{"id":18642,"date":"2026-08-26T05:05:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T13:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/?p=18642"},"modified":"2026-08-26T05:05:01","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T13:05:01","slug":"the-paradox-of-burnout","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scotthyoung.com\/blog\/2026\/08\/26\/the-paradox-of-burnout\/","title":{"rendered":"The Paradox of Burnout"},"content":{"rendered":"

Consider two different kinds of jobs:<\/p>\n

In the first job, there is prestige, interest and, in many instances, good pay and benefits. Many people see this line of work as not merely a job, but a calling.<\/p>\n

In the second job, work is simply work. While one may earn a living, and even enjoy the tasks, few people make this type of job the central purpose of their life.<\/p>\n

Which kind of job do you think is more likely to create burnout?<\/p>\n

If you had asked me this question a year or two ago, I would have guessed the second type. Man does not live by bread alone, so I would have argued that careers which offer the possibility of prestige, purpose and intellectual challenge would make work energizing.<\/p>\n

So I find it interesting that researchers generally find the opposite is the case. While people with terrible jobs often do burnout, the phenomenon was first documented in, and is most frequently found in, jobs which are often considered to be very desirable. Doctors, teachers, activists and academics appear frequently in case studies of burnout.<\/p>\n

Why Burnout?<\/h2>\n

Why do people with enviable jobs experience burnout more often?<\/p>\n

The best explanation for this finding I\u2019ve read comes from Jonathan Malesic in his book The End of Burnout<\/a>.\u2028\u2028 Burnout occurs when the gap between the expectations of a job and its reality become irreconcilable. People with \u201cgreat\u201d careers face burnout more, not always because their jobs are objectively worse, but because they tend to come with idealistic expectations as well.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Malesic\u2019s case is itself interesting. Previously a tenured academic in theology, Malesic got into the job because his early experiences in college led him to think that a life teaching students about the deeper mysteries of the universe would be deeply satisfying and important.<\/p>\n

\u2028But even after achieving tenure (itself often a burnout-inducing quest), he found that most of his students couldn\u2019t care less about his teachings, the papers he wrote were largely ignored, and he could barely drag himself to class in order to teach.<\/p>\n

Malesic\u2019s expectations of the work\u2014that it would be intellectually stimulating and deeply meaningful\u2014crashed into the reality of bored students, squabbling academics and thankless service work.<\/p>\n

Malesic reflects on his experience working as a parking attendant, prior to his time in academia. Even though most working at the parking lot considered their work a menial job, nobody had burnout. They did their work, got paid, and went back to \u201creal\u201d life, which often involved pursuits outside of work that imbued life with meaning.<\/p>\n

The Opposite of Burnout<\/h2>\n

All of this suggests that the opposite of burnout is not simply passionate engagement. Ironically, passionate engagement\u2014and the unrealistic expectations it creates\u2014can often create<\/em> the conditions for burnout.<\/p>\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Of course, none of this suggests that having a dead-end job is the cure, either. Good things are good. All else being equal, it\u2019s better to have a job that has greater pay, benefits and prestige than one with less. Gaps between lofty expectations and mediocre reality can trigger burnout, but so can even minimal expectations of a healthy work environment when stuck in a hellish workplace.<\/p>\n

The opposite of burnout is balance. This means having your expectations for work well-matched by the realities of your job, along with a surplus of other sources of meaning and resiliency in life: good relationships, hobbies, healthy habits and social support.<\/p>\n

An irony here is that balance is often more productive than an obsession with work. The person who devotes themselves entirely to work may succeed more in the short-run, but they create instability. If the steady drip of rewards fails to meet their lofty expectations, the result can be a crash that is difficult to recover from.<\/p>\n

The person who approaches work as only one piece of their life alongside other pursuits in their personal life has built a buffer against burnout. This allows that person to continue doing good work far longer and more consistently, which adds up to more in the long run.<\/p>\n

_ _ _<\/p>\n

Earlier this year, I ran the first-ever session of a course devoted to maximizing your energy in life and work: Everyday Energy<\/em><\/strong>. Drawing on research about what creates (and what zaps) our productive energy, this course takes you through a three-month plan for creating more vitality in your life, starting where you are right now.<\/p>\n

If you are interested, check it out here: Everyday Energy<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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