Tim Harford on the Paradox of Work

There’s a short but interesting article here by Tim Harford on what he calls ‘the paradox of work’.

Taking its cue from an analysis of ‘a Depression-era make-work project for white-collar Americans’, it underlines the importance of work and community contributions in addition to family and close relationships.

Basically, whilst work is often ‘the least enjoyable thing’ in people’s lives, ‘there are few more reliable sources of dissatisfaction and disappointment than being unemployed’.

‘The stories people told about themselves, and especially the stories women told about themselves, did indeed often mention friends and family. But they also emphasised, over and over again, the importance of work as a foundation for a meaningful life.’