How To Get Your Workaholism Working For You
If you've ever read a book only to get to the end of the page and realize you've been thinking about work the whole time, you may be experiencing workaholism. Maybe you decided to skip that dinner party across town because you have so much work to do…or perhaps it's that some days you have so much work to do that you feel guilty taking a break, even if it's just to eat lunch or go to the washroom. For years, we've heard dire warnings that long hours can take a taxing toll on our longevity and to avoid an early grave, we have looked to a number of tools and tactics to pull us away from our commitment to work.
But this research, published in Academy of Management Discoveries by Drs. Lieke ten Brummelhuis, Nancy Rothbard, and Benjamin Uhrich, reveals a far more nuanced picture. The authors meticulously disentangle two crucial aspects of "working to excess": the simple act of working long hours (a behaviour) versus a workaholism (a mentality), captured by the compulsive inner drive to work. What these researchers found is genuinely surprising and carries significant implications for how we perceive, manage, and even encourage work in our organizations.
The central finding is that it's not the actions we take that matter most, but the thoughts we have. In other words, working long hours, by itself, doesn't appear to be the primary culprit behind severe health risks. Their findings showed that it was not the sheer number of hours that led to decreases in happiness and increases in cardiovascular issues, at least according to the objective health biomarkers like those associated with metabolic syndrome used in this study of 763 employees. Instead, the real alarm bell rings for workaholism – that compulsive, often guilt-driven need to work. This deep-seated mentality was directly linked to a cascade of negative health outcomes. The study reveals that workaholics experience reduced subjective well-being, manifesting as depressive feelings, sleep problems, and a pervasive "need for recovery" that ironically, makes it difficult for them to actually recover. This internal distress triggers a health impairment process that can eventually lead to physiological issues like elevated blood pressure and cholesterol – precursors to serious conditions like cardiovascular disease. The constant mental engagement with work, the inability to truly "switch off," seems to be the critical factor disrupting the body's natural recovery and equilibrium.
But here's where it gets even more fascinating, and frankly, encouraging, especially for leaders who have the ability to influence employee experiences: work engagement acts as a powerful shield against these health risks, even for workaholics. The research distinguishes between "non-engaged workaholics" (those who work compulsively but don't enjoy it) and "engaged workaholics" (who also work excessively and compulsively, but find vigour, absorption, and dedication in their tasks).
The stark difference? Non-engaged workaholics faced a significantly higher risk for metabolic syndrome. However, for the highly engaged workaholics, this health impairment process was markedly attenuated. In fact, the study even hinted at a negative direct relationship between workaholism and health risks for the engaged group, suggesting a protective effect.
Why this protective mechanism? The authors propose that engaged workaholics possess more robust resources, externally - like job autonomy, social support at work and home, as well as internally, such as time management skills, communication skills, and greater intrinsic motivation. These resources enable them to better cope with stress, viewing work demands as challenges to be overcome rather than debilitating threats. This "thriving" mindset, which can be trained with intention and consistency, allows them to adapt and even grow stronger in response to work-related stressors, effectively buffering against the negative health consequences. Work-Life Strategy, a recent book written by one of the authors of this study, offers more information on how to untangle the compelling pressure to work all the time.
The takeaways for industry professionals are profound.
1. Firstly, it's time to shift our focus from simply counting hours to understanding the why behind working habits. Companies should prioritize identifying and addressing compulsive work mentalities, particularly when coupled with low engagement.
2. Secondly, fostering a culture of high work engagement is not just about productivity; it's a critical investment in employee health and resilience. Job designs that provide autonomy, meaningful tasks, constructive feedback, and supportive relationships can cultivate this engagement, helping even the most dedicated workers thrive without compromising their well-being.
