A recent study conducted by researcher Dr. Emma Russell, a psychologist from the United Kingdom, reveals how emails at work can have negative effects on the mental health of employees, as well as their colleagues or friends.
One of the worst things you can do is respond to emails as soon as you receive them, even if you're not working. Many of the survey respondents said they do it, but Russell says the habit can have significant consequences, including the inability to "turn off work mode.".
The expert identified seven negative behaviors that comprise modern email usage patterns : constantly sending/receiving/replying to emails, sending emails outside of business hours, sending emails while having company, ignoring emails, requesting a read receipt, responding immediately to a notification, and automatic replies.
All of these behaviors can have positive effects if used in moderation, but they can become a real mental health problem if you overdo it. “Some employees have become so obsessed with email that they even report experiencing what’s called ‘ghost notifications,’ where they think their phone is vibrating or beeping with an incoming email when in fact it’s not,” Russell explains to PsychCentral.
