Science Says: Work Less, Get Bored, Win More
Overwork could alter the brain structure, says new research. Meanwhile, a little boredom could boost creativity. Balance them out and you could have a formula to win at work!
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Creative by Anjul D.| More hours on the clock ≠ better performance
All work and no play does make Jack a dull boy.
New research has found working long hours could alter the brain!
Researchers studied brain scans and looked at structural changes in brain volumes of healthcare workers in South Korea. They compared the brains of workers who kept normal hours with those who regularly clocked over 52 hours a week. (Korean Labour law identifies 52 hours as the critical threshold for increased health risk).
How did the brains of people who worked long hours change?
Here’s what scientists found in that preliminary research of Korean healthcare workers:
People who worked long hours showed changes in 17 regions of the brain as compared to those who worked normal hours.
These included ‘significant changes’ in regions of the brain associated with:
Executive functions like attention, planning, and decision-making
Emotional processing, self-awareness, and understanding social context
In integrating sensory, motor, and autonomic feedback from the body
Scans also revealed a 19% increase in the volume of another brain region that affects attention, working memory, and how you process language.
Researchers hypothesise that the changes in the brain might be how it is adapting to the stress from constant overwork. However, they were not clear about the exact mechanism that caused these changes.
How could these changes in the brain affect a person?
Changes to brain regions that govern memory, decision-making, attention, planning, and problem solving could impact efficiency at work. It could affect how one concentrates, manages their tasks and also interfere with the decision-making process.
The other changes could affect how people regulate emotions. It could potentially lead to anxiety, mood swings, trouble understanding others or maintaining relationships.
If you work long hours, should you worry?
YES. Especially if you work 10–12-hour days on the regular.
Researchers acknowledged that the study is ‘a small observational snapshot study’ and that it does not prove cause and effect.
However, as they pointed out, the changes seen in the brain are significant and could explain why some people who consistently work long hours might experience trouble thinking clearly or managing their emotions.
Separately, speaking to the Time magazine, the lead author of the study noted that they would need to conduct longitudinal studies – track people over time – to see if these changes persist. He added that they intend to study larger groups to see if these changes to the brain are irreversible or if they could be corrected by reducing working hours.
More reasons why overwork could land you in hospital
It is not just changes to the brain that you should worry about.
In a 2021 paper, the WHO had termed “..working long hours…as the risk factor with the largest occupational disease burden.”
Here’s some other data from that paper which looked at people who worked 55+ hours weekly:
Deaths from heart disease due to working long hours increased 42% between 2000 and 2016.
Stroke risk increases 35%
Risk of ischemic heart disease increases 17%
In short, working 55+ hours weekly, without a break, could kill you. For context, that’s over 9 hours a day, 6 days a week.
(Note: All of this is in comparison with people who work 35-40 hours a week. For more details, you could read the earlier NTL issues mentioned below).
What can you do?
Recognise that hustle culture is unhealthy. Even if you are working on what you love.
Schedule downtime: Try and limit yourself to 8 hours of work a day. Do something else with the rest of the day.
Make time for something new: It rewires the brain and makes it stronger. Doing the same thing every day is the cognitive equivalent of only doing leg day at the gym. You need to work all the muscles to keep the brain sharp.
Schedule micro-breaks in your day: Step away from your desk. Take a walk. Talk to people around you.
Schedule vacations: Research shows that those who take vacation days have higher chances of getting promoted at work. In fact, even planning a vacation is good for health.
Get your daily dose of zzz’s: Don’t trade sleep for work. In the short term, it will affect your performance at work.
In the long run, it will impact your health.
And every once in a while, give yourself permission to be bored! Keep reading to see why.
Know someone who is always the first one at work and the last to leave? Share this with them.
A little Boredom is good for the Brain
It could also help you perform better at work
Growing up in the pre-Internet-80’s-world, I have vivid memories of the never-ending afternoons of summer vacations. Travel was expensive. And my mom who would be at work then, wouldn’t let us go out and play till 4pm. So, while my sister happily napped, I was left to my own devices for a good three hours.
In short, I was bored. Till I discovered I could write out fantastic stories to tell myself. Turns out, my experience is similar to what research has established.
Researchers Sandi Mann and Rebekah Cadman explored if boredom could spark creativity. In a study that is often cited, they gave subjects in an experimental group two mind-numbingly-boring tasks to do. One involved writing and the other involved reading. These tasks were followed by a challenge where the subjects had to come up with alternative uses for a plastic cup. Individuals in the control group skipped the boring tasks and were only given the creative assignment.
Results from both rounds suggested that boring activities resulted in increased creativity and that boring reading activities lead to more creativity in some circumstances than boring written activities.
Other studies that came later – like this one- reported similar findings.
This is because, as Sandi Mann explained later in a BBC interview, boredom grants the brain downtime which allows the mind to wander. This is what could spark creative thoughts. Sort of like getting the best ideas in the shower.
So, the next time you or your team is stuck with a problem at work, take a break. Do nothing. Step away from all screens. Get bored. You might come back stronger, with a solution.
Good to know
All boredom is not good.
The good-bored feeling – the one described above – is like what you might experience if you were alone, in a place with no internet connectivity ad nothing to do. Such boredom is temporary and could be productive.
Chronic boredom – being prone to boredom always – is the one that is worrisome.
Chronic boredom is associated with behavioural and mental health problems like anger issues, impaired social skills, substance abuse and addiction, gambling problems, work performance issues and eating disorders. Left untreated, it could lead to depression and anxiety.
Need more science-backed reasons to quit the hustle or do you want to make a case for a vacation?
You might want to read this article from the Never Too Late archives on ‘Why Vacations are good for You’
Before You Go
The Hullabaloo over Protein confusing you?
Check out the Longevity Shot for sustainable, affordable, made-for-Indians strategies to get your daily protein fix.
Whether you are vegetarian, vegan or non-vegetarian, Nutrition Expert Dr Subashree Ray outlines:
-A 3-step plan that puts your food to work for you
-A list of affordable and locally available options to boost your daily protein consumption, even on an Indian diet.
If you haven’t heard it yet, stream that conversation now right here, on Substack. You could also watch it on YouTube or Spotify.
As for me, I am taking this week’s research findings very seriously.
I am setting aside a little time (every day, hopefully) to embrace what the Italians call ‘Il dolce far niente’ or the sweetness of doing nothing.
The Mumbai monsoon only makes it easier.
See you next Monday
Kavita Krishnan.