Both employees and their families suffer anxiety and lower well-being as a result.
Both employees and their families suffer anxiety and lower well-being as a result.
The ‘always-on’ culture in modern organisations is killing people’s satisfaction with life.
Central to the always-on culture is monitoring email out of hours.
Merely expecting to be available for work creates considerable strain on employees and their families.
Both suffer anxiety and lower well-being as a result.
Dr William Becker, who led the research, said:
“The competing demands of work and nonwork lives present a dilemma for employees, which triggers feelings of anxiety and endangers work and personal lives.”
The study of 142 couples found that even without doing work during nonwork time, the expectation of work created stress.
Dr Becker said:
“…the insidious impact of ‘always on’ organizational culture is often unaccounted for or disguised as a benefit — increased convenience, for example, or higher autonomy and control over work-life boundaries,
Our research exposes the reality: ‘flexible work boundaries’ often turn into ‘work without boundaries,’ compromising an employee’s and their family’s health and well-being.”
Dr Becker said:
“If the nature of a job requires email availability, such expectations should be stated formally as a part of job responsibilities.”
Instead, the best solution is to have periods of time when employees are not required to respond to email.
Dr Becker concluded:
“Employees today must navigate more complex boundaries between work and family than ever before.
Employer expectations during nonwork hours appear to increase this burden, as employees feel an obligation to shift roles throughout their nonwork time.
Efforts to manage these expectations are more important than ever, given our findings that employees’ families are also affected by these expectations.”
The study was published in the journal Academy of Management Proceedings (Becker et al., 2018).
It is not just major events, like deaths and divorce, that affect our health.
It is not just major events, like deaths and divorce, that affect our health.
Letting go of negative emotions related to everyday stress is linked to fewer long-term health problems.
How people react to little, daily irritations on the very same day is linked to both long-term health and physical limitations later in life.
The key is to avoid allowing the negative emotions to carry over to the next day.
Contrary to common belief, it is not just major events, like deaths and divorce, that affect our health.
Dr Kate Leger, the study’s first author, explained:
“Our research shows that negative emotions that linger after even minor, daily stressors have important implications for our long-term physical health.
When most people think of the types of stressors that impact health, they think of the big things, major life events that severely impact their lives, such as the death of a loved one or getting divorced.
But accumulating findings suggest that it’s not just the big events, but minor, everyday stressors that can impact our health as well.”
For the research people completed an 8-day survey of their emotions.
They were then followed up 10 years later to ask about the state of their health.
Naturally, people experienced more negative emotions in response to daily stressors.
But the people who let these negative emotions fester had the worst health 10 years later.
Dr Leger said:
“This means that health outcomes don’t just reflect how people react to daily stressors, or the number of stressors they are exposed to – there is something unique about how negative they feel the next day that has important consequences for physical health.”
Dr Leger explained that the best strategy for health was to let the emotions go:
“Stress is common in our everyday lives.
It happens at work, it happens at school, it happens at home and in our relationships.
Our research shows that the strategy to ‘just let it go’ could be beneficial to our long term physical health.”
The study was published in the journal Psychological Science (Leger et al., 2018).
The key to understanding why you feel older some days might be in how you see yourself.
The key to understanding why you feel older some days might be in how you see yourself.
Feeling really stressed out can make you feel more than 10 years older.
Just one stressful event, over and above the norm, can make a young adult feel one year older, psychologists have found.
Dr Shevaun Neupert, study co-author, said:
“Emerging adults are at an age where they are no longer kids, but they haven’t settled into their adulthood yet.
We wanted to know if stress affected their subjective age – how old they felt – and we found that it could make a big difference.”
Stress ages you
For the study, the researchers followed 106 people aged 18 to 22 over 8 days.
The results showed that as their stress levels changed, so did the age they felt.
Dr Neupert said:
“Stress was the determining factor.
It could be stress related to school, work or social circumstances, but stressful days led to study participants feeling older.”
