LOS ANGELES —

Michael Van Gorkom was laid off by Yahoo in late April. He didn’t panic. He didn’t rush off to a therapist. Instead, the 33-year-old Santa Monica resident discovered that being jobless “kind of settled nicely.”

Week one: “I thought, ‘OK … I need to send out résumés, send some e-mails, need to do networking.’”

Week two: “A little less.”

Every week since: “I’m going to go to the beach and enjoy some margaritas.”

What most people would call unemployment, Van Gorkom embraced as “funemployment.”

While millions of Americans struggle to find work as they face foreclosures and bankruptcy, others have found a silver lining in the economic meltdown. These happily jobless tend to be single and in their 20s and 30s. Some were laid off. Some quit voluntarily, lured by generous buyouts.

Buoyed by severance, savings, unemployment checks or their parents, the “funemployed” do not spend their days poring over job listings. They travel on the cheap for weeks. They head back to school or volunteer at the neighborhood soup kitchen. And at least until the bank account dries up, they’re content living for today.

“I feel like I’ve been given a gift of time and clarity,” said Aubrey Howell, 29, of Franklin, Tenn., who was laid off from her job as a tea shop manager in April. After sleeping in late and visiting family in Florida, she recently mused on Twitter, “Unemployment or funemployment?”

As frivolous as it sounds, “funemployment” is a statement about U.S. society. Experts say it’s both a reflection of the country’s cultural narcissism — and attitudes of entitlement and self-centeredness — and a backlash against corporate America and its Dilbert-like work environment.

“Recession gives people permission to be unemployed,” said David Logan, a professor at the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business. “Why not make use of the time and go do something fun?”

Jean Twenge, co-author of “The Narcissism Epidemic: Living in the Age of Entitlement,” said in some cases, many employees had lost balance between work and life, with too many late nights and weekends spent at the office. When they stop, they realize how much they had given up.

Nina Flores, 28, quit her job as a jury consultant Feb. 1 and has no regrets.

“You figure out how much …you miss when maybe you’re tied to your BlackBerry all the time or, in my case, traveling for work all the time,” she said. “I can’t imagine doing that again and sacrificing everything I want to do for me. … I think it is a new way of thinking.”

For many younger people, Twenge said, work is less central to their lives. More people say they want jobs with plenty of vacation than did in the 1970s, according to preliminary data from Twenge’s generational surveys. Younger employees today are also less willing to work overtime.

“It really suggests there has been that generational shift that work is not the be all and end all,” said Twenge, as associate professor of psychology at San Diego State University.

Amanda Rounsaville, 34, of Los Angeles, quit her job as a program officer at the California Endowment in late March. A self-described workaholic who rarely called in sick or used vacation days, Rounsaville found a certain peace during her three-week trek through northern Mongolia with a friend last month.

“I literally found myself smiling uncontrollably at being that far away from everything,” Rounsaville said.

Both Flores and Rounsaville discovered that they like themselves better when they’re not consumed by their jobs.

“This is the best version of me,” Flores said, adding that she feels “completely healthy,” relaxed and focused.

Rounsaville agreed: “The rat race puts blinders on you and makes time fly and then the next thing you know, you’ve missed the chance to be your more exciting self, or to push yourself in a gutsier direction.”

For some in older generations, watching their children embrace an escape from responsibility is difficult. So while a young unemployed person might be saying, “This is awesome, I’m having a really good time,” their parents are likely asking, “Haven’t you gotten a job yet?” Twenge said.

Logan, the USC professor, isn’t convinced “funemployment” is unique to this generation. The notion of slackers — or whatever label is in vogue — has been around for decades. What’s different, he said, is the new social media that allows the unemployed to find each other and make plans through Facebook and Twitter.

By thumbing their collective noses at unemployment, they also are sending a message to corporate America, Logan said.

“People are saying screw it, and they’re leaving companies,” Logan said. “We need to figure out how to make companies work better for everybody. Until that happens … early retirements and furloughs are going to continue. People are going to opt out of the system.”

What is it, exactly?

Never heard of funemployment? Here’s Urban Dictionary’s definition: “The condition of a person who takes advantage of being out of a job to have the time of their life. (Example:) I spent all day Tuesday at the pool; funemployment rocks!”