The negative impact of stress in the workplace is well known, not just in terms of professional performance but on one’s physical and mental health in general. A team of UK researchers has found how dangerous this can be in assessing that too much stress at work, or “job strain”, can increase the risk of having a heart attack by a quarter, the BBC reports.
Academics at University College London reveal that job stress can affect people in various positions and at different hierarchical levels but it is most likely to hit lower-skilled employees. For example, workers on a factory production line are more prone to job strain than a doctor who makes multiple important decisions on a daily basis, researchers claim.
Taken in isolation, job strain may not have a dramatic effect on one’s health, but it is often associated with other more dangerous life choices. Those who feel pressure at work tend to smoke more and feel a lack of energy, which makes them inactive and may lead to obesity, explains one of the researchers, Prof Mika Kivimaki.
The British Heart Foundation comments that what matters most is the actual way an individual responds to stress. It also says that job strain increases the risk of a heart disease to a much lesser extent compared to other factors, such as smoking or lack of physical activity.
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