WEBVTT - Is Not Having A Job Better Than A Bad Job? 0:00:02.040 --> 0:00:07.920 Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works. Hey, brain stuff, 0:00:07.920 --> 0:00:10.880 it's Christian Seger. Many. People have had a job that 0:00:10.920 --> 0:00:14.120 makes them miserable. Maybe the hours are erratic or long, 0:00:14.480 --> 0:00:18.160 the work soul crushing, the employer thankless, or the pay 0:00:18.440 --> 0:00:22.040 is just dismal. But still that's better than sitting at 0:00:22.040 --> 0:00:25.680 home with no pay at all. Right, Well maybe not, 0:00:25.800 --> 0:00:29.160 according to a new study out of the University of Manchester. 0:00:29.800 --> 0:00:33.360 Prior research has found that unemployment is linked to health 0:00:33.479 --> 0:00:37.360 risks like smoking and depression, and is even associated with 0:00:37.440 --> 0:00:42.080 higher mortality rates, and getting a job after being unemployed 0:00:42.360 --> 0:00:45.960 has been shown to have positive effects on health and 0:00:46.159 --> 0:00:49.760 quality of life. Yet, the authors of the current study 0:00:49.800 --> 0:00:53.760 found that people who were previously unemployed and moved into 0:00:53.840 --> 0:00:58.720 poor quality jobs, those with low pay, low job satisfaction, 0:00:58.920 --> 0:01:03.040 low job stability, and high job anxiety did not see 0:01:03.160 --> 0:01:07.440 improvements in health or lower levels of stress compared to 0:01:07.520 --> 0:01:12.560 those who stayed unemployed. The researchers used data on one thousand, 0:01:12.640 --> 0:01:17.600 one hundred and sixteen British adults from Understanding Society, a 0:01:17.720 --> 0:01:21.679 longitudinal study on life in the UK. They found that 0:01:21.760 --> 0:01:26.840 transitioning into a good job was associated with improved mental health, 0:01:26.959 --> 0:01:31.040 as compared to staying unemployed. Mental health was the same 0:01:31.440 --> 0:01:34.720 for those who got a poor quality job and those 0:01:34.840 --> 0:01:39.720 who remained jobless. But here's the surprising finding. By analyzing 0:01:39.840 --> 0:01:43.680 levels of stress through hormones and other biomarkers like blood 0:01:43.680 --> 0:01:47.960 pressure and cholesterol, the researchers determined that working a bad 0:01:48.080 --> 0:01:52.960 job was associated with higher levels of chronic stress indicators 0:01:53.160 --> 0:01:57.800 than remaining unemployed. The researchers even pointed out that these 0:01:57.840 --> 0:02:02.240 biomarkers can be present before overt symptoms of ill health 0:02:02.360 --> 0:02:07.080 actually manifest, so it's possible that people's self report better 0:02:07.120 --> 0:02:11.720 health perceptions than the markers would actually indicate. This result 0:02:11.840 --> 0:02:15.919 is unexpected considering many people may assume that any job 0:02:16.120 --> 0:02:19.080 is better than no job. The researchers don't say that 0:02:19.200 --> 0:02:22.240 unemployed folks should just sit and wait for the perfect job, 0:02:22.360 --> 0:02:27.079 though being unemployed can present huge mental health challenges and 0:02:27.320 --> 0:02:31.520 can even adversely affect some cultural groups more than others. 0:02:32.120 --> 0:02:36.680 The researchers suggest people use their findings about the adverse 0:02:36.800 --> 0:02:40.800 health effects of poor jobs to work with their employers 0:02:40.840 --> 0:02:49.440 and doctors to ensure a healthier working environment. Today's episode 0:02:49.480 --> 0:02:52.760 was written by Kate Kirshner, produced by Dylan Fagan, and 0:02:52.800 --> 0:02:55.720 for more on this and other topics, please visit us 0:02:55.760 --> 0:03:09.280 at how stuff works dot com.