Researchers have uncovered the real secret to making your job suck less: you.
As good as it may feel to blow off some steam about the old 9-to-5, complaining about work turns out to be a real downer, according to the study published in the European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology.
Two researchers, one in the Netherlands and one in Colorado, studied the attitudes of 112 employees at various jobs, and determined who the good sports and bad sports were. Each were asked to rate how they felt over the course of three days.
They found that the employees who complained about work were pretty bummed out as a result. In diary entries, they reported feeling crummy and dissatisfied with their work. They also experienced something like a bad-sportsmanship hangover, reporting a lower mood the next morning, and lower pride in their accomplishments that day.
On the other hand, employees who were good sports — who didn’t complain or stew over the day’s events — weren’t slammed as hard by negative events at work. They reported feeling pretty good throughout the day, and were more engaged with their work for it.
Mostly, employees complained about task-related issues, like computer crashes or poorly planned projects. About a quarter of the participants whined about their colleagues. Only a small portion moaned about having too much or not enough work.
A better way to handle those frustrations, per the study authors: Write your gripes down, then look for a fix. Actually solving your problem beats pointlessly venting about it.