Authority and Health

Do you ever wish you were the boss?

Well it has its health drawbacks according to a sociological study out of the University of Toronto.

The paper says anger and carping directed at superiors may actually be making them less healthy than they should be.

Researchers say the paradox is that there doesn’t appear to be any health benefit for people who have authority. They expected that better incomes and more intriguing and autonomous work would be expected to make bosses healthier than their subordinates.

But it doesn’t – and this study says there are a number big factors: Managers are exposed to more interpersonal conflict in the workplace, problems with other people, directing other people’s work, and incompetent workers.

They also tend to bring work home with them more often than others who don’t have authority.

These stresses are linked to physical and mental health problems, including headaches, backaches, increased pain and psychological anxiety and distress. The research concludes that the negatives offset the positives and the bottom line is there’s essentially no difference between people who have job authority and those who don’t in terms of  health.