The Meaning Of Work
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The science of happiness at work

"If you find a job you love, you'll never work again."
Winston Churchill

 

If 1/3 of my waking hours are to be spent at work, it's important I find a job that makes me happy.

Not buying the hippy mumbo jumbo that all I need is a grass skirt, good vibes and flowers in my hair, I turned to science for some answers. I discovered a new field of science called Positive Psychology. Here, happiness has been scrutinised in methodical studies. 

Here is what I learned...

 

Hours and Happiness

Hours

I live in a world that applauds long hours. Alpha males sporting sharp suits and questionable facial hair bounce around phrases like ‘pulling an all nighter’ and ‘working 24/7’ to show they are hardcore.

However, according to science, working longer hours is not good for our long-term productivity.

Here's a classic example of two teams tackling a project: Team Steady and Team Hardcore. Team Hardcore worked 60 hours a week and Team Steady worked 40. Their productivity was tracked over an 8 week period. Team Hardcore launched off with an impressive start, but their productivity petered out:

Productivity vs Time.

Productivity vs Time.

After 8 weeks, Team Steady had achieved more than Team Hardcore and were set to consistently outperform them. Team Steady were working sustainably. Team Hardcore were burning out.

I went to see neuroscientist Dr Gabija Toleikyte to find out why. She introduced a simple model of the brain called the Triune model, which divides the brain into three: the lizard, mammal and human brains.

The lizard brain (basal ganglia) handles our vital functions like breathing, heartbeat and digestion. The mammal brain (limbic system) is concerned with keeping us safe. It relies on emotions and habits to function. The human brain (neocortex) is where rational thought, decision making and creativity occurs.

Dr Toleikyte told me each area of the brain uses energy at different rates. If they were vehicles, the lizard brain would be a scooter, the mammal brain would be a car and the human brain would be a jumbo jet:

 
 

We simply don’t have the capacity to run our human brain at full power all the time. It is too energy intensive. Hence, our ability to use rational thought, to be creative and to learn (all human brain processes) is limited to a few hours a day. After using our human brain intensely for a long period of time, blood flow is diverted away from the neocortex (human brain) to conserve energy. In this state, our mammal brain takes over; we lose our ability to make good rational decisions and behave in a more selfish and emotional manner. Dr Toleikyte puts the unsustainable levels of productivity of Team Hardcore down to suppressed human brain activity.

 
 

So, according to science, working long hours over a sustained period of time causes us to make poorer decisions, to be less creative and less productive. A sharp suit is worth little if it cloaks a tired, narrow minded, chimp-like mammal.

Summary:

  • Long hours have a negative impact on creativity and productivity

  • When fatigued, our human brain is suppressed and our mammal brain takes over

  • If my job is to involve creativity and decision making, I should limit myself to around 40 hours of work a week
Matthew Simmonds