Most scientists love what they do, but job satisfaction levels hit a new low, Nature’s survey finds.
Chris Woolston, Nature Magazine
Scientists around the world could learn something from the cautionary tale of John Henry, a US folk hero who literally worked himself to death, says Tiffany Rolle, a science education and engagement fellow at the National Human Genome Research Institute in Bethesda, Maryland. Rolle co-wrote a 2021 paper about stress, burnout and ‘John Henryism’ in the STEM workforce.
Science tends to attract people who want to get to the bottom of important questions, but few things in science are ever fully solved, says Rolle. “That level of curiosity can keep you on a hamster wheel,” she says. “The finish line isn’t strongly defined unless you define it for yourself.”
John Henryism is a term that particularly applies to under-represented groups, who feel an especially intense pressure to perform, she adds. “You are in a competitive field, but you’re constantly getting these messages that you aren’t good enough, that you shouldn’t be here, that you barely made the cut. There’s a chip on your shoulder to prove yourself.”
Stress, burnout, impostor syndrome and the mental-health problems they can trigger are strongly tied to job satisfaction, a key focus of Nature’s 2021 careers survey (see ‘Nature’s salary and job survey’).