Work 'Burnout' Forces Women To Eat Their Emotions

If you're feeling extra-stressed at work, take note — work "burnout" may cause women to eat emotionally, says a new Finnish study.

Reuters reports that the study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that women experiencing burnout — nearly 22 percent of the control group — had hindered abilities to control their eating habits, and tended to eat emotionally. Compared to women who weren't experiencing work burnout, the 22 percent had a harder time cutting back on uncontrolled eating. Women happy in their jobs were able to control their eating habits after about a year.

The reason, researchers say, may be because women under a great amount of stress — whether from work or relationships — find "one of the few pleasures of life" and comfort from food. Interestingly, work burnout did not have an effect on the women's weight; nearly all the women experiencing work burnout were a normal weight. Researchers guess that education may be a factor, as women with a higher level of education are more likely to be thinner — and more stressed out at work.

If the deadlines keep coming and you feel the urge to splurge on a doughnut, avoid the office kitchen and check out these tips for healthy snacks at the office.