Do you work long hours? Well pay heed– a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, shows workers who put in long hours at work are underestimating the long term damage they are inflicting on their brains. The study examined the association between long working hours and cognitive functionin middle age. Data were collected from a study of 2,214 British civil servants. The middle aged workers who put in 55 hours or more had poorer mental skills, short term memory and ability to recall words than those who worked 40 hours or less.
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Source: Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Long Working Hours and Cognitive FunctionThe Whitehall II Study
This is probably the first large prospective study on the association between long working hours and cognitive function. Results indicate clearly that advances attained by working overtime may be lost in terms of reduced wellbeing and cognitive function of employees. “Therefore the disadvantages of overtime work should be taken seriously”, says Dr. Marianna Virtanen from the Finnish Institute of Occupational Health.
