The Hidden Link Between Workaholism and Mental Health Long hours on the job can temporarily ease the symptoms of depression and anxiety. But you’re better off leaving the office and facing your feelings head-on.

The Atlantic ^ | February 2, 2023 | Arthur C. Brooks

[DoodleBob]

...There is compelling evidence that some people treat their emotional problems with work as well. This can lead to its own kind of addiction. Many studies have shown a strong association between workaholism and the symptoms of psychiatric disorders, such as anxiety and depression, and it has been common to assume that compulsive work leads to these maladies. But some psychologists have recently argued reverse causation—that people may treat their depression and anxiety with workaholic behavior. As the authors of one widely reported 2016 study in the scientific journal PLOS One wrote, “Workaholism (in some instances) develops as an attempt to reduce uncomfortable feelings of anxiety and depression.”

The 2016 study received significant attention for its quality, and will no doubt stimulate more tests of this hypothesis in the coming years. If the findings hold, which I suspect they will, the causal relationship could partially explain why so many people increased their work hours during the pandemic. For many months during the initial shutdowns, people faced boredom, loneliness, and anxiety; by late May 2020, CDC data showed that nearly a quarter of American adults had reported symptoms of depression. (In 2019, that figure was 6.5 percent.) Perhaps a portion of workers self-treated by doubling down on their jobs in order to feel busy and productive.

...

What’s more, when it comes to work, people reward you for addictive behavior. No one says, “Wow, an entire bottle of gin in one night? You are an outstanding drinker.” But work 16 hours a day, and you’ll probably get a promotion.

Despite the extolled virtues of maximum work, the costs will almost certainly outrun the benefits, as they usually do in self-medicating addictions. The burnout, depression, job stress, and work-life conflict will get worse, not better.

[DoodleBob]

People should be as mentally healthy as possible. That said, this piece seems to be an attempt to weaken America's awesome individualism and the attendant economic and social benefits.

It's now a weakness if you work hard. Toxic cicgenity or masculinity or whatever. Go to therapy. Go home, take a Xanax, and watch cats on Tik Tok. Meanwhile, some statist who's in on the scam, takes that promotion.

I've posted this before. All that American "workaholism" works.

America makes up 4% of the world's population...

...and yet we crank out 24% of the planet's GDP.

And while we are at the top of the Countries that Consume the Most Oil (2020 barrels per day)

United States — 17,178,000
China — 14,225,000
India — 4,669,000
Saudi Arabia — 3,544,000
Japan — 3,268,000
Russia — 3,238,000
South Korea — 2,560,000
Brazil — 2,323,000
Canada — 2,282,000
— Germany 2,045,000

...we also top the list of Countries with the Highest Oil Production (barrels per day)

United States - 11,567,000
Russia - 10,503,000
Saudi Arabia - 10,225,000
Canada - 4,656,000
Iraq - 4,260,000
China - 3,969,000
United Arab Emirates - 2,954,000
Brazil - 2,852,000
Kuwait - 2,610,000
Iran - 2,546,000

Thus, we Americans, making up only 4% of the planet's headcount, produce about a quarter of GDP - punching way above our weight. In relative contrast, China is a joke.

And if THAT wasn't cool enough, America's 4% of the population is at the top of the equity market food chain:

And, of course, we win the gun race by a mile...

....but we're not losing the murder race.

As for the national debt, we have trillions in untapped oil and gas and mineral resources. IER estimated the worth of the government’s oil and gas technically recoverable resources to the economy to be about 8 times our national debt.

Obviously, everything in balance. Subbing on addiction for another is bad. But ride the brakes when going into a turn, don't stop and turn around.

[AppyPappy]

Not having money would give me depression and anxiety.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Intersting data. For that last chart, “gun homicide rate,” if you took out black killings in the cities, we’d be half of that rate (actually probably a lot less than half).

[EvilCapitalist]

Whenever there is overtime to be had at work, by bosses always ask me first. I have less depression and anxiety when I know my bank account is getting fatter.

[lee martell]

I would speculate that this phenomenon of ‘Workaholism” has been going on in some form for many centuries.
Think of the farmers who spent way too much time plowing and tending their crops when they didn’t really need to.
They could have spent more of that time with their wives, children or Poker Pals. But there was the compulsion to get the job done, followed by the satisfaction that you are providing for your family. A sort of benign addiction.

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Works every time it's tried!

[Diana in Wisconsin]

Yep. They say that if you need to get something done, ask a Busy Person to do it. :)

I’ve always been a multi-tasker; pretty much HAD to be in the Army, and then every civilian job I had after that involved juggling many balls in the air at the same time.

Retirement is great, but I’m finding that seven years in, I need more balls to juggle! (Or it could just be because it’s WINTER!)

