One reason I've seen explained in very high detail in a reputable article I unfortunately can't recall the name of now, is that a lot of what they do that seems

One reason I've seen explained in very high detail in a reputable article I unfortunately can't recall the name of now, is that a lot of what they do that seems incredibly tedious (and well, is) somewhat acts as a type of gigantic social safety net in terms of not only income, but also socialization and for feelings of self-worth or that you're otherwise still contributing to your society (even though, as we are now discussing, it's likely holding some parts of societal advancement back). Basically, if you for whatever reason become/are somewhat disabled, cognitively impaired, lose your family, are simply getting quite old and losing the ability to do what you used to, etc, there will always be some sort of job, often falling under the bloat of what you've listed after "on the other hand", that you'll be able to do if you want to, that will give you a stable income (even if small) and get you out of the house or whatever else and somewhere that you'll have a routine form of socialization amongst your co-workers and such.