From work pressure to work pleasure Understanding and improving well-being in academia

Due to increasing academic demands, such as growing publication pressure, teaching, and administrative workloads, the well-being of academics is under threat. Many report high levels of work pressure, with mental health issues like anxiety and depression widespread among early-career academics. Addressing these concerns, this dissertation examines how internal and external resources can contribute to academics’ well-being. In Chapter 2, I demonstrated the value of internal resources, specifically psychological capital (PsyCap)—a positive, goal-oriented mindset—for PhD students’ well-being. Chapter 3 showed that such resources can be developed through training. A training aimed at developing both PsyCap and self-compassion was more beneficial for PhD students than PsyCap training alone, suggesting that emotional support may be especially valuable—even more so than the instrumental support that PsyCap offers. Chapter 4 shifted focus to bottom-up strategies by examining whether daily planning can mitigate the negative effects of mind wandering. Planning reduced same-day performance costs but diminished next-day well-being benefits, indicating that planning can enhance performance but may come at the expense of well-being. Consequently, academics should avoid focusing exclusively on task goals and allow for occasional mental breaks. In Chapter 5, I explored recognition as a key but often overlooked external resource. While recognition of research results was common, recognition of effort—especially in teaching and service—was frequently lacking. Complementing recognition of results with other forms of recognition is essential to ensure that less visible contributions are acknowledged. Together, both individuals and institutions need to mobilize their resources to improve academics’ well-being.