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Behind The Mic With Joe Mathieu: Work Less Stressful Than Home?

BOSTON (CBS) – They say home is where the heart is.

But new research shows it's also where you're more likely to have a heart attack.

We find the data in the Journal of Science and Medicine. They show both men and women are far less stressed out when they're at work than when they're at home where people were found to have much higher levels of the stress hormone cortisol.

This was serious work.

The Washington Post says subjects took saliva swipes 5 times a day to measure cortisol levels and even wore beepers to report their moods.

High levels of cortisol have been connected to high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, obesity and all kinds of other things that can kill you - suggesting that it's actually healthier for you to be at work.

And they say that's because we don't stop working when we do go home.

Chores are never really done, the kids always need something. As opposed to the office where we have clearly identified duties and projects we can actually complete.

That's likely why women were said to have even higher stress levels at home than men.

But there was one exception.

People with high incomes - men and women - had much higher levels of cortisol at work than at home.

So be careful what you ask for.

Follow Joe on Twitter @joemathieuwbz

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