More work, more happiness. A new study discovered that this probably holds true for freelancers.
The new research found that well-being fluctuated as the hours of freelance or portfolio workers did.
Researchers Stephen Wood from the University of Leicester and George Michaelides from Birkbeck, University of London, noted that freelance workers became calmer and had greater enthusiasm when they had higher-than-normal hours of work.
However, their anxiety levels shot up, even potentially leading to depression, when work demands became tougher and tougher.
"Increased demands adversely affect people's work-life balance; in particular work interferes with fulfilling family and other non-work commitments or pursuits," the researchers said.
The study analyzed 45 freelancers over a six-month period, with each participant accomplishing an identical survey every week.
While increased workload generated enthusiasm, it also took its toll on the participants' lives outside of work. According to the findings, work-life balance increased or decreased with workload. It is the worker's well-being that was affected differently.
The team emphasized that while work demands generated what is known as stress-based work-family/non-work interference, hours generated a mostly "unrecognized phenomenon": something dubbed as enthusiasm-based work-family/non-work interference.
What does this mean? Freelancers can be calmer and perhaps more engaged with long hours, but the downside is it reduces time and engagement in personal or non-work affairs.
This enthusiasm-based theory, however, may be limited to individuals with changing work opportunities, with zero-hour workers as the extreme. In addition, the long hours necessary for task fulfillment may be viewed as a challenge instead of a barrier, as conflicting demands could be.
Freelancers exhibited similarities with other workers, such as being happier when they have greater variety and control over their work. They are also subjected to the same pressures hounding workers with other setups, including conflicting demands.
This study was published in the journal Human Relations.
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