Most People Less Stressed at Work than at Home

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For the American workforce, the home is meant to serve as a welcoming haven away from the stress and responsibility of the office. A new study in the Journal of Science and Medicine suggests the exact opposite, that most people (and especially women) experience less stress at work than at home. Researchers came to this conclusion by measuring the levels of cortisol, a hormone associated with stress, in a pool of workers throughout the workday. The findings of the study support earlier research suggesting that full-time employment is linked to better mental and physical health.

What’s the Big Idea?

While the study found that men still claim to be happier at home than at work, researchers were surprised to find that women overwhelmingly felt the opposite. These testimonies, coupled with the evidence in the subjects’ cortisone levels, imply that men seem to perceive home more as a place of rest than women do. This could be because the modern woman still feels the pressure to meet the motherly standards of previous generations while simultaneously juggling their careers. And while the workplace strives to be a place of order and clearly defined goals, the responsibilities of home and family life are often mired in disorder and chaos.