It turned out that the mental abilities of people who work more than 55 hours a week (11 hours a day), lower than that of their colleagues, who are not on fire at work.
Two thousand civil servants passed five different tests between 1997 and 1999, and again from 2002 to 2004. Those who did a lot of overtime did the worst. argumentation and vocabulary tests.
In addition, they had problems with short-term memory… Moreover, the situation worsened with each working day – that is, the longer the working week was, the worse the test results were.
Scientists still cannot clearly explain why a long working day has an adverse effect on the brain, however the key factors are clear to them: Workaholics sleep less, suffer from depression more often and drink more alcohol.
“Employers must understand that making people work long hoursthey only harm the cause, says Lancaster University professor Keri Cooper. “Unfortunately, in times of crisis, people tend to stay longer at work in order to show zeal and avoid dismissal.”
“This research should get workaholics thinking,” echoed Harriet Millward, spokesman for the Alzheimer’s Research Foundation. – We know that risk of developing dementia can be reduced through a balanced diet, regular social interaction, and exercise for the body and mind. Now a reasonable ratio of work and rest hours should be added to this list. ”
According to .