People who were unhappy with their work early in their careers were more depressed, worried, and had more trouble sleeping.-Photo from medicalnewstoday.com
(This is an opinion on the article Job dissatisfaction has negative health effects by age 40 by Hannah Nichols for Medical News Today on August 22, 2016.)
Job satisfaction early in life can play a key role in a person’s long-term health. This was a new development brought about by a study by Jonathan Dirlam (a sociology doctoral student) at Ohio State University.
As reported:
Together with Hui Zheng, an associate professor of sociology at Ohio State, Dirlam used data from surveys of 6,432 Americans to analyze job satisfaction over a number of years from 1979 onward. The survey was the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY1979), and the participants were between 14-22 years when the research began.
The participants were asked to rate their job satisfaction level from 1 (dislike very much) to 4 (like very much).
The results were then divided into four categories: consistently low job satisfaction (45 percent), consistently high job satisfaction (15 percent), started high but trending down (23 percent), and started low but trending up (17 percent).
All participants had health issues after reaching the age of 40.
What’s the difference?
Those with low satisfaction had high levels of depression, sleep problems, and excessive worry and mental health measures were low. Also they have worse overall health, back problems and colds.
People with high satisfaction have better levels on mental and physical health.
“The higher levels of mental health problems for those with low job satisfaction may be a precursor to future physical problems. Increased anxiety and depression could lead to cardiovascular or other health problems that won’t show up until they are older,” Hui Zheng said.
The direction of the trend in job satisfaction – better or worse – has an influence on health later in life. However, those individuals who were initially low, but got better over the course of their early career, did not experience the health problems associated with consistently low or declining job satisfaction.
Based on this, it is essential to find the right amount of job satisfaction as one progresses in their career. It is a given that one would usually begin in a low-level job, but it’s a must (yes, it’s a must for a positive long-term health) to be happy or enjoy their work.
Yes, better find a job (to get a dream job now ain’t bad) you’ll enjoy now to be in better shape at age 40 (plan your future).
Start your job hunting (send out your resumes and prepare for interviews) and live healthy and longer!- See more at: http://awinaway.com/2016/08/30/find-your-dream-job-live-healthy/#sthash.kSmBViBZ.dpuf