Work and happiness

• A. Work provides income only, with no other psychological benefits
• B. Work can provide structure, social connection, a sense of purpose, and identity in addition to income
• C. Work mainly benefits wellbeing by keeping people away from their families
• D. Work has no measurable effect on happiness once basic needs are met

• A. Physical injuries that occur at the workplace
• B. The lasting negative effects of job loss on a person's future earnings, health, and life satisfaction even after they find new work
• C. A temporary feeling of excitement when someone first loses a job
• D. The legal penalty applied to employers who lay off workers

• A. The highest possible salary regardless of other conditions
• B. Having autonomy, meaningful tasks, and supportive relationships at work
• C. Working the longest hours possible
• D. Avoiding all contact with coworkers

• A. Only a daily schedule
• B. Time structure, social contact, collective purpose, status, and regular activity
• C. Guaranteed retirement benefits only
• D. Freedom from all responsibilities

• A. Because any job, regardless of conditions, always improves wellbeing
• B. Because poor-quality jobs with high stress, low control, or disrespect can harm wellbeing even when employment is present
• C. Because job quality has no connection to mental or physical health
• D. Because employees never notice the conditions of their work

• A. Avoiding all routine tasks whenever possible
• B. Connecting routine tasks to the purpose they serve for others ✓
• C. Only finding meaning in tasks that earn a high salary
• D. Waiting until retirement to think about purpose

Why: Meaning often comes from seeing how everyday tasks contribute to a larger purpose, such as helping colleagues or customers, rather than from the task's surface appearance.

• A. Changing employers every year to find new challenges
• B. Adjusting how you perform your tasks or relationships at work to make them more meaningful ✓
• C. Completing only the tasks listed in your job description
• D. Handing off all unpleasant tasks to coworkers

Why: Job crafting refers to employees proactively reshaping their tasks, interactions, or perceptions of their work so it better fits their values, strengths, and interests.

• A. Repetitive tasks never affect how people feel about work
• B. It can reflect care, reliability, and a role in a team's success ✓
• C. Repetition guarantees promotion
• D. Only creative tasks can produce any sense of meaning

Why: Reliable completion of small tasks supports others, builds trust, and shows personal values like conscientiousness, all of which can create a sense of meaning.

• A. Ignoring the outcomes of your work
• B. Reflecting at the end of the day on who your work helped and how ✓
• C. Comparing your work only to the highest performers in the company
• D. Focusing exclusively on what you dislike about your job

Why: Brief reflection on the impact of your efforts helps make the connection between daily actions and their value visible, reinforcing meaning over time.

• A. Meaning at work depends entirely on job title
• B. Meaning is only found in dream jobs, never in current roles
• C. Meaning can be developed in many roles through how we perceive and approach our tasks ✓
• D. Meaning is fixed and cannot change over time

Why: Research on meaningful work suggests that perception, framing, and relationships shape meaning, so it can be cultivated in a wide range of roles rather than being fixed by job title alone.

• A. The amount of money an employee earns relative to peers
• B. The degree of freedom an employee has to make decisions about how and when they do their work ✓
• C. The number of hours an employee is required to work each week
• D. The formal title and rank an employee holds in the organization

Why: Autonomy refers to the discretion and independence workers have over their tasks, methods, schedules, and decisions. It is a core job characteristic linked to higher motivation and satisfaction.

• A. A worker who must follow a strict script for every customer call
• B. A project manager who sets their own deadlines and chooses their team's approach ✓
• C. An assembly line worker who cannot leave their station without permission
• D. A cashier whose every movement is timed by a supervisor

Why: High control means the worker shapes their own work process and decisions. The project manager sets deadlines and approaches, which reflects discretion, while the other options describe tightly prescribed or externally monitored work.

• A. High demands and high control
• B. Low demands and low control
• C. High demands and low control ✓
• D. Low demands and high control

Why: The Job Demand-Control model by Karasek proposes that high psychological demands combined with low decision latitude produce the most strain. High control acts as a buffer that helps workers cope with demanding situations.

• A. It reduces the need for any training or feedback
• B. It satisfies basic needs for competence and self-determination, which increases intrinsic motivation ✓
• C. It guarantees higher salaries for all employees
• D. It eliminates all workplace conflict

Why: Self-Determination Theory identifies autonomy, competence, and relatedness as basic psychological needs. When autonomy is supported, people feel more engaged and motivated from within, which tends to boost satisfaction.

• A. Control has no measurable effect on employee wellbeing
• B. Control is only important for managers, not frontline workers
• C. Greater perceived control is generally associated with lower stress and higher wellbeing ✓
• D. Greater control always leads to longer working hours with no benefit

Why: Research consistently finds that employees who feel they have influence over their work experience less stress and better mental health. Perceived control, in particular, helps workers feel less helpless when facing demands.

• A. Working in complete isolation to avoid distractions
• B. Having regular, positive interactions with colleagues ✓
• C. Competing with coworkers for the same promotions
• D. Keeping personal life completely separate from colleagues

Why: Regular, positive interactions with colleagues build trust, connection, and a feeling of being valued, which are core ingredients of belonging at work.

• A. A workplace with strict rules that prevent all mistakes
• B. A workplace where employees feel safe to speak up, ask questions, and admit errors without fear of punishment or humiliation ✓
• C. A workplace that offers the highest salaries in the industry
• D. A workplace where conflict is completely avoided

Why: Psychological safety, a concept popularized by Amy Edmondson, means people can take interpersonal risks like voicing ideas or admitting mistakes without fear of negative consequences, which supports both learning and belonging.

