"If You Don't Rest Properly, Happiness Actually Decreases"

People Working 40 Hours a Week Report "Highest Happiness"

On the 29th, when rain fell nationwide, commuters hurried their steps at Gwanghwamun Intersection in Jongno-gu, Seoul. / Photo by Moon Honam munonam@

[Asia Economy Reporter Jang Sehee] A study has found that while increasing working hours and income raises happiness, beyond a certain income level, long working hours lead to decreased happiness despite higher income.

On the 30th, the Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs empirically analyzed the impact of earned income on happiness and reported that both average monthly earned income and weekly working hours significantly contribute to enhancing workers' happiness. However, for incomes exceeding 11 million KRW per month, an increase in working hours tended to slightly reduce happiness levels.

Estimating happiness by weekly working hours, regardless of job type, people working around 40 hours per week showed the highest average happiness, while those working about 80 hours per week had the lowest happiness regardless of income level.

Regarding this, the institute stated, "While securing income through stable employment is an important policy task in situations where unemployment and underemployment are problematic, income alone is not the solution," adding, "Along with income security, creating a social and institutional environment where people can work appropriate hours and rest sufficiently is also essential to increasing the happiness of the people."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.