That work benefits are not only to secure economic nature: to feel useful, to engage in constructive activities and give meaning to our attitudes also produces psychological benefits. There are many studies that prove it, including that of the Royal College of Psychiatrists in London a few years ago explained how the work plays an important role social nellinclusione.

But if the time we spend at work was not linked to the livelihood and economic gain, what we should work in order to feel satisfied from the psychological point of view? According to a recent study published in the journal Social Science & Medicine much less than we think. It would be enough, or at least so it seems, one day a week.

The right dose. The discovery of a group of social scientists of the University of Cambridge and Salford, who examined data from a survey conducted between 2009 and 2018 on over 70,000 UK residents to assess how changes in working time were linked mental health and satisfaction in life. The team found that when people who were previously unemployed were starting to work, their chances of developing mental health disorders also decreased by 30%. But that benefit was limited to when the participants were working about 8 hours or less a week. Surprisingly, work more hours, what the typical working week of 37 to 40 hours, did not seem to give a further boost to the mental well-being. This result according to the researchers suggest that there may be a work "dose" ideal that the experts might recommend to keep us healthy mentally.

"In the coming decades - says Daiga Kamerde, a researcher at the Salford University and one of the study's authors - we could see the artificial intelligence, big data and robotics replace most of the work currently done by human beings. If there ' enough work for all those who want to work full time, we must therefore think about the [...] time redistribution, so that everyone can get the benefits for mental health, even if it means that we all work for a lot more time short.

Calm, to brush up ... Before the slogan in vogue in the 70s, work less, work all, the authors suggest to take with caution their research, the light of income, labor conditions, and other factors GDP taken into account, only calibrated on the average British worker. It should also be considered that a drastic reduction of working hours would have an effect on the economy of the country.

Also, before you switch to a week of sun eight hours work, according to the team a transition period would be needed, as the five-day "" weekend shifts sunny work two hours a day, or the increase of annual holidays from weeks to months. Yet the researchers are optimistic. According to Brendan Burchell, a sociologist at the university of Cambridge who participated in the study: "If the UK were to increase the annual earnings of workers on shorter working hours rather than in wage increases, the normal working week could become four days from now 10 years.

Confirmation. And Jed Boardman, head of social inclusion at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, agrees: "We know the unemployment harmful for mental health and well-being, and that work can be good. But having a job with low levels of control, many complexity, insecurity and low pay can be harmful to your mental health as much as unemployment. This study reinforces what we already know, but suggests that the reduction of working can have benefits for mental health and well-being of people.

From Focus