• A. Waiting until others invite them to join activities
• B. Avoiding conversations until they are fully familiar with their role
• C. Asking colleagues about their work and showing genuine interest in them ✓
• D. Only speaking during formal meetings

Why: Showing genuine interest and asking questions invites reciprocal engagement, helping newcomers build relationships and feel part of the group more quickly.

• A. Lower job satisfaction due to distraction
• B. Higher engagement and job satisfaction ✓
• C. Reduced productivity in all situations
• D. Greater likelihood of leaving the organization without notice

Why: Studies consistently find that close workplace friendships are associated with higher engagement, greater job satisfaction, and stronger commitment to the organization.

• A. Inviting everyone on a team to a shared lunch
• B. Consistently leaving a colleague out of informal decision-making conversations ✓
• C. Giving constructive feedback during a one-on-one meeting
• D. Recognizing a teammate's contribution in a group update

Why: Consistently excluding someone from informal conversations and decisions signals that they are not fully part of the group, which erodes belonging and can harm wellbeing.

• A. Spending exactly equal hours on work and personal activities every day
• B. Maintaining a sustainable distribution of time and energy between work responsibilities and personal well-being
• C. Avoiding all work-related tasks outside of office hours
• D. Prioritizing career advancement above all other life areas

• A. Feeling satisfied after completing a project
• B. Regularly skipping family meals or personal commitments due to work demands
• C. Taking a scheduled lunch break
• D. Setting goals for the next quarter

• A. Checking work email constantly, including on vacation
• B. Setting specific work hours and communicating them to colleagues
• C. Taking on additional projects to show commitment
• D. Keeping work devices in the bedroom at all times

• A. Breaks are only useful for people who are tired
• B. Breaks help restore focus, reduce stress, and prevent burnout
• C. Breaks reduce the total amount of work that must be completed
• D. Breaks are required only in certain countries

• A. Ignoring sleep and exercise until the workload decreases
• B. Communicating with your manager about priorities and protecting essential personal routines
• C. Declining all personal plans without discussing alternatives
• D. Working longer hours every day for the rest of the year

• A. Feeling energized and motivated by new projects
• B. Persistent exhaustion that doesn't improve with rest ✓
• C. Increased enthusiasm for team meetings
• D. Sleeping well and feeling refreshed each morning

Why: Burnout often shows up as chronic fatigue that isn't relieved by normal rest, along with reduced energy and motivation. Feeling energized, enthusiastic, and rested points away from burnout.

• A. Anxiety, depression, and insomnia
• B. Emotional exhaustion, depersonalization (cynicism), and reduced personal accomplishment ✓
• C. Physical fatigue, boredom, and anger
• D. Low pay, long hours, and poor management

Why: The Maslach Burnout Inventory defines burnout through emotional exhaustion, depersonalization or cynicism toward one's work or colleagues, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment.

• A. Multitasking across several tasks at once
• B. Working through lunch to save time
• C. Taking short, regular breaks during the workday ✓
• D. Checking email continuously to stay responsive

Why: Short, regular breaks help restore attention, lower stress levels, and prevent the accumulation of fatigue over a workday. Constant work and multitasking tend to increase stress.

• A. Answering work messages at all hours to show commitment
• B. Saying yes to every request to avoid conflict
• C. Defining set working hours and communicating them to colleagues ✓
• D. Avoiding all conversations about workload

Why: Clear working hours and communicated availability protect personal time and recovery. Without boundaries, work tends to expand into rest time, increasing the risk of burnout.

• A. It eliminates the need to address the sources of stress
• B. It provides perspective, emotional buffering, and practical help during demanding periods ✓
• C. It guarantees a promotion or raise
• D. It removes all responsibility for completing tasks

Why: Supportive relationships buffer the effects of stress by offering emotional comfort, practical assistance, and fresh perspective. Research consistently links strong social support with lower stress and better resilience.

• A. A high starting salary alone
• B. A sense of autonomy and control over how work is done ✓
• C. Working the maximum number of hours possible
• D. Having no contact with colleagues

Why: Studies consistently find that autonomy, or having meaningful control over how and when work is done, is a strong predictor of job satisfaction and wellbeing. Pay matters up to a point, but beyond basic needs it contributes less than factors like autonomy and competence.

• A. Learning a new trade to switch careers entirely
• B. Employees proactively reshaping aspects of their tasks, relationships, or perceptions of their work ✓
• C. Handcrafting products as part of a manufacturing role
• D. Formal performance reviews conducted by managers

Why: Job crafting, a concept developed by Wrzesniewski and Dutton, describes employees taking initiative to adjust the scope, relationships, or meaning of their work so it better fits their strengths and values. It is associated with higher engagement and satisfaction.

• A. Avoiding all breaks to maximise productivity
• B. Regularly identifying and using your strengths in your daily work ✓
• C. Keeping work and personal life completely separate with no flexibility
• D. Comparing your role constantly with colleagues

Why: Research on strengths-based work suggests that people who regularly use their character strengths report greater engagement, satisfaction, and wellbeing at work. Recognising and applying your strengths is a practical, evidence-supported way to improve working life.

• A. A company's cash flow problems
• B. A state of deep absorption where challenge and skill are well matched and time seems to pass quickly ✓
• C. The movement of employees between departments
• D. Email traffic within an organisation

Why: Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi described flow as a state of full immersion in an activity, arising when the challenge of a task matches one's skill level. Experiencing flow at work is associated with greater enjoyment and fulfilment.

• A. Seeing how your work contributes to something beyond yourself ✓
• B. Receiving the largest possible bonus
• C. Having the most senior job title
• D. Working in a building with the newest facilities

Why: Research on meaningful work highlights that perceiving a link between one's efforts and a larger purpose or the wellbeing of others strongly supports a sense of meaning. Prestige, pay, and surroundings matter less for meaning than this connection.