Your job may cause you stress or frustration, but it could also be the best medicine. New research has shown that those with anger and depression can benefit from a stressful work environment.
Even though at-work stressors like unforgiving bosses and demeaning co-workers can lead to mental health issues, a new study by the Université de Montréal found that your at-home situation is just as influential.
Study participants that had a partner and little kids were less likely to suffer, as were those with a higher income and the support of family and friends. Professional factors that negatively impacted the participants were a lack of support, unclear expectations and a lack of security.
Even though both work and home environments impact an employee’s mental health, the University of Melbourne found that going to work has been shown to be most helpful for those suffering from depression.
“We found that continuing to work while experiencing a depressive illness may offer employees certain health benefits,” says researcher Fiona Cocker, “while depression-related absence from work offers no significant improvement in employee health outcomes or quality of life.”
And depression isn’t the only mental ailment that science says we should bring to work. Researchers at the University of Liverpool found that happy people don’t necessarily make for a better workplace. For example, an angry employee may be more likely to stand up for injustices that a contented employee might let slide. And a dissenter keeps a team from being complacent with their ideas.
In their paper, the Liverpool researchers concluded, “It can be good to feel bad and bad to feel good in terms of outcomes at work.” But don’t tell your boss, he might cut the doughnut budget.