PITTSBURGH — Waiting tables is one of the most stressful jobs, and is more likely to cause a stroke than working as a doctor, engineer or teacher, according to a recent study by Chinese researchers.
Scientists from the Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China analyzed more than 100,000 participants for anywhere from 3 to 7 years.
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Looking at the data, the researchers split jobs into four categories: passive, low stress, high stress and active jobs.
The study classified certain jobs as "high stress" based on how physically and psychologically demanding they were, plus how much control workers had over their jobs.
The study found that waiting tables includes working long hours and physically demanding tasks. There are also elements that are out of your control, like unhappy customers.
Being a waiter was ranked higher stress than being a doctor, according to the study.
The study concludes that because of the high level of stress, being a waiter can have a detrimental effect on the individual's health.
"Having a lot of job stress has been linked to heart disease, but studies on job stress and stroke have shown inconsistent results," said Dingli Xu, MD, with Southern Medical University in Guangzhou, China. "It's possible that high stress jobs lead to more unhealthy behaviors, such as poor eating habits, smoking and a lack of exercise."