Ultimately, this research provides a powerful blueprint for creating workplaces where intense dedication doesn't come at the cost of health. It encourages us to demand of ourselves and our work a higher standard for meaningful, genuinely engaging work and social connection by cultivating an environment where working hard is intertwined with authenticity, respect, civility, purpose, and recognition. It's about striving for an "engaged form of workaholism," where employees feel committed to devote their skills and resources towards something that they believe in so that the harder they work, the healthier they will be - and as a result, the more sustainable an organization's success.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gizmodo
2 hours ago
- Gizmodo
Stone Age People Brutalized Their Prisoners of War, New Evidence Suggests
When we think of Stone Age people, most imagine small communities living in caves, cutting into their most recent hunt with primitive tools, and imitating their environment with illustrative rock art. People during the Neolithic, however—the last stage of the Stone Age (around 9000 to 3300 BCE)—also waged wars and absolutely demolished their enemies. In a study published today in the journal Science Advances, researchers present horrific evidence suggesting that Neolithic people in northeastern France mutilated foreign invaders. Their findings might represent some of the earliest known indications of gruesome victory celebrations related to war. The international team of researchers analyzed skeletal remains and severed limbs from burial pits dating to between 4300 and 4150 BCE at two sites near Strasbourg, Achenheim and Bergheim. 'A total of 82 humans are analyzed,' they wrote in the study. Their analysis revealed 'differences between victims and nonvictims and suggest that the former were members of invading groups brutally killed, perhaps exposed and deposited in pits—together with trophies in the form of severed upper limbs—by local groups in what might be one of the earliest well-documented instances of martial victory celebrations in prehistoric Europe,' they explained. Previous research in the Upper Rhine Valley had already shown that this time period was marked by military invasions and cultural upheaval, but scientists didn't know whether the human remains at Achenheim and Bergheim were of locals or foreigners and/or prisoners of war. In addition to the severed upper limbs, the researchers also identified injuries such as skull fractures that had not healed. The team, including Valladolid University's Teresa Fernandez-Crespo, suggests these victims met violent ends during war. The individuals without these sorts of unhealed injuries, on the other hand, likely received a regular burial. To investigate the differences between those who were brutally killed and those who weren't, Fernandez-Crespo and her colleagues conducted isotopic analyses. By identifying ratios of isotopes—variants of the same element—in the remains, they discovered that, while the non-victims were locals, the victims of war violence came from other regions. According to the researchers, this indicates that the victims were likely invaders killed by locals. 'In view of their demise, it is probable that the identities of these victims can be attributed to socially remote, nonlocal enemies that became trophies or captives during battles or raids and that may have been considered by their captors as not properly 'human' and hence warranting such treatment,' the researchers explained. For once, the term 'overkill' applies literally.
Medscape
3 hours ago
- Medscape
Help! My Patient Asked Me About Their Smartwatch HRV Status!
In recent years, smartwatches have gained popularity across Europe, driven by an increase in health awareness, smartphone integration, and advancements in wearable technology. They are now able to monitor an increasing number of health metrics, including the now-popular heart rate variability (HRV). So what happens when a patient comes to the clinic worried about their HRV status, as reported by their watch? To learn more about HRV and its clinical significance, Medscape Medical News spoke with two experts. Professor Thomas Gronwald, PhD, is head of the Department of Performance, Neuroscience, Therapy and Health at MSH Medical School Hamburg, Germany. He is an exercise and training scientist with a focus on internal and external load analysis in strength and conditioning training. Cailbhe Doherty, PhD, is an assistant professor at the School of Public Health, Physiotherapy, and Sports Science at University College Dublin, Ireland. His research is dedicated to investigating the effectiveness of consumer wearables in public health and the integration of mobile technologies in healthcare systems. What is HRV? And is it possible for smartwatches/wearables to accurately measure it? Thomas Gronwald, PhD Doherty: HRV is the variation in time between successive heartbeats. So even if your heart is beating at 60 beats/min, that doesn't mean it's beating exactly once every second. There are tiny fluctuations between beats — sometimes 0.98 seconds, sometimes 1.02 — and that variation is what we call HRV. Those