Stressed at Work? It’s Probably Your Parents’ Fault
It might be easy to blame your boss for all the work-related stress and high anxiety coursing through your veins, but a new study suggests that you might want to start pointing the finger at your family instead.
Well, sort of. Scientists have found that genetics play a significant role in how you react to your work environment.
A researcher from the University of Notre Dame’s Mendoza College of Business says that things like anxiety at work, job satisfaction and health issues that arise as the result of work-related stress are more genetically driven than you might have thought. In a study of nearly 600 identical and fraternal twins (some of whom were brought up together, some apart), he discovered that being raised in the same environment didn’t appear to have nearly as strong an effect on traits like personality, stress and health, as having the same genes did.
Individuals who want to reduce stress levels in their daily lives shouldn’t fool themselves into believing a career change is going to magically solve everything, according to the research. We are not "a blank slate," and more of our stress comes about because of what is inside of us than what actually occurs in the workplace.