Wednesday, December 22, 2010

HealthTip: Happiness After Job Loss

Losing a job can be upsetting, lead to distress, and frustration. However, a new study reveals that most people return to their previous level of happiness within a year of unemployment. Earlier studies have suggested that some people have trouble recovering from the emotional trauma related to job loss. Researchers mention that some people who respond badly to difficult events may have issues, but most people tend to bounce back! 774 Germans who had lost their jobs between the late 1980's and 2003 were assessed for happiness levels several years after being layed off. Approimately 69% of participants reported being unhappy after losing their job, but by one year out, they had recovered their earlier level of happiness. 13% reported feelings of unhappiness 1 year later, while 4% were truly shaken by the loss. However, physically and emotionally, humans are a very resiliant species claim the authors, and a person losing their job at the age of 50 is quite different from someone who loses their job at the age of 30.

Although this study was small and only looked at German participants, the tip to consider is that if you're in a tough spot and are currently dealing with job loss, most people tend to get back on their feet, and combining a positive view with the motivation to find alternative job perspectives would hopefully increase odds of a speedier recovery.

Information Source:
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_106883.html

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