The old adage says “happy wife, happy life,” but a new study suggests there’s a correlation between a happy home life and avoiding burnout at work.
Researchers from the National Research University Higher School of Economics surveyed 203 employees from different Russian companies to assess what their lives were like both at home and at work. They found those with happy marriages were less prone to burnout at the old grind. Further, the more they were satisfied in their careers, the more they were happy with their relationships.
Interestingly, however, that didn’t apply to married women, the scientists note. Even with those who were happily married, burnout was still common if the women felt a “detachment from colleagues and clients and a decrease in empathy and compassion” at the office, regardless of what was going on at home.
Study author Ilya Bulgakov, a doctoral student at HSE School of Psychology, noted in a university press release, “Individuals suffering from workplace burnout syndrome often struggle to disconnect from their work and therefore remain in a constant state of tension.” Personal relationships provide an “escape” and “support” from that stress.
The researchers chalk up that disconnect between male and female employees to “traditional social roles” that place a greater importance on career achievement. “For men, career success can often become a fundamental aspect of their identity and self-esteem,” and they can feel stressed as a result of “striving to fulfill their duties and meet expectations.”
In those cases, having a good relationship at home can give the support they need to shield them against burnout.
On the other hand, women can become stressed by providing that emotional support and not getting enough either at work or at home, the researchers noticed.
Survey questions, methodology and results have not been verified or endorsed by ABC News or The Walt Disney Company.