![\"Woman](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/woman-working-computer.png\")
\nA picture of a woman sitting at a computer late at night.
\nA picture of a woman sitting at a computer late at night.
\nDaniel de la Hoz\/Getty Images
\n The workaholic exception<\/p>\n
Nearly 75 percent of employees admit that they cannot stop thinking about work after hours. But a new study suggests there may be a simple way to break the cycle: spend evenings reflecting on your personal goals, instead of unfinished work tasks.<\/p>\n
Researchers at the University at Buffalo (UB) School of Management found that focusing on nonwork goals in the evening can reduce stress and improve well-being.<\/p>\n
“Many workers admit to experiencing automatic, intrusive thoughts during leisure time as their biggest pain point as an employee,” paper author Min-Hsuan Tu, an associate professor of organization and human resources, said in a statement.<\/p>\n
“When employees can’t switch off, the stress of the workday bleeds into their evenings, drains their energy, strains relationships and even affects their health.”<\/p>\n
Researchers collected data from more than 1,200 people, including 1,085 full-time employees and 137 part-time MBA students, across three studies.<\/p>\n
Participants were asked to spent time in their evenings reflecting on their personal goals\u2014such as around fitness, hobbies or family time\u2014and plan how to achieve them.<\/p>\n
Researchers then tracked the effect of this exercise on rumination, exhaustion and overall well-being.<\/p>\n
For most participants, the strategy worked. Shifting mental focus away from the office helped them detach from work, improved energy and mood, and even supported healthier social and physiological outcomes.<\/p>\n
\nA picture of a woman sitting at a computer late at night.
\nA picture of a woman sitting at a computer late at night.
\nDaniel de la Hoz\/Getty Images
\n The workaholic exception<\/p>\n
But there was one group who benefited far less: workaholics.<\/p>\n
To identify workaholics, the researchers used established psychological surveys that measure both excessive and compulsive working tendencies.<\/p>\n
These scales ask participants to rate statements such as how often they work longer than intended or feel driven to keep working even when they try to stop.<\/p>\n
Those who scored higher on the survey for workaholic tendencies found that trying to step away in the evening to reflect personal goals was not as effective.<\/p>\n
“Workaholics have a deep attachment to work goals that makes it harder for them to mentally step away, limiting the intervention’s effectiveness and flagging these employees as a priority group for tailored recovery support,” Tu said.<\/p>\n
Why it matters<\/p>\n
Prior research has shown that workaholism and chronic overwork are more than lifestyle choices\u2014they can actively harm the brain and body.<\/p>\n