Monday, October 27, 2025

Overwork and Brain Structure

A study published in Occupational & Environmental Medicine has discovered that not only does overwork negatively affect your health, it can also change your brain.

Guide Magazine

Researchers in South Korea have recently built on previous studies that linked working long hours to cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, depression, and anxiety. In their study of 110 healthcare workers in Korea, drawn from the Gachon Regional Occupational Cohort, the researchers used modern neuroimaging to examine just how much overwork can cause changes in one’s brain structure.

Participants were divided into two groups: those who are overworked (working 52 hours or more per week) and those who are not overworked. Using MRI imaging to examine grey matter volumes across the whole brain, the analysis found increased grey matter volume in 17 brain regions in the overworked group. The study proposes that cognitive difficulties and emotional problems reported by overworked individuals, such as depression, anxiety, and decision-making struggles, are caused by chronic occupational stress and sleep disturbances, resulting in increased grey matter.

Put simply, long hours at work might actually change the size and shape of your brain, especially in areas that help with focus, planning, and managing stress and emotions.

“Overwork with long working hours has emerged as a critical public health issue in modern societies, with significant implications for both individual well-being and societal productivity,” the researchers note.

Further research is needed to explore the long term implications of these structural brain changes and whether they lead to cognitive decline or mental health disorders. But the results underscore the importance of addressing overwork as an occupational health concern. They highlight the need for workplace policies that alleviate excessive working hours.

Source: oem.bmj.com

Overwork and Brain Structure

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