fluctuations aren't random. They're governed by your autonomic nervous system…and within that system, there's a kind of balance: the sympathetic branch, which speeds things up (fight or flight), and the parasympathetic branch, which slows things down (rest and digest). HRV reflects that balance. In simple terms, a higher HRV generally indicates a more adaptable, resilient nervous system, and it's often used as a proxy for recovery, stress, and overall cardiovascular health. Gronwald: The gold standard for a valid and reliable assessment of the time between two successive heartbeats is the electrocardiogram (ECG), which allows recordings in the laboratory or during daily activity — up to 24 hours or longer. Several mobile and user-friendly measurement systems and wearables exist, which can record R-R intervals with different applications and form factors — chest strap systems, adhesive patches, and electrode systems on the skin — that utilize not only electrophysiologic but also optically derived signals such as photoplethysmography…. Most commercially available portable devices show a low absolute error under resting conditions but should always be validated against reference measures to clarify the accuracy of data parameters and maximize real-world application value. Is HRV an important measure of someone's health? Is it an important measure for an athlete? Doherty: Yes, but with some important qualifications. HRV can be a valuable indicator of health, but it's not a silver bullet. In a general health context, higher HRV is often associated with better cardiovascular health, lower levels of chronic stress, and even reduced risk for mortality…. It's a useful window into your overall resilience. The issue is that HRV is highly individual. What's high for one person might be low for another. It's not the kind of measure where a single value tells the whole story. You really need to look at trends over time and ideally interpret them in the context of things like sleep, recovery, illness, and training load. Gronwald: The usefulness of HRV as an indicator of physiologic and pathologic conditions, for risk stratification, and as a marker of autonomic adaptive and regulatory capacity is evident. However, longitudinal data recordings are recommended when trend analysis with contextual data is intended. Considering the mentioned context-sensitive requirements, HRV analysis allows for longitudinal trend analysis of patients and healthy individuals, including athletic and nonathletic populations in various clinical and performance-related settings. This includes the application of HRV monitoring for resting conditions, during and/or after biofeedback and training interventions, as well as general relationships between recovery status, previous exercise conditions, and symptoms of overreaching and overtraining. What should a doctor do if someone goes to them saying their smartwatch is showing that they continuously have a low HRV status? Cailbhe Doherty, PhD Doherty: I'd suggest it should be treated as a starting point. The physician might ask: Has this person noticed other symptoms — fatigue, poor sleep, high stress? Has their resting heart rate changed? Are there lifestyle factors — alcohol, illness, overtraining, or mental health — that could explain the trend? And if it seems warranted, they could conduct more standardized assessments, such as an ECG-based HRV measurement or a broader autonomic function test. The data is not medical grade and we don't know enough about how the proprietary algorithms are processing the signals. But if the question is whether the HRV trend might reflect something real, then yes, it's possible. Ultimately, I think wearables are better at raising questions than answering them. And that's not a bad thing. Is such data reliable? Gronwald: This depends strongly on the wearable or recording device. The measurement principles and the type of analysis and processing of the biosignal vary significantly between different devices. On the one hand, sleep analyses are used during the night, while on the other hand, context-free time points during the day are often used. Here, care should be taken to include standardized situations for a measurement and interpretation context. It is recommended to use validated measurement systems that either use the entire night as a reference phase or a consistent measurement situation early in the morning after waking up without prior stressors. Both approaches have advantages and disadvantages. How can someone improve their HRV? Gronwald: HRV improves when the body is balanced between activity and recovery within hemodynamic boundaries, with strong support from sleep, stress reduction, and a healthy active lifestyle. Regular physical activity, especially moderate aerobic exercise — such as walking, cycling, or swimming — and strength training can increase HRV over time. Breathing exercises with slow, deep, and diaphragmatic breathing — for example 4-6 breaths per minute — can help to activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which improves HRV. Good sleep quality with consistent sleep patterns, enough deep sleep, and avoiding late-night screen time and activity