Here for the History - Why Are We Obsessed With Work?

Download Why Are We Obsessed With Work?

Do you ever feel like work is taking over your life? Well, society didn’t always place so much value on work ethic.

Ben Henderson and Alice Loxton uncover the surprising history behind our modern obsession with hard work.

First, medieval marriage reforms transformed people’s relationship with work. Then, monastic orders and the Protestant Reformation framed hard work as sacred. Finally, the industrial revolution kickstarted our modern fixation on productivity.

Key Sources:

The WEIRDest People in the World: How the West Became Psychologically Peculiar and Particularly Prosperous - Prof Joseph Henrich.

Time, Work-Discipline, and Industrial Capitalism - E. P. Thompson.

Blood, Sweat and Tears: The Evolution of Work - Richard Donkin.

The Corrosion of Character: The Personal Consequences of Work in the New Capitalism - Prof Richard Sennett.

Slavery, Capitalism and the Industrial Revolution - Prof Maxine Berg & Prof Pat Hudson.

Published on Thursday, 8th October 2026.

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