RESEARCH_FILE
Frances M. McKee-Ryan
University of Nevada, Reno
Known for:Meta-analytic work on psychological and physical well-being during unemployment and the role of work-role centrality
SEE THE PRACTICE
Turn a thought this research explains into one clear move.
THE THOUGHT
“If I had tried harder, I'd still have a job”
YOUR RECORDED RESPONSE
“My hours were never the ledger that decided this.”
ONE PRIVATE MOVE
Open your calendar from the two weeks before the layoff, count the real logged hours, and write that number in a private note next to what you'd assumed it was.
Key findings
- 2005
Across 104 empirical studies, unemployed individuals had lower psychological and physical well-being than employed individuals — and people who became reemployed showed clear improvements in mental health and life satisfaction. Psychological and Physical Well-Being During Unemployment: A Meta-Analytic Study ↗
- 2005
Work-role centrality mattered: people whose identity was more strongly built around work reported lower well-being while unemployed — evidence that job loss is partly an identity loss, and that how the loss is appraised shapes its psychological impact. Psychological and Physical Well-Being During Unemployment: A Meta-Analytic Study ↗