Working this many hours a week can make your brain 19% bigger and lead to lots of problems
Your high-level job may be a boon to your resume, but new research says it can also give you a big head — and not in a good way.A study out of South Korea suggests clocking in overtime could come with some serious cerebral downsides.
The study — published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine — found that working more than 52 hours a week is linked to significant changes in brain structure, including a 19% increase in volume in certain regions.And if that sounds like a good thing — or at least the plot to a really cool movie — it’s not.Using brain imaging, the researchers found that overworked healthcare employees had thicker brains in areas tied to emotional regulation and decision-making.
That means this growth could be the brain’s response to chronic stress and overuse, potentially leading to burnout, depression, anxiety and other mental health disorders over time.“This study provides novel evidence that overwork is associated with structural brain changes, particularly in regions related to executive function and emotional regulation,” the study’s authors wrote.“These findings suggest that long working hours may induce neuroadaptive changes, potentially impacting cognitive and emotional health.”Long work hours have previously been linked to a slew of health issues.
A 2021 report from the World Health Organization (WHO) found that working 55 hours a week or more increased the risk of stroke and heart disease.And a 2018 study discovered working 45 hours or more per week was associated with a substantially increased risk of diabetes for women — but not men.In 2024, the death of a 35-year-old investment banker named Leo Lukenas III ignited a fire-storm over Wall Street’s 100-hour workweeks.Experts have previously told The Post that working long hours can lead to sleep deprivation and chronic stress, leading to aging skin, acne, wrinkles, vision problems, heart disease, weight gain, neck and back pain, digestive issue...