for your particular life — something you may not do because you're too busy working and spending money.

One plausible model is creating a better blend of work, leisure and education. If you're like a lot of people, that's what they say they want, especially later in life. A study conducted by Harris Interactive showed that in six out of 10 societies surveyed, the majority doesn't see giving up work, but alternating between work and relationships with family and friends. So that means more sitting around cafes, sipping coffee and chatting with friends — preferably in person, not on your cell phone. But why not start now instead of later in life?