How stress of working long hours may alter your brain

长时间工作带来的压力会对大脑产生怎样的影响

Working excessively long hours can not only leave you tired and ratty, it could also change the very structure of your brain as it tries to cope with the stress, a study suggests. The brains of those who worked more than 52 hours a week showed marked physical differences compared with those on less antisocial work schedules.

一项研究表明，长时间过度工作不仅会让你感到疲惫和烦躁，还可能在你试图应对压力时，改变大脑的结构。研究发现，与工作时间较短的人相比，每周工作超过52小时的人，其大脑结构存在明显的物理差异。

It is possible that those who work long hours might see a short-term benefit from increased volume in parts of the brain that govern alertness or efficiency, according to researchers in South Korea.

韩国的研究人员表示，长时间工作的人，大脑中负责警觉性或效率的部分体积可能会增加，他们或许能在短期内从中受益。

But they believe it is likely that the changes are negative over a long period, and that prolonged periods of working long hours could lead to "fatigue, emotional instability or reduced cognitive efficiency in the longer term".

但研究人员认为，从长远来看，这些变化很可能是负面的，长时间过度工作可能会导致“长期疲劳、情绪不稳定或认知效率下降”。

The study examined 110 healthcare workers — 32 who worked more than 52 hours a week and 78 who worked less — comparing the volume of their brains in different regions. It was designed as a small pilot study that will guide future research.

这项研究对110名医护人员进行了调查，其中32人每周工作超过52小时，78人工作时间较短，研究人员比较了他们大脑不同区域的体积。该研究设计为一项小型试点研究，旨在为未来的研究提供指导。

"Overworked individuals exhibited significant changes in brain regions associated with executive function and emotional regulation", concluded the study, published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine. An increase in brain volume "can be interpreted as a positive change", the study noted.

发表在《职业与环境医学》杂志上的这项研究得出结论：“过度工作的人，其大脑中与执行功能和情绪调节相关的区域出现了显著变化。”研究指出，大脑体积的增加“可被视为一种积极的变化”。

Asked to elaborate, Wanhyung Lee, an author of the study, said: "Increases in brain volume are often seen in contexts such as learning, skill acquisition or intensive practice, suggesting enhanced neural capacity or improved cognitive function.

当被要求详细说明时，该研究的作者之一李万亨表示：“大脑体积的增加通常出现在学习、技能获取或强化训练等情境中，这表明神经容量增强或认知功能改善。”

"Therefore, it is theoretically possible that overworked individuals may initially experience certain adaptive or compensatory benefits — such as heightened cognitive alertness or efficiency — in response to prolonged occupational demands."

他说：“因此，从理论上讲，过度工作的人最初可能会因长期的工作需求，而经历某些适应或补偿性益处，如提高认知警觉性或效率。”

However, he said the increases in brain volume were mainly seen in regions that were "particularly sensitive to chronic stress". The changes might therefore "temporarily help individuals manage increased cognitive demands", he said, but "chronic exposure to long working hours without sufficient recovery" could lead to tiredness, emotional problems and weakened cognitive abilities over a long period.

然而，他表示，大脑体积的增加主要出现在“对慢性压力特别敏感”的区域。因此，这些变化可能“暂时帮助个体应对增加的认知需求”，但“长期暴露于长时间工作且缺乏足够休息”的环境中，可能会导致长期疲劳、情绪问题和认知能力下降。

"Thus the observed structural brain changes more likely represent the brain's attempt to cope with prolonged stress," he said. "Whether these adaptations provide any sustained cognitive advantages, or instead signal long-term risks, remains an open question."

他说：“因此，观察到的这些大脑结构变化，更可能是大脑试图应对长期压力的表现。这些适应是否会带来持续的认知优势，还是反而预示着长期风险，仍是一个悬而未决的问题。”

Those who work more than 55 hours a week have a 33 per cent higher risk of stroke and 13 per cent greater risk of coronary heart disease, previous research has found. The new study concluded: "Overwork is a combination of physical and emotional overexertion and a lack of rest. Overuse and lack of rest can negatively affect the brain."

此前的研究发现，每周工作超过55小时的人，患中风的风险增加33%，患冠心病的风险增加13%。这项新研究得出结论：“过度工作是身体和情绪的过度劳累以及缺乏休息的综合体现。过度使用和缺乏休息会对大脑产生负面影响。”

The researchers cautioned that those in the overworked group were on average younger and with higher education levels, and it was possible that the relevant regions of their brains were larger to start with, which may have "predisposed" those people to end up in roles requiring longer hours.

研究人员提醒说，过度工作组的人平均更年轻，受教育程度更高，他们大脑的相关区域可能一开始就更大，这可能“使”这些人更容易从事需要长时间工作的岗位。

Dr Felix Chan, a pharmacology professor at the University of Birmingham, who was not involved in the study, said the researchers had "found interesting changes in brain structure looking at the group who overworked".

伯明翰大学的药理学教授费利克斯·陈并未参与这项研究，他表示，研究人员“在观察过度工作的人群时，发现了大脑结构的有趣变化”。

He said further studies were needed on people in different professions, but added that the research "adds to the growing evidence that overworking is associated with significant impacts on our health".

他说，还需要对不同职业的人进行进一步研究，但补充说，这项研究“进一步证明了过度工作对我们的健康有重大影响”。