How much is good work? With this number of hours, “mental health declines.”

Studies are trying to determine the ideal working time for our psyche. How many hours are harmful varies between genders.

Frankfurt – Standard working hours for a full-time job in Germany are 40 hours per week. In order not to endanger the health of workers, working hours must not exceed 48 hours per week on average. But up to that point, are there no negative mental health consequences? Many studies examine the question of how many hours mental health begins to deteriorate.

Unemployment negatively affects mental health

According to one of them, it doesn't work or only works in a few shows The study in Social sciences and medicine Negative consequences. Study participants who were looking for a job felt worse psychologically during this time than they did when they were in a permanent job. These effects can be caused by the loss of the social aspect of operating as a social enterprise and also by financial insecurity. However, the connection is constant and manifests itself across cultural boundaries. Within a certain framework, work brings benefits to the well-being of most people.

Study Research: What are the ideal number of working hours?

The study addresses the issue of how much work a person should do to ensure the highest level of satisfaction. Even just one to eight hours of work per week can have positive effects on the psyche. However, over time these remain surprisingly constant and no longer increase significantly. A slight decline occurs when the salary reaches the point where workers no longer receive social benefits.

The optimal amount of study work cannot be determined. “Contrary to what had been assumed, we found that there is no optimal number of working hours at which mental health and well-being significantly peak,” the study says. There is no indication that the standard working hours of 36 to 40 hours per week are ideal.

Most people reported being slightly more satisfied with regular full-time work hours than with less than 16 hours or more than 40 hours. But in this context, there were not significant differences: “The average effective dose of action for mental health and well-being is only equivalent to about one day a week.” The study indicates that standard working hours could be shortened significantly without having to work. It can have a negative effect on the psyche. From this point of view, nothing would stand in the way of a four-day week.

A lot of work? – Full-time work has negative consequences, especially on women’s health

last Study Australian National University It addresses the issue of working hours in which negative consequences arise. “We have shown identifiable tipping points where longer working hours negatively impact mental health,” the study says. From more than 39 hours a week, on average, there are negative effects on mental health: “After that, mental health declines.” The phenomenon of continuing to work with constant overload is not called “burnout,” but rather “burnout.” . Factors such as professional field and working hours or shifts influenced a healthy number of hours worked. What also emerges is a clear difference between the sexes.

While men could work up to 43.5 hours on average without endangering their health, the maximum for women was an average of 38 hours per week. But where does this difference come from? The study found that women are particularly burdened with caring for children and other family members. According to the study, women's health is negatively affected by the current standard working hours and social expectations. (no)