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Do people become healthier after being promoted?

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  • Christopher J. Boyce
  • Andrew J. Oswald

Abstract

This paper examines the hypothesis that greater job status makes a person healthier. It begins by successfully replicating the well‐known cross‐section association between health and job seniority. Then, however, it turns to longitudinal patterns. Worryingly for the hypothesis, the data–on a large sample of randomly selected British workers through time–suggest that people who start with good health go on later to be promoted. The paper can find relatively little evidence that health improves after promotion. In fact, promoted individuals suffer a significant deterioration in their psychological well‐being (on a standard General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) mental ill‐health measure). Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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  • Christopher J. Boyce & Andrew J. Oswald, 2012. "Do people become healthier after being promoted?," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 21(5), pages 580-596, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:hlthec:v:21:y:2012:i:5:p:580-596
    DOI: 10.1002/hec.1734
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    Cited by:

    1. Costa-Font, Joan & Ljunge, Martin, 2018. "The ‘healthy worker effect’: Do healthy people climb the occupational ladder?," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 119-131.
    2. Shvartsman, Elena & Beckmann, Michael, 2015. "Stressed by your job: What is the role of personnel policy?," Working papers 2015/15, Faculty of Business and Economics - University of Basel.
    3. Malmendier, Ulrike M. & Borgschulte, Mark & Guenzel, Marius & Liu, Canyao, 2020. "CEO Stress, Aging, and Death," CEPR Discussion Papers 14933, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers.
    4. David W. Johnston & Wang-Sheng Lee, 2013. "Extra Status and Extra Stress: Are Promotions Good for Us?," ILR Review, Cornell University, ILR School, vol. 66(1), pages 32-54, January.
    5. Dusanee Kesavayuth & Robert Rosenman & Vasileios Zikos, 2013. "Does Personality Affect how People Perceive their Health?," Working Papers 2013-13, School of Economic Sciences, Washington State University.
    6. Elena Lagomarsino & Alessandro Spiganti, 2020. "No gain in pain: psychological well-being, participation, and wages in the BHPS," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 21(9), pages 1375-1389, December.
    7. Shusaku Sasaki & Mika Akesaka & Hirofumi Kurokawa & Fumio Ohtake, 2016. "Positive and Negative Effects of Social Status on Longevity:Evidence from Two Literary Prizes in Japan," ISER Discussion Paper 0968, Institute of Social and Economic Research, Osaka University.
    8. Tom Nicholas, 2023. "Status and mortality: Is there a Whitehall effect in the United States?," Economic History Review, Economic History Society, vol. 76(4), pages 1191-1230, November.
    9. Johanna Catherine Maclean & Douglas A. Webber & Michael T. French & Susan L. Ettner, 2015. "The Health Consequences of Adverse Labor Market Events: Evidence from Panel Data," Industrial Relations: A Journal of Economy and Society, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(3), pages 478-498, July.
    10. Sarah Brown & Mark N. Harris & Preety Srivastava & Karl Taylor, 2018. "Mental Health and Reporting Bias: Analysis of the GHQ - 12," Working Papers 2018013, The University of Sheffield, Department of Economics.
    11. Manuel Flores & Melchor Fernández & Yolanda Pena-Boquete, 2020. "The impact of health on wages: evidence from Europe before and during the Great Recession," Oxford Economic Papers, Oxford University Press, vol. 72(2), pages 319-346.
    12. Mujcic, Redzo, 2014. "Are fruit and vegetables good for our mental and physical health? Panel data evidence from Australia," MPRA Paper 59149, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    13. Borgschulte, Mark & Guenzel, Marius & Liu, Canyao & Malmendier, Ulrike, 2023. "CEO Stress, Aging, and Death," IZA Discussion Papers 16366, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    14. Chadi, Adrian & Goerke, Laszlo, 2018. "Missing at work – Sickness-related absence and subsequent career events," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 153-176.
    15. Sasaki, Shusaku & Kurokawa, Hirofumi & Ohtake, Fumio, 2019. "Positive and negative effects of social status on longevity: Evidence from two literary prizes in Japan," Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Elsevier, vol. 53(C), pages 1-1.
    16. Resul Cesur & Bahadir Dursun & Naci Mocan, 2014. "The Impact of Education on Health and Health Behavior in a Middle-Income, Low-Education Country," NBER Working Papers 20764, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    17. Liu, Gordon G. & Kwon, Ohyun & Xue, Xindong & Fleisher, Belton M., 2014. "How Much Does Social Status Matter to Health? Evidence from China's Academician Election," IZA Discussion Papers 8010, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    18. Mervin, Merehau Cindy & Frijters, Paul, 2014. "Is shared misery double misery?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 107(C), pages 68-77.
    19. Alexander K. Koch & Julia Nafziger, 2012. "Job Assignments under Moral Hazard: The Peter Principle Revisited," Journal of Economics & Management Strategy, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 21(4), pages 1029-1059, December.
    20. Ho Fai Chan & Franklin G. Mixon & Jayanta Sarkar & Benno Torgler, 2022. "Recognition and longevity: an examination of award timing and lifespan in Nobel laureates," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 127(6), pages 3629-3659, June.
    21. Franz Buscha, 2016. "Does Daily Sunshine Make You Happy? Subjective Measures of Well-Being and the Weather," Manchester School, University of Manchester, vol. 84(5), pages 642-663, September.

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