Thanks to a grant from the International Spa Association, an associate professor at California State University, Fresno has published data linking what many already suspected—there is a direct correlation between how satisfied we are with our jobs and our overall health.

With funds from the Dr. Howard Murad Research Grant on Cultural Stress, Michelle Calvarese, Ph.D., surveyed 500 college students between the ages of 18 and 35 for “Job Satisfaction, Stress and Health: A Microanalysis of California State University, Fresno Students.” She found that those who were content with their work were similarly in good health. But one of her more intriguing findings was the number of students who juggle numerous responsibilities—such as a part- or full-time workweek, full class schedule and families—and bear the fallout from all of those commitments, according to Calvarese. “While many may not necessarily be showing the effects of this chronic stressful lifestyle yet, due their younger age, it could quite possible show up later in life,” she says.

Howard Murad, M.D., associate clinical professor of medicine (dermatology) at UCLA and founder of Murad, endowed this grant starting in April 2008 due to his belief that stress in modern society wreaks havoc on our bodies. “Cultural stress ages us dramatically,” he says. “It keeps our stress hormone levels in a constant state of elevation–which damages the skin, as well as every other system in the body.”

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