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For many people， being on the job might just sound like a picnic compared to a day at home filled with chores， errands， meals and child care. Even for those with a happy family life， home can sometimes feel more 1）taxing than work. After decades of social scientists examining the corporate workplace and studying ways to improve it， experts now say being at work is good for our health. And there are aspects of work we might want to 2）emulate at home.
In a new study， published online in Social Science & Medicine， researchers at Penn State University found significantly and consistently lower levels of 3）cortisol， a hormone released in response to stress， in a majority of subjects when they were at work compared to when they were at home. This was true for both men and women， and parents and people without children.
Both men and women showed less stress at work. But women were more likely to report feeling happier there. Men were more likely to feel happier at home. The researchers say this may be because women still do more housework and child care and may feel they have less free time.
Experts say there are other reasons why work is less stressful than home for many.“Paid work is more valued in society，” says Sarah Damaske， assistant professor of labor and employment relations， sociology and women’s studies at Penn State， who was also the lead researcher on the study. “Household work is 5）monotonous and not particularly rewarding.”
We get better at our job with time（hopefully）， and the increased competence means less stress and more rewards. Yet none of us， no matter how long we’ve been doing it， ever truly feels like an expert at parenting or even at marriage.
There is behavioral 6）etiquette at work. No yelling， 7）storming off or crying—at least， not if we want to keep our job and our colleagues’ respect. The support and friendship of co-workers offer stress relief. We may listen to others’ problems， but ultimately they aren’t our concern. At home， meanwhile， stress is 8）contagious. “You can’t pause and say to your 9）toddler， ‘Mommy needs a timeout，’ “Dr. Damaske says.
Much of the advice to families and couples includes the warning to “leave work stress at the office” and even to build in a transition activity， such as a walk around the block， to change our mind-set from work to home. The recent findings， though， suggest our home life， not our attitude， might be due for some change.
Tara Kennedy-Kline， a family advocate and owner of a toy-distribution company， says on an evening or weekend she has been known to go to her warehouse and rearrange 1，500 boxes in a 10）shipping container just to get away from her family’s requests of “What’s for dinner？” and “Where is my uniform？”
“I love my home and family， but there is just something about being able to walk away from the homework， dinner， 11）karate， football， piano lessons， roller-skating transport and laundry folding， and retreat to my cold 12）concrete warehouse，” says the 43-year-old， who lives in Shoemakersville， Pa.
So how can we make domestic life less stressful？ “Make home a little more like work，” says Richard Levak， a Del Mar， Calif. psychologist.
First， learn to set boundaries—just as when we are in our office or cubicle and we say no to a request that isn’t in our 13）domain. Explain to children or a spouse that you need uninterrupted time alone. Help them 14）rehearse what to do while you are unavailable. Create a place where they can write down what they want to tell you when they have the urge to interrupt， so you can read it together later.
Prepare for pushback. “Everyone will resist. They want access to you all the time，”Dr. Levak says. “You have to be mindful that your spouse or kids will feel rejected.”He suggests preparing them by telling them when and for how long you are planning to take a break.
Build down time into everyone’s schedule. Set aside specific times at home to relax and have fun， and make them 15）inviolate. Plan a movie night. Put a regular exercise time on the calendar. Take a walk after dinner every evening.
People who live alone can fall into a stressful pattern of drifting around the house， doing small chores， checking the fridge， flipping through channels on the TV—responding to stimuli but not focusing on a task， Dr. Levak says.“You have to envision some rewarding event and plan for it.”
Create a greater sense of control at home by building in more structure， Dr. Levak says. Don’t watch TV mindlessly； record only what you care about and watch one evening a week. Sit down to meals at the table. Try not to answer email or texts after a certain time. Lastly， the doctors says， “If you want to improve your level of happiness at home， you need to be as mindful of following a structure at home as you are at work.”
