Work addiction in Japanese workers

Abstract

Nowadays people are more and more work free from the constraints of geography and time in line with the development of transportation and communication technology. These changes have been facilitating the diversity of working style. In addition to these innovations, the changes of economy have also been forcing individuals to work in various ways. These changes have possibility of deteriorating the work situation while enhancing the freedom of work styles. Thus, workaholism-the tendency to work hard with irresistible inner drive to do so-has been paid attention to by both in lay and academic people. In this chapter, we first overview the definition of workaholism and economic and working conditions in Japan. Then, we discuss (negative) impacts of workaholism on one's own and one partner's well-beings among Japanese workers, such as health, job and family satisfaction, and job performance. Finally, three suggestions for future research are discussed.