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Friday, March 29, 2024

Workaholic? This Study Finds You May Have Other Issues

Courtesy of ZeroHedge. View original post here.

Being a workaholic comes along with being grown up and having responsibilities (well, it comes along with it for some people). Late nights out at the bar turn into firing up the laptop and putting the finishing touches on that presentation that is due first thing in the morning, weekends that used to be filled with keggers turn into all day working sessions just to catch up on all of the emails that got missed during the week – it happens (even if one works at the US Treasury, but only on occasion don't be alarmed).

However, there is a rather disturbing study that the World Economic Forum reported earlier in the month that may convince some to schedule that vacation that's been put off for the last decade.

As the WEF reports, a study of 16,426 working adults in Norway found that those with workaholism are significantly more likely to have psychiatric symptoms.

From the WEF

Psychology researchers, led by Cecilie Schou Andreassen from the University of Bergen in Norway, found a strong link between workaholism and ADHD, OCD, anxiety, and depression. They found:

-32.7% of workaholics also met ADHD criteria, compared to 12.7% of non-workaholics

-25.6% of workaholics also met OCD criteria, compared to 8.7% of non-workaholics

-33.8% of workaholics also met anxiety criteria, compared to 11.9% of non-workaholics

-8.9% of workaholics also met depression criteria, compared to 2.6% of non-workaholics

The authors speculated that there are several reasons those with ADHD might suffer workaholism, including inattentiveness forcing them to spend excess hours trying to make up work, working extra hard to counter misperceptions of laziness, or working to alleviate restlessness. For those with OCD, workaholism could become a compulsion. Meanwhile, working hard is “praised and honored in modern society,” write the authors, and so could be used as a means to counter anxiety or depression.

The study, which was co-authored by researchers from Yale University and Nottingham Trent University, did not determine whether workaholism caused the psychiatric symptoms or vice versa.

Marianna Virtanen, an epidemiologist at UCL and the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health was not involved in the study but says that many psychiatric disorders begin at a young age, they precede workaholism. "It is also possible that the association is bidirectional; workaholism may exacerbate psychiatric symptoms in the long run. It is paradoxical, however, that people may first try to cope with their symptoms by excessive working." Virtanen added.

Those in the US and Germany have put in the most time working prior to even heading into the office.

"Taking work to the extreme may be a sign of deeper psychological or emotional issues. Whether this reflects overlapping genetic vulnerabilities, disorders leading to workaholism or, conversely, workaholism causing such disorders, remains uncertain." said Dr. Schou Andreassen

* * *

Well then, since everything is still inconclusive – there is more work to be done.

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