Physics culture and workaholism
Originally published on Toward Decolonizing Physics
I admit I have neglected this blog for almost two months now. After a long period of working from home as a result of COVID, I am now back working in excess of full time in the laboratory. This has meant less time with my partner, less time for hobbies and recreation, and less time for tasks I care about (even my writing). Once again, work has tried to become all-consuming.
I used to find this level of work normal, even exhilarating. What I see now is that, like so many other physicists, I was stuck in a culture of workaholism. I do not argue that all physicists are workaholics – in fact, I know and am inspired by many who have consistently and forcibly bucked the trend. Rather, workaholism has become so normalized within physics culture that it is glorified, and even physicists who don’t trend toward workaholism must deal with its effects.
How does workaholism manifest in physics?
Frankly, as someone who has struggled with workaholism in the past, I am not well-qualified to define this condition except as it applies directly to my own experience. The definition given by Wayne Oates, who coined the term workaholism in 1971, is “the compulsion or the uncontrollable need to work incessantly.” I also find these resources helpful for understanding the problem. (Note the wide number of sometimes conflicting definitions, as well as the important fact that workaholism does not just mean working long hours.) The common thread among these resources is that compulsive work usurps other priorities in life to become the primary or sole focal point of the workaholic’s existence. The result is a distorted sense of self and unhealthy work behaviors, such as working exceedingly long hours or thinking about work when going to sleep.
Physics culture provides the perfect medium for breeding workaholic tendencies. Physics values the production of knowledge over wisdom, and also demands that the physicist deny their inherent humanity for rational pursuit of knowledge. The result is that physicists are trained to develop a single-minded focus on work — which efficiently produces knowledge– while their humanity is shamed or ignored. If the physicist never learns to self-value, and instead ties their own worth and happiness to research productivity, the result is predictable: unhealthy, addictive “rushes” when scientific results are produced or goals are met, followed by anxious working when (as is inevitably the case) experiments malfunction or calculations take longer than expected. Without the self-wisdom to see beyond these emotional highs and lows to greater priorities, the seeds of an addiction have already been planted.
Of course, not all physicists become trapped in this cycle. Some have the wisdom to set reasonable boundaries around work and achieve some semblance of work-life balance. Others bide their time in labs expecting 70 hour workweeks, promising not to repeat the cycle in the future. While not all physicists become workaholics, the constant exposure to workaholism is still desensitizing. The result is that workaholism becomes normalized and even admired within physics culture, making its perpetuation inevitable.
How workaholism perpetuates itself in physics
Workaholism perpetuates itself in physics through a variety of mechanisms. Most notably, physics culture tends to “select out” physicists who do not express or at least tolerate workaholic tendencies. Undergraduates who would be excited to go to graduate school, but worry about long hours or unreasonable expectations, are less likely to apply. (The same is true in the transition from graduate student to postdoc.) The two-body problem penalizes academics who fail to place work over family. Tight competition for faculty positions rewards researchers with long publication lists, precisely those who work long hours. And the arduous expectations placed on faculty — who are expected to balance teaching and departmental service obligations while being rewarded primarily for research — encourage researchers who value a balanced life to decamp to industry, where they are less able to mentor the next generation of physicists. Those who remain in the pipeline are thus disproportionately workaholics themselves, or at least those who see no problem with unhealthy work practices.
Meanwhile, as stated above, physicists who remain in the pipeline absorb messages that encourage workaholism. Since senior physicists often espouse workaholism as a life philosophy, unhealthy messages and behaviors around work are passed down within labs where they are apt to be mistaken for wisdom. Moreover, lab conditions sometimes require an adaptation to workaholism just to survive.
Consider, for instance, expectations of work hours. Work weeks of 50-60 hours are typical at many institutions. (I am even familiar with a group that expect grad students, postdocs, and even undergraduate REU students to work 70-80 hour weeks!) I have also seen groups routinely schedule group meetings on weekends, and it is common practice in many groups to continue sending work-related emails until bedtime. Such conditions send the message that work should consume an aspiring physicist’s entire life. Such working conditions require a descent into workaholism just to remain sane for a 6+ year graduate program.
Another way that physicists are trained into workaholism is through more insidious messaging. I was advised upon starting graduate school that for the sake of my career, I should eschew intimate relationships and close friendships for the duration of graduate school. Physicists are also praised for thinking continually about physics, even when not at work; a common refrain I have heard is that physics is something you should think about as you are going to sleep. Even if research tasks are left at the laboratory door, the constant pressure to check emails, mentally solve problems, finish graduate coursework, and read journal articles when not in lab blurs the work-life distinction. The message in this case often becomes: “Literal work need not consume your life, but physics still must.” If you are not constantly thinking about physics, this is seen as a lack of passion for physics. Once again, a balanced view of work is impossible under these expectations.
We have seen that workaholism is a self-perpetuating problem within physics culture. Unfortunately, the same characteristics that make it so insidious also make it hard to solve.
Beyond workaholism
Of course, workaholism is not necessary for scientific productivity. Many physicists in industry or national labs work enforced 40 hour weeks, yet still lead productive and exciting research careers. Change starts with recognizing that scientific productivity stems from building a well-rounded character and finding happiness at work; it does not require unreasonable working hours or compulsive thinking. In fact, unhealthy working behaviors can actually diminish productivity, to the extent they lead to poor time management or even (as I have personally witnessed!) drinking in lab.
But like so many other problems in physics culture, addressing workaholism requires more than recognizing its effects. As with all forms of addiction, workaholism disguises itself with denial. (“Maybe these working practices are unhealthy, but they have served me well!”) Even if physicists understand that workaholism is unhealthy, it is difficult to accept that they themselves are workaholics, or that their mentors and friends are. Moreover, simple maxims against workaholism can do more harm than good if the underlying culture is not addressed, since the result is that aspiring physicists receive even more mixed messages.
Moving beyond workaholism requires physicists to cultivate humility and self-wisdom. We must become conscious of our own working practices and those we model to others. Regulations on work hours, etc., will never stem the problem: pandemic-related hours restrictions at my institution have not stopped certain physicists from working such long hours! It is only after we build a culture that values the physicist for their entire self and gives them the wisdom to build their own values that enough physicists will see past the trap of workaholism to effect lasting change.
