Researchers have analyzed the data of nearly 60,000 Estonians to answer a question that many are asking: what a job makes it really happy. To refine their investigation, they have collected both factual information such as age, sex, level of studies or profession, and more personal elements such as the degree of work satisfaction and in life in general. Each participant also passed a personality test, in order to explore what, beyond appearances, could weigh in the balance of well-being.
A total of 263 professions were identified, a much more precise level of detail than the large usual professional families. A fine grid, therefore, but anchored in a precise cultural context: all respondents live in Estonia. What slightly qualify the scope of the results, as certain expectations or perceptions of the work can vary from one country to another.
It is neither the money nor the prestige that makes happiness at work
Against all expectations, it is not the highest wages that laugh with flourishing. The researchers affirm this without detour: if income has an influence on well-being, its impact remains “modest”. As for the prestige associated with a profession, it does not guarantee a happier daily life. “The nature of the work in itself seems to play a more important role in the satisfaction than the prestige associated with it,” they underline, overthrowing the too widespread idea that success necessarily rhymes with happiness.
The professions that make (really) happy
Certain professions thus escape the logics of prestige or salary to offer a real feeling of accomplishment. This is the case of the religious, whose living environment and the mission seem closely linked to a form of inner peace. Psychologists undoubtedly find sense in listening and helping others, while specialized teachers derive their satisfaction from support as close as possible to needs.
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The self -employed workers, more free in their organization, are also among the happiest, alongside maritime engineers and the sheets, these skilled workers who work the sheet metal. Some health professionals, excluding doctors, complete this list, testifying that a job turned to the other can also rhyme with personal balance.
What these professions have in common is not a flattering status or a well-stocked bank account, but a form of concrete utility and often a more direct relationship to work itself. The study thus stresses that the content of the profession has much more than the image it sends back. A simple idea, but which reminds us that happiness at work is not measured up to a title, but to the quality of everyday life.
The ten trades that make people happy:
- Religious
- Independent professional
- Medical assistant
- Psychologist
- Healthcare professional
- Dentist
- Midwife
- Hairdresser
- Healthcare professional
- Author or writer
These professions where work weighs on morale
In the service of service and permanent contact with the public, malaise seems more frequent. Security agents, servers, pollsters, sellers, factors or even carpenters share a common point: an often demanding daily life, unlikely, sometimes ungrateful. Even chemist engineers, whom one might think sheltered thanks to their specialization, appear in this gray area of happiness. If we refine the distinction between satisfaction in life and satisfaction at work, the differences are becoming clearer. One can be generally happy without flourishing in its function. And vice versa.
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From this perspective, care professions as dentists, midwives or physiotherapists stand out as more fulfilling professional on the professional. The same goes for computer developers and authors, who seem to be drawing from their activity a feeling of utility or sufficient creativity to compensate for any constraints. At the other end of the spectrum, the jobs of unskilled workers concentrate the highest rate of dissatisfaction at work. Transport, handling, kitchen, cleaning, sale: as many sectors where the room for maneuver are reduced, low recognition and sometimes trying conditions.
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What the work says of happiness
According to researchers, which makes a fulfilling job far exceeds salary or status. Once the personality traits are neutralized, the professions that provide the most satisfaction are those that achieve “objectives that have meaning”, and in which individuals have the feeling of achieving something concrete. “They can promote satisfaction by offering concrete results, low ambiguity and skills -based mastery opportunities,” note the authors. Manual, technical or based on the resolution of practical problems thus appear to be more carrying well-being than positions with blurred or excessively standardized responsibilities.
Conversely, very supervised, repetitive or centered jobs on strict instructions seem to slow the development. Even the managerial functions, often perceived as rewarding, prove to be less satisfactory than expected. “Potentially due to stress, pressure or responsibilities,” said the authors. Posts that require leadership or high competitiveness derive average satisfaction. The self -employed, they are getting better. Finally, the analysis, research or reflection professions often offer a source of contentment, when the artistic or social professions are in a more neutral area, the working conditions that can vary greatly.
Mathematicians at the top of the wellness ranking at work
Another study also comes to shake up received ideas. Led by the “HAPPY AT WORK” network with 120,000 people, it reveals an unexpected podium to say the least. Because no, it is neither the veterinarians nor the nomadic workers of the beaches of Southeast Asia who arrive at the head. Far from the clichés, mathematicians declare the highest level of satisfaction, with a rate of 63.2 %. Follow the architects at 62.2 %, then the communications officers. In contrast, lawyers, chemists or site managers close, with much more timid scores.
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This survey also recalls that professional development is based on a subtle balance between meaning, commitment and recognition. The quality of the work accomplished, the membership of the mission and the pride felt appear as powerful engines of well-being. If you feel useful, if you believe that you do, if you are free to act with skill, then work ceases to be a constraint to become a lever for balance.