Really misleading headline. The study wasn't about hammocks at all, just a normal bed that sways. Makes me think more of being on a boat. I haven't experienced the effect, but David Foster Wallace wrote about it: http://www.harpers.org/media/pdf/dfw/HarpersMagazine-1996-01...
(Not going to give the page number of the sleep thing because I believe everyone should read the whole thing :)
I can tell you from extensive experience that there is absolutely nothing like sleeping on a ship, especially in a small, coffin-like bunk in a room with no windows: the gentle rocking, the absolute darkness, and the white noise combine for incredibly deep and restful sleep. The shitty, thin mattress caused me long-term back and shoulder problems after sleeping on it for months on end, but with all of the other advantages I still slept well every night.
Isn't there a rather fundamental problem with the study? It's not blinded. It's pretty obvious to both the subject and the experimenter if the bed is rocking ...
I read a few pages, and it's absolutely shit. This guy has a terrible attitude. Why would I read 20some pages about some guy bitching about cruise ships?
EDIT: I've actually been on a cruise, so I can tell this is all just a bunch of (highly subjective) crap.
I appreciate that the writing style isn't for everyone, but he's not "some guy", he's one of the best writers of our time. Don't worry though, others have made your mistake: http://kottke.org/11/04/infinite-jest-blindly-judged
I guess it would be pointless for me to rant about why you should enjoy some piece of writing that you hate. I'll just say that the essay isn't about cruise ships so much as it's about loneliness and depression.
Considering Wallace and Franzen were friends, and Franzen's the Corrections appears to have been published about 5 years after this article, I enjoy thinking that the article influenced the book.
(Not going to give the page number of the sleep thing because I believe everyone should read the whole thing :)