are essential for higher HRV. Further, stress management and practices such as meditation, social connection, mindfulness, or progressive muscle relaxation are linked to emotional well-being and can reduce stress and therefore improve HRV. Finally, healthy nutrition habits such as a balanced diet rich in whole foods, omega-3 fatty acids, fruits, and vegetables supports HRV — including limitation of stimulants, alcohol, nicotine, and processed foods. How important do you think wearable technology is to support the provision of healthcare across Europe? What role do you think it will play in the future? Doherty: Healthcare systems across Europe are facing enormous pressure: aging populations, rising chronic disease, long waiting lists, and constrained resources. Wearables offer something really compelling in that context: the ability to monitor people continuously, passively, and remotely, outside the clinic, in real-world settings. [But] at the moment, most wearable data isn't integrated into the healthcare system. It lives in consumer ecosystems — Apple, Google, Fitbit, Garmin — and that creates problems around standardization, privacy, and clinical utility. We can't expect a GP or a cardiologist to wade through raw data from 10 different apps and figure out what it means. There are also big equity issues. Most wearables are still designed and validated in relatively narrow populations — usually younger, healthier, often White, middle-income users. If we start using wearable data in clinical decision-making, we need to be absolutely sure it's valid across diverse populations, otherwise we risk baking health inequalities into digital health systems. Another issue is data privacy. When we start linking consumer data to clinical records, the stakes get much higher. Who owns the data? Who profits from it? Who gets access to it? Ultimately, I think wearables will play an increasingly important role in population health monitoring, early detection, and personalized prevention. But for that to happen in a way that is safe, effective, and fair, we need interoperability, regulatory oversight — especially on algorithm transparency, robust validation in real-world populations, and a clear framework around data rights and governance. Gronwald and Doherty reported no relevant financial relationships.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Pfizer battles another Paxlovid lawsuit from Enanta
If you don't succeed at first, try again – in separate regions. That's the motto Enanta Pharmaceuticals is following, at least, after disclosing it has sued Pfizer in Europe over a patent infringement relating to Covid-19 treatment pill Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir/ritonavir). In June 2022, Enanta filed a lawsuit against Pfizer in a US district court in Massachusetts, claiming that the big pharma company infringed on a patent describing protease inhibitors invented by its scientists. Enanta has now followed that up with another filing in Europe, making the same accusation. Since being emergency authorised in 2021, anti-viral Paxlovid has generated Pfizer more than $26bn in global revenue. This includes a staggering $18.9bn in 2022 when Covid-19 cases were still prevalent. Despite waning demand for Covid-19 treatments, the pill still brought in $1.2bn in 2024, buoyed by government orders. However, Enanta – known for co-developing hepatitis C virus treatment glecaprevir/pibrentasvir with AbbVie – believes Pfizer designed Paxlovid via unlawful means. The US biotech stated it is 'seeking a determination of liability for use and infringement of European Patent No. EP 4 051 265 (the '265 Patent) in the manufacture, use and sale of Pfizer's Covid-19 antiviral, Paxlovid'. In an emailed statement to Pharmaceutical Technology, a Pfizer spokesperson said: 'We are confident in our intellectual property (IP) surrounding Paxlovid and will respond in due course in court.' The lawsuit, filed in the European Union's (EU) Unified Patent Court (UPC), targets Pfizer's commercial activity in the 18 countries of the EU. The company confirmed the '265 patent in question is the European counterpart of US patent number 11,358,953 (the '953 Patent) that is the centre of the US lawsuit. Although it is technically ongoing, Enanta's US lawsuit hit a major roadblock. In December 2024, a federal judge in Massachusetts sided with Pfizer, granting that the '953 patent is invalid. Enanta confirmed at the time it would appeal the decision, adding it 'believes strongly in the merits of our case'. Pfizer reported strong Q2 2025 results this month, bucking a tepid earnings window that gripped the wider pharma industry. Sales for the Paxlovid grew 71% while the Covid-19 vaccine Comirnaty revenue surged 95%. However, the legal challenge posed by Enanta marks the second issue Pfizer has had to firefight this week. The big pharma company reported a Phase III trial failure for a sickle cell disease candidate purchased as part of a $5.4bn takeover of Global Blood Therapeutics in 2022. "Pfizer battles another Paxlovid lawsuit from Enanta" was originally created and published by Pharmaceutical Technology, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
