Working for shorter hours is thought to reduce stress levels, but a new study reveals that it is instead more stressful that working for longer hours.
The study was conducted by researchers at Korea University in Seoul who used data from a nationwide study called Korean Labor and Income Panel Survey that surveyed residents between the years 1998 to 2008.
The researchers looked at the happiness levels among individuals and families who worked different number of hours and found no evidence that shorter working hours led to greater life satisfaction for men or women though women report liking the measure a bit more as it allowed them a greater space to balance their work and home lives.
However though some people were happy with shorter working hours, it led to increased stress at workplace as the work demands were greater or remained unchanged but the number of hours in which to complete the job were reduced. The study has been published in the Journal of Happiness Studies.