Researchers from the University of Warwick found that career advancement can worsen mental health, people promoted to management roles more often face higher stress and depression risk, and have less time for doctor visits.
The meaning of life for most modern young people is a career. We, gritting our teeth, storm career heights, forgetting about sleep and rest.The fact that we lose our physical health in the process is well known. But what about our psyche?
For a career, one has to pay with nerve cells – this is the conclusion reached by researchers from the University of Warwick (England). After surveying more than a thousand people who, over the past five years, had climbed the career ladder to middle- or senior-level management positions, they found that the mental well-being of those who had been promoted had noticeably worsened, and because of their workload they began to visit doctors less often. As the researchers point out, with increasing responsibility, an employee becomes more susceptible to stress, which can develop into depression.
"Moving up is not always a good thing. As our study shows, during career advancement the psyche of people holding managerial positions changes for the worse. They need support and proper preparation for greater responsibility," says Chris Boyce.
In this regard, it is worth recalling the recent conclusion of Finnish scientists that long hours at work increase the risk of nervous disorders, up to and including dementia. Their report states that the mental abilities of people who work more than 55 hours a week are lower than those of their colleagues who work less. In addition, the former more often experience problems with short-term memory.