Want to Be Happy? Work Eight Hours Per Week

Many people dream of the day they can retire or, better yet, quit their job after winning the lottery. But they could regret it if these things actually happened. According to a new study, work is vital for mental health and emotional well-being. And not just any work will do. It must be paid work. However, it doesn't to be a lot of work. Up to 8 hours of paid work is all that is needed to increase life satisfaction.

A study conducted by the University of Cambridge shows that people who work up to 8 hours per week enjoy more life satisfaction than those who don't engage in any paid work at all. More work doesn't necessarily make you happier, however. Researchers found that working more than 8 hours per week did little to further improve mental wellbeing (and there are plenty of resources on the reasons for a shorter workweek). But is an eight-hour work week possible? Find out what work may look like in the future, below.

Work Is Crucial for Mental Health

When people return to the labor force after being unemployed, they experience a 30% reduction in mental health problems. What's more, they report feeling a greater sense of well-being, as well as increased life satisfaction. All of this has led researchers to conclude that work, paid work, is essential for optimal mental health and happiness.

But why is work so essential? Through work, people are able to have an identity, status and collective purpose. Work increases feelings of self-worth, while also giving people something to look forward to and strive for. It is a meaningful activity that brings enrichment and self-sufficiency to ones life.

How Many Hours are Ideal?

According to researchers, eight hours of paid work is all that is needed to boost mental health. Working more than eight hours, or one 8-hour day per week did not significantly increase life satisfaction for the participants of the study. However, working up to 40 hours per week did not negatively affect mental health, either.

Researchers are now focused on establishing guidelines for the optimal dose of work per week.

Will People Work Fewer Hours in the Future?

Automation and artificial intelligence are transforming the way work is done. According to Forbes, several jobs will be fully automated within the next 11 years or so, including most warehouse and manufacturing jobs, research, data entry, customer service, sales and delivery services. As technology continues to improve, even more jobs will be automated, resulting in less work to go around. Rather than putting droves of people out of work, many experts believe that technology will allow people to work fewer hours.

As the world becomes more automated, a shorter workweek may become the standard. So as long as we can make sure that people earn enough to create the lives they are happy with, shorter workweeks could be a reason to look forward to the coming future.

Copyright 2019, Wellness.com