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Working long hours can alter brain structure, affecting memory and emotions, study finds

Study which found physical changes in the brains of healthcare staff who worked 52 hours or more a week highlights the dangers of overwork

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The risks that come with long working hours are well known, but a study of healthcare workers sheds light on how it can physically change parts of the brain related to problem solving and memory. Photo: Shutterstock
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People who work too hard and for too long can end up altering parts of their brains that manage memory and problem solving, new research suggests.

A team of South Korean researchers said their findings “underscore the importance of addressing overwork as an occupational health concern and highlight the need for workplace policies that mitigate excessive working hours”.

Published in Occupational & Environmental Medicine, a British Medical Journal publication, the research points to overwork as a potential cause of “neuroadaptive changes that might affect cognitive and emotional health”.
“Killing it” at work has long been associated with health risks that can literally kill, such as cardiovascular disease and mental health issues, with the International Labour Organization estimating the worldwide annual death toll from overwork at around 800,000.
The South Korean researchers say their findings “highlight the need for workplace policies that mitigate excessive working hours”. Photo: Shutterstock
The South Korean researchers say their findings “highlight the need for workplace policies that mitigate excessive working hours”. Photo: Shutterstock

And while the researchers acknowledged that the “behavioural and psychological consequences of overwork are reasonably well understood”, they said they aimed to investigate “the underlying neurological mechanisms and anatomical changes” stemming from working too hard.

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