I spent two months this past spring on a project where I put in similar time of my own accord as well. Had 2.5 days off in 7 weeks. Averaged 78.5 hours a week o

I spent two months this past spring on a project where I put in similar time of my own accord as well. Had 2.5 days off in 7 weeks. Averaged 78.5 hours a week over the period. Slept 4-5 hours a night. It was one of the most rewarding and happy periods of work I've had. I know there are medical studies that suggest less than x hours of sleep a night is bad for your health. Or, working more than 45-ish hours in a week spikes cortisol levels. I'd like see the results of these studies correlated with respondent's happiness and satisfaction. You've got a good insight here: > Why pressure to work hard can be destructive I also wonder if the negative health effects are more strongly correlated to the stress of "having" to work those sorts of hours vice legitimately "wanting" to work them, sans stress.