The Effects of Work Hours on Physical and Mental Health

The empirical relationship between work hours and physical and mental health outcomes is ambiguous. Increased work hours are associated with higher incomes and thus better access to medical care, which may improve health outcomes. However, increased work hours also generate greater physical and mental stresses and thus may cause health problems. We examine these questions empirically using data from the 2006 wave of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY). We estimate the models using two stage least squares to account for the endogeneity of work hours in the health equations. Finally, we examine whether the effects of work hours on health outcomes differ between men and women. Our results show that for our sample, increases in work hours have little impact on physical health. However, working long hours does have a significant negative effect on mental health, particularly among women.