Strategy+Business: Can workaholism be good for you?

Originally found at Strategy+Business, by Matt Palmquist

Bottom Line: For people who put in long hours but love their jobs, a sense of fulfillment seems to offset unhealthy stress.

Do you spend more time at your desk than even the boss thinks is necessary? When you aren’t in the office, is that where your mind usually drifts? If so, you might be a workaholic, and that probably isn’t a surprise. But what is news is that workaholism might actually be good for — or at least not detrimental to — your health.

Conventional wisdom suggests that long hours at the office contribute to stress and increase the likelihood of health problems. According to a new study, it’s not that simple.

Over several months, the study’s authors conducted health screenings of 763 employees at an international consulting firm and tracked the number of hours they worked. They surveyed the employees on their attitudes about work, tendency toward workaholism, and health complaints. The authors also conducted objective tests of employees for risks of metabolic syndrome, a precursor of heart disease. They then controlled for participants’ hereditary predisposition for heart disease, age, and lifestyle.

Continue reading original article at Strategy+Business.

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• Lieke L. Ten Brummelhuis, Simon Fraser University
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• Benjamin Uhrich, University of North Carolina – Charlotte