Workaholics feel worse even while working: Study

Workaholics are more likely than others to feel sick even when engaged in work they are most passionate about finds a studyThe study led by a team of Italian researchers from universities of Trento and Bologna involved 139 fulltime workers mostly employed in backoffice activitiesA psychological test was first used to assess the participants level of work dependencyAfterward the scholars analysed the mood of the workers and their perception of workload using a technique known as the experience sampling methodTheir results published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology showed that most workaholic workers have on average a worse mood than the othersThe researchers said that contrary to popular notion people who are addicted to work do not derive more pleasure from their work activityWorkaholism also shares similarities with other addictions such as gambling or alcoholismThe results seem to confirm that as in other forms of behavioural and substance addiction the initial euphoria gives way to a negative emotional state that pervades the person even while at work said Cristian Balducci a professor at the Department for Life Quality Studies at the University of Bologna Rimini CampusThe negative mood observed in workaholics may indicate elevated daily stress levels and that could be the cause of the higher risk for these individuals to develop burnout and cardiovascular problems he addedIn addition the results demonstrated that unlike other workers workaholics on average consistently maintain a more negative mood throughout the day with no significant variations attributed to the passage of time or fluctuations in workloadThe relationship between work addiction and bad mood was in fact more pronounced in women than in men indicating a greater vulnerability of women to workaholism Researchers suggest that this phenomenon may depend on an increased role conflict experienced by workaholic women caught between the internal tendency to overinvest in their work and the external pressures stemming from gender expectations still deeply rooted in our culture Furthermore considering that workaholics often hold positions of responsibility their negative mood could readily influence that of colleagues and coworkers This poses a risk that organisations should seriously consider intervening to discourage behaviours that contribute to workaholism added BalducciThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever