Questão 26

  I’m having a hard time starting this article. According to research out of the University of Melbourne, that might be because I’m middle-aged and work too much. Economists determined that burning the midnight oil makes you, well, dumber.” Our study highlights that too much work can have adverse effects on cognitive functioning,” they conclude.

  Tell us something we didn’t know. Who hasn’t, at the end of a seemingly endless workweek, found themselves staring blankly at their computer screen or into   unable to remember what they had for lunch, let alone form a coherent thought about the task at hand?

  For some employees, of course – the average resident 2 physician or, these days, that “3 gig economy” worker who makes ends meet by banging away at multiple projects – long hours are a fact of modern working life. And there’s a cost. Medical researchers have shown that working too much can affect employees’ physical and mental health.

  So how much is too much? For people age 40 and older, working up to roughly 25 hours per week boosts memory, the ability to quickly process information and other aspects of cognitive function, according to the study, which drew on a longitudinal survey that tracks the well-being of 6,000 Australians. Beyond 25 hours a week, the middle-aged brain doesn’t work as well, the study indicates, noting that the findings apply to both men and women.

http://tinyurl.com/j4os8ck Acesso em: 24.08.2016. Adaptado.

¹ to shut down: parar de operar/funcionar.

² physician: médico.

³ gig economy: ambiente de trabalho baseado em empregos temporários e contratos de curta duração.

A respeito do autor, o primeiro parágrafo nos informa que ele