The study followed the health records of 820 working adults aged 25 to 65 who worked an average of 8.8 hours a day. Participants were drawn from a range of backgrounds to account for various psychological, behavioural or physiological risk factors, such as smoking, obesity and depression. A mixture of professional fields were also chosen, including finance, health care and manufacturing. Participants were asked about their relationships with their supervisors, and their peer relationships at work, such as whether their peers were friendly and approachable. Of the participants who died during the course of the study, most had negligible social connections with their co-workers.A lack of emotional support at work led to a 140 per cent increased risk of dying in the next twenty years compared to those who reported supportive co-workers.

据悉，这项是针对820名年龄段从25岁到65岁平均每日工作8.8小时的成年人的实验，参加实验的志愿者来自各行各业，比如金融业、卫生部门还有建筑部门等，工作人员根据要求严格筛选志愿者，志愿者的“履历表”可谓五花八门，有吸烟经历的、也有过度肥胖的、还有抑郁的，当然也有完全健康的人。在实验中，志愿者被问及自己与同事之间的关系、同事中当然也包括自己的领导和下属，研究者发现，在那些相比之下更早过世的志愿者中，研究者发现了他们有一个共性：那就是与同事关系不和谐、换句话说，在工作中与大家关系十分不和睦。据悉，在工作中，倘若缺乏有利的支持，在接下来的20年内，死亡率会增加140%。