Study Led by Professor Tarani Chandola Finds “Anxious Monday” Increases Risk of Heart Attack, Also Applies to Retirees
A study led by Professor Tarani Chandola from the HKU Department of Sociology reveals that feeling anxious on Mondays causes a lasting increase in stress hormones among older adults, whether working or retired. This “Anxious Monday” effect means that stress triggered at the start of the week can stay in the body for up to two months.
The study analysed data from over 3,500 older adults participating in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA). It found that those anxious on Mondays had 23% higher levels of cortisol, a stress hormone linked to heart problems, compared to those anxious on other days. This effect was seen in both working adults and retirees, pointing to a deep-rooted link between the start of the week and disruption of the body’s stress response system, a key factor in cardiovascular disease (CVD), and is linked to a 19% spike in heart attacks.
Professor Chandola explains that Mondays act as a cultural ‘stress amplifier’, deeply affecting our biology, even after retirement. Monday stress is not just about work but reflects how ingrained the start of the week is in our body’s stress system. These findings highlight the need to address Monday-specific stress to unlock new strategies to reduce heart disease risk in ageing populations.
This study was recently published in the Journal of Affective Disorders in an article titled “Are anxious Mondays associated with HPA-axis dysregulation? A longitudinal study of older adults in England”.