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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2009
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Job Loss Anxiety Hurts More Than No Job at All

Smoking, hypertension worse than unemployment fear

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(Newser) – Worried about your job? It may be better for your health if you just quit, new research suggests. Looking at studies of nearly 2,000 adults, scientists at the University of Michigan have found job loss anxiety can be more harmful to your health than unemployment, hypertension, or even smoking, Ann Arbor News reports. “These findings apply much more broadly today than they did even a few years ago," sociologist Sarah Burgard tells LiveScience.

The research is based on how participants viewed their own physical health. "We found that people who were persistently concerned about losing their jobs reported significantly worse overall health in both studies and were more depressed in one of the studies than those who had actually lost and regained their jobs recently," Burgard says.

If you?re feeling insecure in your job, it might be better for your health if you just quit, new research suggests.
If you?re feeling insecure in your job, it might be better for your health if you just quit, new research suggests.   (Shutter Stock)
Job anxiety may be more detrimental to your health that unemployment, scientists say.
Job anxiety may be more detrimental to your health that unemployment, scientists say.   (Shutterstock)
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Chronic job insecurity was a stronger predictor of poor health than either smoking or hypertension in one of the groups we studied.
- Sarah Burgard, University of Michigan

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6 comments
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Deebles
Aug 29, 09 6:07 PM CDT
My first job, during graduate school was part time at the National Archives. It was for life as most government jobs are--like a flight attendant. What gave me stress was the shit I read everyday. It was a twenty-five year program to open every box and read and then keep as 26 years, 52 years or permanent. I held Lewis and Clarke's pay vouchers in my hand--permanent. The penciled hand-written award for Audie Murphey? Permanent. Elvis's chest X-rays-duh. What would you burn? A lot of responsibility for a 22 year old. At least I wasn't picked by the Bush team cause I believed in Jesus and sent to rebuild Iraq. Reply
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riffran
Aug 29, 09 11:35 PM CDT
never been fired, but the though of that happening is disconcerting regardless Reply
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Deebles
Aug 30, 09 1:42 AM CDT
Never been fired Rif? I thought you danced that way a couple of times in your twenties at least--Everybody out on the dance floor--I got fired from my first job after I had my PhD. I was supposed to teach a bunch of numb nuts about cognitive linguistics. As you can imagine, I let fly with a few profanities to the dullards and wham they tossed me out. It was OK that's how I started just writing books, but man, I really wanted to teach. After that, I got fired from a fricking waitress job. I'll never forget that manager looking me in the eye and saying you are in the weeds--you can't do this.
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riffran
Aug 30, 09 2:22 AM CDT
Ive been lucky..lol...Ive always had the next job lined up and in the bag before any sacking could happen...dodged the bullet more than anything.....ya know the more I read you're post the more I regret not actually knowing you....You seem to lead a very full and intresting life, and some of the points you make show great insight and even crack me up on occasion :) Reply
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truthBtold
Aug 30, 09 2:41 AM CDT
Neeley, riffran... puhleeeze, get a room! ;) Reply
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