Work addiction
Caring about your work is a gift. When work stops letting you rest, you deserve a life that is bigger than your job.
By the numbers
How common work addiction is, and what long hours can cost.
How common
Mental health
Long hours
What is work addiction?
When work becomes something you can’t stop, not just something you do.
Work addiction, often called workaholism, describes being overly caught up in work and driven by an urge to work that feels out of your control. It is not about how many hours you work. It is about whether you can stop.
Researchers have proposed different definitions and still debate how best to measure it. Some call it “work addiction” and study it alongside other behavioural addictions. Either way, it isn’t something to diagnose yourself with.
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Researchers describe workaholics as driven to work by an inner compulsion, rather than because they enjoy it.
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Many people describe feeling guilty, restless or anxious when they are not working. Work can become the main way to quiet those feelings.
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Promotions, praise and a reputation as “the reliable one” can make it hard to see when work has taken over. That can delay asking for help.
Loving your work vs. work addiction
Two people can work the same hours and feel completely different.
Psychologists separate workaholism from work engagement. Engaged people feel energised, dedicated and absorbed in their work because they enjoy it. Workaholics feel pushed by a drive they can’t resist.
A two-year study of employees in Japan found that engagement predicted better wellbeing and job performance later on. Workaholism predicted more ill health, lower life satisfaction and poorer performance.
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It often feels like
- Enjoying the work itself
- Feeling tired but satisfied after a long day
- Being able to enjoy weekends and holidays
- Work is one important part of life, among others
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It often feels like
- Feeling you must work, even when you don’t want to
- Thinking about work most of the time
- Struggling to relax or enjoy time off
- Work crowding out health, rest and people
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Deadlines, a new job, a launch or harvest time can mean extra hours. That is different from work addiction if it eases afterwards and you can recover.
Why work can take over
Personality, feelings, money and culture all play a part.
There is rarely one cause. Work addiction usually grows from a mix of who we are, what we are carrying and the world around us.
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Researchers have linked workaholism with traits like perfectionism. A strong need for control may also make some people more likely to develop workaholic patterns.
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Researchers suggest that working may act as an escape from feelings of anxiety and depression.
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Researchers suggest that some people with ADHD may work harder and longer to make up for struggles with focus, or to prove others wrong.
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If your sense of worth rests mostly on achievement, stepping back can feel like losing yourself.
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Some people work long hours because they have to, not because of an inner drive. Second jobs and unstable pay are real pressures, and not the same as addiction.
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When messages can arrive at any hour, the line between work and home fades. Workplaces that praise overwork can make it worse.
The hidden costs
Work addiction takes more than time.
A large review of research found that workaholism was not linked to better job performance. It was linked to more job stress, more clashes between work and home, poorer physical health and burnout.
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The World Health Organization and International Labour Organization estimated that working 55 or more hours a week was linked to 745,000 deaths from stroke and heart disease in 2016.
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Workaholics tend to feel negative emotions both at work and at home, according to researchers who reviewed many studies.
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A study of 168 dual-earner couples found that workaholism was linked to more work-family conflict and less support given to a partner, which lowered the partner’s relationship satisfaction.
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Workaholism was unrelated to job performance overall, and one long-term study linked it to poorer performance over time.
Work addiction and mental health
It often comes with anxiety, ADHD, OCD or depression.
A survey of more than 16,000 working adults in Norway found that workaholics were much more likely to also report symptoms of ADHD, anxiety, OCD and depression than other workers.
The study can’t say which comes first. Mental health struggles may lead to overwork, overwork may lead to mental health struggles, or both may share the same roots.
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Working can bring short-term relief from anxious or low feelings. But the stress, poor sleep and lost time with others can make those feelings stronger later.
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If anxiety, ADHD, OCD or depression are part of the picture, support for them may make it easier to loosen work’s grip.
Work addiction vs. burnout
Related, but not the same thing.
Burnout is exhaustion and distance from work after long-term stress. Work addiction is an inner drive to keep working. They are different, but work addiction is linked to burnout.
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The core is compulsion: a pull toward work that is hard to resist, and guilt or unease when you step away.
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Burnout can happen to anyone in a stressful job, even people who would love to slow down but can’t.
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Because work addiction leaves so little time for recovery, it can wear a person down over time.
Loosening work’s grip
Small, steady steps toward a life that is more than work.
Change doesn’t mean quitting your job or caring less. It means building a life with enough in it that work no longer has to fill every space.
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Ideas
- Pick a time to stop, and tell someone
- Create a short “closing ritual”, like writing tomorrow’s list
- Move work apps off your home screen
- Turn on “do not disturb” in the evenings
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If guilt shows up when you rest, notice it without obeying it. Start with short breaks and build up.
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Small starts
- Join a class or club that meets at a set time
- Pick up an old hobby for 20 minutes
- Plan one weekend activity with a friend
- Volunteer for something you care about
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Many people who overwork have a harsh inner voice. Treating yourself with the kindness you’d show a colleague can loosen its hold.
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You could ask
- “Which of these projects matters most right now?”
- “Can we agree on response times for evening messages?”
- “Could some of this be shared or paused?”
Supporting someone & how community helps
Worry with warmth, not blame.
It can be lonely loving someone who is always working. Research shows partners feel the effects too, so your feelings are valid.
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You could say
- “I miss our evenings together. Can we plan one this week?”
- “You seem so tired lately. How are you really doing?”
- “I’m proud of how hard you work. I also worry about you.”
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Notice and name things you love about them that have nothing to do with work, like their humour, kindness or curiosity.
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Friends, family, faith groups, teams and neighbours all offer a sense of identity that doesn’t depend on output.
Ideas to share
- A regular walk with a friend
- A shared family meal with phones away
- A team sport or class
- Volunteering together
When and where to get help
You don’t have to hit a wall before asking for support.
It may be time to reach out if work is harming your health, sleep or relationships, if you feel unable to stop even when you want to, or if you feel anxious or low when you aren’t working.
Who can help
- A therapist or counselor
- An employee assistance program (EAP) at work, if you have one
- Your clinical provider, especially if you have chest pain, poor sleep or exhaustion
Outside the U.S.
- findahelpline.com lists free, confidential helplines by country
📝 Worksheets for this guide
Fill these in privately in the app. Your answers stay on your phone.
Sources
- PLOS ONE (2016). The relationships between workaholism and symptoms of psychiatric disorders: a large-scale cross-sectional study (Andreassen et al., PLOS ONE)
- The Open University (repository) (2015). Addiction to work: A critical review of the workaholism construct and recommendations for assessment (Quinones & Griffiths, Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services)
- PubMed Central, U.S. National Library of Medicine (2020). Advancing Workaholism Research (Balducci, Spagnoli & Clark, International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health)
- University of Georgia (2014). All work and no play: UGA study examines psychology of workaholism (on Clark et al., Journal of Management)
- University of Adelaide Digital Library (2015). Workaholism vs. work engagement: the two different predictors of future well-being and performance (Shimazu et al., International Journal of Behavioral Medicine)
- University of Johannesburg (research portal) (2009). Workaholism and Relationship Quality: A Spillover-Crossover Perspective (Bakker, Demerouti & Burke, Journal of Occupational Health Psychology)
- World Health Organization (WHO) (2021). Long working hours increasing deaths from heart disease and stroke: WHO, ILO
- 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). SAMHSA’s National Helpline
- Find A Helpline (ThroughLine). Find A Helpline
This guide is for education and self-care. It is not a diagnosis or a substitute for professional care. Please talk to a counselor or clinical provider about your health. Reviewed October 2026.
