Can’t sleep through the night? Blame the cruddy job you had in your late 20s.
A study released Monday from Ohio State University found that low job satisfaction in your late 20s and 30s impacts your health in your 40s — particularly when it comes to mental well-being.
Researchers compiled data on more than 6,000 Americans and divided subjects into four groups — those who were consistently very satisfied with their jobs, those who were very happy and went downhill, those who started unsatisfied but improved over the years, and those who started low and still report low satisfaction.
Those in the consistently low group, lead author Jonathan Dirlam tells The Post, were “significantly worse off” than any other group. Participants in that low category were more likely to report depression, anxiety and insomnia in their 40s, and more likely to have been diagnosed with a mental illness.
“I was surprised how dramatic the difference was” between those in the low satisfaction group and those in the high satisfaction group, Dirlam says.
But a miserable job in your 20s doesn’t necessarily doom you to depression in middle age. Those with an upward trajectory reported fewer mental health problems than those in the consistently low group, implying “early instances of low job satisfaction can be overcome,” Dirlam says.
The moral of the story for miserable millennials: Get out while you can.