The effect of stress was additive, said Dr Neupert:
“The more stressors someone experienced, over and above their average day, the older they felt.
We calculated that each additional stressor made people feel an average of at least one year older.
There was also an effect of being generally ‘stressed out’ such that young adults who were generally more stressed felt an additional five years older.”
Identity matters
This levels was increased to 11 years older when they were under a lot of pressure.
How old people felt under stress depended on how fixed their identity was.
Those with a more fixed identity reported little change to subjective age.
Dr Neupert said:
“We know that children often report feeling older than they actually are.
And that adults often report feeling younger.
This work helps us understand the role that emerging adulthood plays as a crossover period from one to the other – as well as the importance of stress in influencing fluctuations during that transition.”
Elevated stress hormones can contribute to fertility issues in both men and women.
Brain structure alterations due to chronic stress
Stress reduces the size of the hippocampus, a region involved in memory and learning.
The prefrontal cortex, responsible for decision-making and impulse control, weakens under prolonged stress.
The amygdala, which processes fear and emotions, becomes overactive, heightening anxiety and stress sensitivity.
Structural changes in the brain due to chronic stress may contribute to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s.
Demographic variations in stress impact
Stress affects people differently depending on age, gender, and socioeconomic factors.
Age and gender differences in stress responses
Children exposed to chronic stress may develop anxiety, behavioural issues, or learning difficulties.
Women are more likely to report stress-related symptoms, partly due to hormonal fluctuations.
Men, while experiencing stress equally, may exhibit different coping mechanisms, such as increased alcohol use.
Older adults may face unique stressors such as loneliness, health concerns, and financial insecurity.
Socioeconomic factors influencing stress levels
Financial instability is a major source of chronic stress, affecting mental and physical well-being.
People in high-stress jobs, such as healthcare workers and emergency responders, experience higher stress-related health risks.
Social support and access to mental health resources significantly influence how individuals cope with stress.
Workplaces with high demands and low control contribute to long-term occupational stress.
Effective stress mitigation techniques
Managing stress is essential for maintaining overall health and preventing long-term damage.
Mindfulness and meditation practices
Mindfulness techniques, such as deep breathing and meditation, help lower cortisol levels.
Regular meditation improves focus, emotional regulation, and resilience to stress.
Engaging in relaxation exercises, such as progressive muscle relaxation, reduces tension and anxiety.
Practising gratitude and positive affirmations can shift the mind’s focus away from stressors.
Community support systems
Social connections play a crucial role in stress management by providing emotional support.
Talking to friends, family, or a therapist can help individuals process and cope with stress more effectively.
Participating in community activities or support groups fosters a sense of belonging and reduces isolation.
Volunteering or helping others can provide a sense of purpose and reduce stress levels.
Future directions in stress research
Understanding stress is an evolving field, and researchers continue to explore new methods to mitigate its effects.
Potential medical interventions
Advances in neuroscience are uncovering new drug therapies to regulate stress hormones.
Research into gut-brain connections highlights the role of diet in stress resilience.
The development of wearable technology to track stress levels in real-time is improving personalised stress management.
Genetic research may uncover individual differences in stress susceptibility, leading to personalised treatment plans.
Policy changes to address societal stressors
Governments and workplaces are recognising the importance of mental health initiatives.
Implementing flexible work schedules and promoting work-life balance can help reduce occupational stress.
Education on stress management should be integrated into school curricula to equip young people with coping skills.
Increased public awareness campaigns can reduce stigma surrounding stress and mental health care.
Conclusion
Stress is an unavoidable part of life, but its effects on health and well-being can be managed with the right strategies.
Understanding how stress impacts the body and mind allows individuals to take proactive steps to mitigate its consequences.
By adopting stress reduction techniques, maintaining social connections, and staying informed about emerging research, people can improve their resilience and overall quality of life.
Prioritising stress management is essential for long-term health and happiness.
