Time for a Career Change? Become a Boss and Experience Less Work-Related Stress

Is work causing you to be stressed up to your eyeballs? If so, it might be a good time to ask for a promotion. Why? Well according to some research, being in a boss/manager position is actually good for your health.

Scientists have said that people who run the show at work (the bosses, supervisors and managers) are less likely to have a heart attack than the employees who work beneath them. And, despite the fact that a boss role usually involves more responsibilities, employers suffer from less stress than their employees.

Why is this so? Well, it’s all down to psychology. Scientists from Harvard University believe that being in charge offers an increased sense of control, which helps to counter feelings of stress and tension.

As part of the study, 150 bosses were recruited by researchers and had their hormones tested. The vast majority of the bosses had less of the stress hormone cortisol in their bodies. However 65 employees practically had it coursing through their veins.

The bosses also fretted less, according to the results of a questionnaire that was given to each study participant.

Would you be a boss like Meryl Streep in The Devil Wears Prada?

A separate bit of research discovered that the bosses who held the most powerful positions had even lower levels of cortisol. So ladies, more power really does equal less stress.

“We found clear evidence that leadership is associated with lower levels of stress,” said Jennifer Lerner, a professor from Harvard University.

“Leaders possess a particular psychological resource, a sense of control, that may buffer against stress,” she added.

The study has been published in the noted journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Well, is it time you asked for a promotion?