Being the boss can take its toll on health: study

NEW YORK (Reuters Life!) - Being the boss might mean more money and challenging work but it can also take a toll on physical and mental well-being, according to a Canadian study.

For years studies have shown people in lower-status jobs generally have higher rates of heart disease and other illnesses and die earlier than those in higher-status positions while job authority has shown no association with workers' health.

But University of Toronto researchers, using data from 1,800 U.S. workers, found the health of people in higher positions is affected by work as they are more likely to report conflicts with co-workers and say work intruded on their home life.

These latest findings, reported in the journal Social Science & Medicine, suggest that the pros and cons of authority positions essentially cancel each other out, giving the general impression that job authority has no health effects.
Being the boss can take its toll on health: study