Research: Want to Be Healthy? Love Your Job
New study finds: People who feel their work is meaningful have an easier time with daily challenges.
A recent study indicates that people who work many hours a week, driven by interest in their job, passion, and a sense of meaning, experience improved health.
The study was conducted by Prof. Yitzhak Harpaz, Dean of Advanced Studies at the Faculty of Management, University of Haifa, and Dr. Rafi Shneir from the Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo. The study involved 510 participants, divided into four groups based on the nature of their work:
The researchers divided the workers into four groups:
The "Addicts" Group - Working over 50 hours because the urge to work is overwhelming and they have lost control over it.
The "Enthusiasts" Group - Working over 50 hours by choice. These workers choose to invest many hours into their work out of enthusiasm and interest.
The "Regulars" Group - Full-time workers who reported wanting to work less but succumb to social-organizational pressure.
The "Heavy Due to Economic Constraints" Group - People working more than the average hours due to economic hardship.
Participants in the study were asked to answer questions assessing their health and well-being based on their perception and self-feeling, not on objective data like medical tests and the like.
The data reveals that the enthusiastic workers reported the best health and mental condition among all - a score of 4.24 out of 5, followed by the "addicts" who also reported a high health level - 4.07. Third place was taken by the "regular" workers with normal work hours, and last, the "heavy due to economic constraints," who showed relatively poor health compared to the other groups - 3.81.
The researchers concluded that workers who work a lot, either out of addiction or out of passion and enthusiasm, feel the healthiest.
Further insights from the study suggest that when people feel their work is important, their daily challenges become easier. The researchers explain that "since the industrial revolution, work is not just a livelihood but plays a central role in fulfilling the economic, psychological, and social needs of workers." The theory centers on the notion that investment in work makes life meaningful and valuable. According to the researchers, "When people believe their work is important, their handling of existential and daily anxieties becomes easier."