对大多数人而言，与在家里充斥着各种家务活、跑腿差事、做饭和照顾孩子的一天相比，工作听起来不过是小菜一碟。即使对那些家庭生活愉快的人来说，居家生活有时候也会让人觉得比上班还累。就企业工作环境及改进方法进行数十年调查研究后，社会科学专家们如今表示，上班工作对人们的健康有益，并且工作生活中的好些方面是值得人们在居家生活中效仿的。 在《社会科学与医学》网站上发布的一项新研究中，宾夕法尼亚州立大学的研究人员发现，大部分被测试者在工作时，体内的皮质醇水平（皮质醇是人体对压力作出反应时释放出来的一种激素）由始至终明显比在家时的水平更低——无论参与测试的志愿者是男是女及是否育有小孩，结果均如此。
男性和女性测试者都在工作时感到压力减少了。但是女性测试者多数表示在工作时更开心。而男性测试者则更多表示在家里更开心。研究者认为这有可能是因为女性测试者在家里还要做更多的家务活和照顾孩子，且感觉个人自由时间更少。
专家表示还有其他原因可以解释为什么大部分人会感到工作时比在家压力更小。“有偿工作具有更高的社会价值，”莎拉·达玛斯克说，她是宾州州立大学的劳动与雇佣关系学、社会学和妇女研究的助理教授，也是这项研究的带头人。“家务工作不仅单调乏味，而且不太有满足感。”
我们通常（在理想情况下）会在工作中越做越好，并提高我们的能力，这意味着更少压力和更多回报。但我们中没有人，不管做了多久，能真正感觉到自己是育儿或甚至是婚姻方面的专家高手。
在工作中有行为规范礼仪。没有大喊大叫、摔门而去、哭闹失礼——不想丢掉饭碗或者在同事前颜面尽失至少就得这样。同事之间的支持和友谊可让人减压。我们会聆听他人的诉苦，但终究这还是他们自己的事。然而在家，压力则会传染。“你不能暂停下来，并跟你还在蹒跚学步的宝贝说，‘妈妈需要暂停休息。’” 达玛斯克博士说道。
对家庭生活和夫妇相处之道的大部分建议都包括了“别把工作压力带回家”这一忠告，甚至建议进行一些过渡活动，如在街区里散散步以调整从工作回到家的心理状态。可是新近得出的研究结果则认为需要做出改变的应该是我们的家庭生活，而不是我们的态度。
塔拉·肯尼迪—克莱恩，是一名家庭权益倡导人及一家玩具分销公司的老板，她表示自己曾被发现在某个晚上或周末跑到仓库去重新整理一个集装箱里的1500个盒子，目的只为了躲避家里人那些“晚饭吃什么？”和“我的制服在哪里？”之类的问题。
“我爱我的家和家人，但还是想能够稍稍离开一下家庭作业、晚饭、空手道、足球、钢琴课、溜冰接送、叠衣服这些事情，回到我那清冷的混凝土仓库里去安静一下。”这位43岁居住在宾夕法尼亚州舒梅克斯维尔的女士如是说。
那我们如何才能使居家生活的压力减少？“让家变得更像工作的地方，”理查德·里瓦克说道，他是加州德尔马的一位心理学家。
首先，学会设置界限——就像我们在自己的办公室或小隔间那样，我们要对那些超出我们责任范围的要求说不。向孩子和配偶解释你需要不受干扰的独处时光。帮他们演习你不在时该怎么做。开辟一个留言栏， 当他们想要打断你时，让他们能够把想说的话给写下来，你可以在有空时把留言集中一起看。
为受阻做好准备。“每个人对此都会有所抵触。他们想随时都能找到你，”里瓦克医生表示。“你必须留心配偶和孩子们可能会感到的受拒情绪。”他建议跟他们说明你打算在什么时间休息以及要休息多久，以此帮大家做好心理准备。
在每个人的时间表里做好时间安排。留出在家里特定的放松娱乐时间，并保证这些时间不受干扰。计划一个电影之夜。在时间表里插入规律的运动时间。每天晚饭后去散散步。
独居的人容易陷入这样的压力模式：在家中各处徘徊，做点家务琐事，不时翻冰箱，不断切换电视频道——不断回应各种刺激，而非集中在一件事上，里瓦克医生这样说道。“你必须预想一些有价值的活动，并为此做好计划。”
里瓦克医生表示，要想更好地掌控居家生活，我们可以建立更多的组织规范。别漫不经心地去看电视；录下你真正想看的，然后每周只安排一个晚上看。在餐桌旁坐下来就餐。尽量在某个时间后不回复邮件或短信。最后，里瓦克医生说道，“如果你想要提高居家生活的愉悦度，你就需要在家里留心地遵守一定的生活规则——就像是在办公室一样。”
In a new study， published online in Social Science & Medicine， researchers at Penn State University found significantly and consistently lower levels of 3）cortisol， a hormone released in response to stress， in a majority of subjects when they were at work compared to when they were at home. This was true for both men and women， and parents and people without children.
