DeepSummary
In this podcast episode, Forrest and his father Dr. Rick Hansen explore the concept of workaholism - the compulsive drive to work excessively. They differentiate workaholism from scenarios where people have to work long hours due to external factors like economic or social pressures. Workaholism is defined as using work as a coping mechanism to avoid painful emotions, relationships, or self-doubts.
They discuss the psychological functions that workaholism serves, such as preempting criticism, seeking approval and competence, and its relation to other addictive behaviors. The episode highlights that workaholism is a socially validated form of addiction and identifies demographic groups more prone to it, like younger people, women, and those with certain mental health conditions.
The conversation covers the stages of change model for addressing problematic behaviors like workaholism. It also provides specific interventions, such as addressing underlying feelings, cultivating mindfulness, giving others influence over one's behavior, tracking time, and scheduling time off. Rick also reflects on his personal experience navigating a healthy work ethic.
Key Episodes Takeaways
- Workaholism is a compulsive drive to work excessively, often used as a coping mechanism to avoid painful emotions or gain a sense of self-worth.
- Workaholism shares characteristics with other addictive behaviors but is socially validated, making it insidious.
- Younger people, women, and those with certain mental health conditions are more prone to workaholism.
- The stages of change model can be applied to address workaholism, moving from pre-contemplation to maintenance of new habits.
- Practical interventions include addressing underlying feelings, cultivating mindfulness, tracking time, scheduling time off, and giving others influence over one's behavior.
- Considering long-term consequences and envisioning one's future self can provide perspective on unhealthy work patterns.
- Differentiating between passion for one's work and compulsive overworking is important for achieving a healthy work-life balance.
- Exploring the psychological functions workaholism serves, such as seeking approval or controlling anxiety, can aid in overcoming it.
Top Episodes Quotes
- “You know, it's the internalized audience that is Jon Kabat Zinn's book titled wherever you go, there you are. Or wherever you go, there's the audience.“ by Rick Hansen
- “There can be a reasonableness. Reasonableness, let's say, to the amount of effort it takes to get back into the main line, to go back into graduate school in your thirties when you've got two kids.“ by Rick Hansen
- “Point being, another thing that's really helpful is to ask yourself, what am I going to be really happy that I did here? Over the long haul, maybe I'm going to get 45 minutes of a good buzz, but then what kind of price am I going to pay for the rest of my day, then through my sleep cycle and then into my day tomorrow?“ by Rick Hansen
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Episode Information
Being Well with Forrest Hanson and Dr. Rick Hanson
Rick Hanson, Ph.D., Forrest Hanson
9/11/23