"Passionate" does not necessarily mean you work long hours "like animals". Obsessive usually does. Working pass the normal cut-off is a lose-lose proposition f

"Passionate" does not necessarily mean you work long hours "like animals". Obsessive usually does. Working pass the normal cut-off is a lose-lose proposition for anyone that puts in honest levels of work during the day. You burn yourself out, diminish your capacity, make mistakes, and most of the time don't even realize it. This can go on for years, sometimes even decades. Most of the referenced-here "passionate" behavior is probably a combination of unhealthy focus (the obsessive type or the type you use to forget about your issues), self-image, having-to-prove-something, and outside-pressure (expectations for you, matching your co-workers, etc). The better option is to work intelligently and maintain a healthy amount of self-awareness at all times. Then leave it, shut-off, or go enjoy something that matters. You'll produce 200% the results of your "passionate" co-workers.