Both men and women showed less stress at work. But women were more likely to report feeling happier there. Men were more likely to feel happier at home. The researchers say this may be because women still do more housework and child care and may feel they have less free time.
Experts say there are other reasons why work is less stressful than home for many.“Paid work is more valued in society，” says Sarah Damaske， assistant professor of labor and employment relations， sociology and women’s studies at Penn State， who was also the lead researcher on the study. “Household work is 5）monotonous and not particularly rewarding.”
We get better at our job with time（hopefully）， and the increased competence means less stress and more rewards. Yet none of us， no matter how long we’ve been doing it， ever truly feels like an expert at parenting or even at marriage.
There is behavioral 6）etiquette at work. No yelling， 7）storming off or crying—at least， not if we want to keep our job and our colleagues’ respect. The support and friendship of co-workers offer stress relief. We may listen to others’ problems， but ultimately they aren’t our concern. At home， meanwhile， stress is 8）contagious. “You can’t pause and say to your 9）toddler， ‘Mommy needs a timeout，’ “Dr. Damaske says.
Much of the advice to families and couples includes the warning to “leave work stress at the office” and even to build in a transition activity， such as a walk around the block， to change our mind-set from work to home. The recent findings， though， suggest our home life， not our attitude， might be due for some change.
Tara Kennedy-Kline， a family advocate and owner of a toy-distribution company， says on an evening or weekend she has been known to go to her warehouse and rearrange 1，500 boxes in a 10）shipping container just to get away from her family’s requests of “What’s for dinner？” and “Where is my uniform？”
“I love my home and family， but there is just something about being able to walk away from the homework， dinner， 11）karate， football， piano lessons， roller-skating transport and laundry folding， and retreat to my cold 12）concrete warehouse，” says the 43-year-old， who lives in Shoemakersville， Pa.
So how can we make domestic life less stressful？ “Make home a little more like work，” says Richard Levak， a Del Mar， Calif. psychologist.
First， learn to set boundaries—just as when we are in our office or cubicle and we say no to a request that isn’t in our 13）domain. Explain to children or a spouse that you need uninterrupted time alone. Help them 14）rehearse what to do while you are unavailable. Create a place where they can write down what they want to tell you when they have the urge to interrupt， so you can read it together later.
Prepare for pushback. “Everyone will resist. They want access to you all the time，”Dr. Levak says. “You have to be mindful that your spouse or kids will feel rejected.”He suggests preparing them by telling them when and for how long you are planning to take a break.
Build down time into everyone’s schedule. Set aside specific times at home to relax and have fun， and make them 15）inviolate. Plan a movie night. Put a regular exercise time on the calendar. Take a walk after dinner every evening.
People who live alone can fall into a stressful pattern of drifting around the house， doing small chores， checking the fridge， flipping through channels on the TV—responding to stimuli but not focusing on a task， Dr. Levak says.“You have to envision some rewarding event and plan for it.”
Create a greater sense of control at home by building in more structure， Dr. Levak says. Don’t watch TV mindlessly； record only what you care about and watch one evening a week. Sit down to meals at the table. Try not to answer email or texts after a certain time. Lastly， the doctors says， “If you want to improve your level of happiness at home， you need to be as mindful of following a structure at home as you are at work.”
