Research by Abdel Hadi, S., Mojzisch, A., Parker, S. L., & Häusser, J. A. (2021). Experimental evidence for the effects of job demands and job control on physical activity after work. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Applied, 27(1), 125–141. https://doi.org/10.1037/xap0000333 

 

Do you bring work home with you, mentally and physically?

Psychology researchers in 2 experiments studied the impact of work stress and job control on exercise after work. In study one, 100 undergrad students engaged in a work simulation with either low or high work demands, Afterwards, they were asked to pedal a stationary bicycle with uphill resistance. Study two, 150 participants engaged in the same simulation, but one group had more control in choosing their own resistance before bicycling. Afterwards researchers assessed participants’ bicycling efforts.

Results? In both studies, participants who engaged in more demanding work had decreased bicycling effort after work compared to the low work demands group. In study two, results showed that participants who felt...

Written by Robin N. Fatovic M.S.