Is your job listed here?
You spend a large part of your life working. All the more important that you like your job. A study has revealed which jobs make people the most unhappy.
Harvard research
The Adult Development Study of the prestigious Harvard University, led by Robert Waldinger (professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School), has collected information from 724 participants around the world for more than 85 years. All this to answer that one question: which jobs make you the most unhappy and why?
Common denominator
What seems? The seven jobs that make us most unhappy have a common factor: loneliness. Contrary to what many people may think, it is not a matter of salary. The research found that jobs that require less human interaction and therefore build fewer personal relationships make us least happy. Standard workplaces that lack a strong network of colleagues also do not perform well.
The jobs that isolate us, so to speak, are therefore the jobs that cause the greatest dissatisfaction. This includes not only tasks that are done alone, but also tasks where we feel isolated because the interactions are not positive or meaningful.
The seven jobs that make you the most unhappy
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- Parcel and meal deliverers
- Online retail (where employees in the same warehouse can hardly talk to each other)
- Customer service (such as those performed in call centers)
- Remote jobs that involve working exclusively behind the computer
- Night guards
- Long distance carriers
- Jobs with night shifts (where employees cross paths with other people but can hardly interact)
Importance of interaction
Dr. Waldinger explains to CNBC News the importance of interaction during our work: “Personal connection creates mental and emotional stimulation, something that automatically improves your mood – while isolation ruins your mood.” For this reason, he says, feeling disconnected from others can even lead to health problems.
The researchers found that creating opportunities for social connection at work is restorative while relieving stress and feelings of loneliness. Something that will also have a very positive effect on productivity. Therefore, Waldinger argues that it is not only the reward for our work that motivates us in our job search, but also the working relationships we can build. “Positive relationships at work lead to less stress, healthier employees and fewer days when we come home upset,” the doctor concludes.
Source: Marie Claire | Image: Adobe Stock
