Wonju, South Korea — Working long hours may alter brain structure and affect cognitive and emotional health, according to the results of a recent study out of South Korea.
Researchers examined data from 110 health care workers participating in the Gachon Regional Occupational Cohort Study and analyzed MRI scans to see how different working conditions impact brain structure.
“Overworked” participants – those who worked at least 52 hours a week – showed “significant changes” in brain regions associated with executive function (such as working memory and problem solving) and regulation of emotions. Compared with the participants who worked standard hours, the overworked participants had a 19% increase in the volume of the middle frontal gyrus. This region of the brain plays a role in attention and language-related processing.
Neuroimaging also showed increases in 16 other brain regions, including those that involve planning, decision-making, emotional processing and self-awareness.
“The observed changes in brain volume may provide a biological basis for the cognitive and emotional challenges often reported in overworked individuals,” the researchers said in a press release. They added that the study results “underscore the importance of addressing overwork as an occupational health concern and highlight the need for workplace policies that mitigate excessive working hours.”
The study was published in journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine.
