Are You Stressed Out More at Work or at Home? the Answer May Surprise You

by Lexi Petronis

Work stress is a very real thing--who hasn't felt her heart do that "plump-kerplump" thing, pre-meeting?--but according to new research, the stress doesn't end when you get home.

A new study from Penn State measured levels of the stress hormone cortisol in participants when they were at work versus when they were at home--and found that those hormones dropped significantly when people were in their offices.

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Kind of...not what you'd expect, right? But Sarah Damaske, one of the study's authors, writes: "Further contradicting conventional wisdom, we found that women as well as men have lower levels of stress at work than at home.... It is men, not women, who report being happier at home than at work."

In fact, Damaske says: "Women may get more renewal from work than men, because unlike men, they report themselves happier at work than at home. It is men, not women, who report being happier at home than at work."

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The findings held true whether or not participants had children or not--though those without kids seemed to have more at-home stress, interestingly enough.

Why? It's anyone's guess right now--after all, home means chores, following up on bills, pet responsibilities, the division of house-oriented duties--but researchers are looking into it (and, of course, the type of job you do may play a part).

I'm definitely surprised. Are you?

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