Research has found that people who work in high-stress jobs that are a dead end, with abusive employers can sometimes turn to alcohol and/or drugs to cope, leading to earlier death. So yes, that job could just be killing you if you use this type of coping mechanism. There is an interesting relationship between people’s careers and the length of their lives.

Studies show that conscientious people live longer because they are also conscientious about their health and personal safety. Persistency and the tendency to meet challenges head-on and with a positive attitude are also related to a long, healthy life. But if you think people who take it easy live the longest you’d be mistaken. The people who live the longest are those with productive, meaningful careers. These people remain engaged, continuing to set new goals once milestones have been reached. Striving seems to be important to long life.