Work life today can be filled with stress, especially when we lack work-life balance or work too hard, affecting our health more than we might think.

Work stress can accumulate over a long time. Psychologists also believe it can trigger eating disorders. Constant stress affects the bacteria in our gut and the neurotransmitter serotonin in the gastrointestinal tract. This serotonin normally stimulates the secretion of gastric juice that causes appetite.

Too much serotonin may make us anxious. Nausea can lead to anorexia and mood swings that make us want to exercise a lot. We can seek to reduce food intake and lose weight rapidly. Because anorexics are thin and underweight people assume they care about their figure. They might, in fact, have been trapped in constant stress over a long time.

Implications for the future:

- In an era where healthcare matters to everyone, companies that care about the physical and mental health of their employees will attract and keep high-quality human resources.

- Stress therapy may become an essential corporate benefit as stressful conditions affect the overall health and productivity of employees.

- In the future, as we work under stress for a long time, the metaverse could radically alter mental healthcare in the labor market.

Reference: Rantala, M. J. et al. (2019) Eating disorders: An evolutionary psychoneuroimmunological approach. Frontiers in psychology. 102200–2200

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