[Bob434]

i think there is a connection between WOKAHOLICS ™ and early diseases caused by stress and pearl clutching over everything-

[DIRTYSECRET]

I know of a woman who lost her 16 year old son. Buried herself in her work. When the ‘project’ was over her bosses told her to find another job. I say let the individual decide what’s best for them.

[EvilCapitalist]

I’ve been suffering from Spring Fever too. The temp. in my part of PA. was in the low 50’s a few days ago, and i’ve been thinking ahead about which flowers I want to plant this year.

[Bob434]

the problem is wokesters don’t just mind their own business- they want to decide what is right for everyone else-

[daniel1212]

Helpful stats, thanks. And even way back in 2007

Upwards Leisure Mobility: Americans Work Less and Have More LeisureTime than Ever Before August 31, 2007 10 min read Download Report Many people believe that Americans are overworked, but new research shows that Americans are spending less time at work and more time at leisure than ever before. That research's key conclusions: Since the mid-1960s, the amount of time that the typical American spends working fell by almost eight hours per week.. - https://www.heritage.org/jobs-and-labor/report/upwards-leisure-mobility-americans-work-less-and-have-more-leisuretime-ever

But of course, Google proved the second top search result for American leisure time heritage as

The rise of leisure time inequality - White Hutchinson https://www.whitehutchinson.com › leisure › articles › r... american leisure time heritage from www.whitehutchinson.com Although more highly educated adults have less leisure time than adults with ... there is an increasing leisure inequality between low-educated (12 or less years of schooling) and high-educated adults (some college or more than 12 years of schooling).

Then at #3:

Heritage, Tourism, and Race; The Other Side of Leisure

And #4:

Factors Influencing African American Leisure Time Utilization ...

Rather than being greateful for the "injustice" of being born in an era of unprecedented high standard of living, being blessed with an environment of material comforts and tools unknown for about 6,000+ years of human history. Yet the poor having less leisure (aside from the indolent) is a historical constant as European immigrants had to overcome wrongful prejudice and discrimination, which has vastly decreased.

But in order to obtain power (and often esp. for many women, justify a life purpose without children) a Western liberal tends to be one who has a sneaking suspicion, that somehow, everyone everywhere in traditional society is engaging in racism, and which must be magnified, while racism is exactly what they promote under the premise of combating it as saviors of the oppressed.

[shotgun]

My decompression time is when I’m scooping up horse crap on my farm. It doesn’t take any thought to scoop and dump so it allows my mind to just wander.

[discostu]

I don’t think the article is saying working hard is a weakness. It’s saying don’t use work to hide from real life. For one thing working long hours and working hard aren’t the same thing. Actually the people I know who have spent the most hours at work tend to get the least done. And no matter how long you spend at work whatever your real world problems are will still be waiting for you, and they might be getting worse depending on how the spouse and kids feel about you pulling 100 hour weeks.

Workaholism isn’t productive. That’s just being at the office a lot. Getting a lot accomplished is productive. And that MIGHT involve extra hours. But it doesn’t have to.

[AppyPappy]

Reminds me of the Reddit post of a video of a girl crying at work because she wanted to be a stay-at-home furbaby mommy but she has to pay rent.

[AppyPappy]

I worked with a guy who was always in the office. Everyone knew who has was, no one knew what he did but he was always there. When Diversity became a thing, he became an American Indian. Decorated his office for it and put a picture of some random Indian at a PowWow and claimed it was his grandfather. He seemed to spend a lot of time trying to find someone to do some work for him. Our boss forbid us to help him.

[Organic Panic]

When I was a senior engineer supervising about 15 people and overseeing a production line of close to 100 people there were two types that worked extra hours for free since we were salaried. One, were the people that genuinely loved the work and wouldn’t leave until their job was ‘done.’ The other were the depressed lonely married men who couldn’t bare another evening going him to the wife. The women NEVER stayed extra. I am not sure we had many workaholics.

[AppyPappy]

Programmers always have to work over. I work on vacation and sometimes on weekends because I am the sole person in charge of a server and several applications. I punch out on Oct 1 but I can go back as a wage employee in February. I told my boss he is not going to enjoy those 4 months. He’s already threatened to quit and asked for a demotion.

[RoosterRedux]

Amen.

Some people are just prone to depression. That's just life. Deep thinkers are prone to depression because some things about life are simply depressing. For better or worse, I have always been one of those.

The best solutions for me are to work a lot, exercise a lot, and stay busy until bedtime.

Believe me, there's still plenty of time left over to be depressed. But depression is more manageable because you are in better physical condition, you are getting new skills, and either making more money or headed in that direction.

For those of you who have kids who are prone to depression, exercise (particularly cardio) works wonders. Start gently and easily and work your way up.

As an aside, I know some great guys who work a lot because their homelife is awful.

That's also depressing.

[BipolarBob]