对大多数人而言，与在家里充斥着各种家务活、跑腿差事、做饭和照顾孩子的一天相比，工作听起来不过是小菜一碟。即使对那些家庭生活愉快的人来说，居家生活有时候也会让人觉得比上班还累。就企业工作环境及改进方法进行数十年调查研究后，社会科学专家们如今表示，上班工作对人们的健康有益，并且工作生活中的好些方面是值得人们在居家生活中效仿的。 在《社会科学与医学》网站上发布的一项新研究中，宾夕法尼亚州立大学的研究人员发现，大部分被测试者在工作时，体内的皮质醇水平（皮质醇是人体对压力作出反应时释放出来的一种激素）由始至终明显比在家时的水平更低——无论参与测试的志愿者是男是女及是否育有小孩，结果均如此。
男性和女性测试者都在工作时感到压力减少了。但是女性测试者多数表示在工作时更开心。而男性测试者则更多表示在家里更开心。研究者认为这有可能是因为女性测试者在家里还要做更多的家务活和照顾孩子，且感觉个人自由时间更少。
专家表示还有其他原因可以解释为什么大部分人会感到工作时比在家压力更小。“有偿工作具有更高的社会价值，”莎拉·达玛斯克说，她是宾州州立大学的劳动与雇佣关系学、社会学和妇女研究的助理教授，也是这项研究的带头人。“家务工作不仅单调乏味，而且不太有满足感。”
我们通常（在理想情况下）会在工作中越做越好，并提高我们的能力，这意味着更少压力和更多回报。但我们中没有人，不管做了多久，能真正感觉到自己是育儿或甚至是婚姻方面的专家高手。
在工作中有行为规范礼仪。没有大喊大叫、摔门而去、哭闹失礼——不想丢掉饭碗或者在同事前颜面尽失至少就得这样。同事之间的支持和友谊可让人减压。我们会聆听他人的诉苦，但终究这还是他们自己的事。然而在家，压力则会传染。“你不能暂停下来，并跟你还在蹒跚学步的宝贝说，‘妈妈需要暂停休息。’” 达玛斯克博士说道。
对家庭生活和夫妇相处之道的大部分建议都包括了“别把工作压力带回家”这一忠告，甚至建议进行一些过渡活动，如在街区里散散步以调整从工作回到家的心理状态。可是新近得出的研究结果则认为需要做出改变的应该是我们的家庭生活，而不是我们的态度。
塔拉·肯尼迪—克莱恩，是一名家庭权益倡导人及一家玩具分销公司的老板，她表示自己曾被发现在某个晚上或周末跑到仓库去重新整理一个集装箱里的1500个盒子，目的只为了躲避家里人那些“晚饭吃什么？”和“我的制服在哪里？”之类的问题。
“我爱我的家和家人，但还是想能够稍稍离开一下家庭作业、晚饭、空手道、足球、钢琴课、溜冰接送、叠衣服这些事情，回到我那清冷的混凝土仓库里去安静一下。”这位43岁居住在宾夕法尼亚州舒梅克斯维尔的女士如是说。
那我们如何才能使居家生活的压力减少？“让家变得更像工作的地方，”理查德·里瓦克说道，他是加州德尔马的一位心理学家。
首先，学会设置界限——就像我们在自己的办公室或小隔间那样，我们要对那些超出我们责任范围的要求说不。向孩子和配偶解释你需要不受干扰的独处时光。帮他们演习你不在时该怎么做。开辟一个留言栏， 当他们想要打断你时，让他们能够把想说的话给写下来，你可以在有空时把留言集中一起看。
为受阻做好准备。“每个人对此都会有所抵触。他们想随时都能找到你，”里瓦克医生表示。“你必须留心配偶和孩子们可能会感到的受拒情绪。”他建议跟他们说明你打算在什么时间休息以及要休息多久，以此帮大家做好心理准备。
在每个人的时间表里做好时间安排。留出在家里特定的放松娱乐时间，并保证这些时间不受干扰。计划一个电影之夜。在时间表里插入规律的运动时间。每天晚饭后去散散步。
独居的人容易陷入这样的压力模式：在家中各处徘徊，做点家务琐事，不时翻冰箱，不断切换电视频道——不断回应各种刺激，而非集中在一件事上，里瓦克医生这样说道。“你必须预想一些有价值的活动，并为此做好计划。”
里瓦克医生表示，要想更好地掌控居家生活，我们可以建立更多的组织规范。别漫不经心地去看电视；录下你真正想看的，然后每周只安排一个晚上看。在餐桌旁坐下来就餐。尽量在某个时间后不回复邮件或短信。最后，里瓦克医生说道，“如果你想要提高居家生活的愉悦度，你就需要在家里留心地遵守一定的生活规则——就像是在办公室一样。”