Careers: Pursuing Passion Leads To Satisfaction, Beats Out Talent And Income, Study Says

Should we be "doing what we love" at work, even if we're not the most talented? Should we strive to pursue our passion, or to secure a living? According to a recent study, the former may be the better option.

More than 70 percent of Americans feel disengaged from their jobs, according to a Gallup poll titled "State of the American Workplace." Workers in the United States, whether male or female, have been shown to be more unenthusiastic, uncommitted, and uninvolved at work than ever before. 

A team of researchers from Tel Aviv University, led by Dr. Daniel Heller and Dr. Shoshana Riza (of the London School of Economics), found that passion and a secured living are not mutually exclusive - they feed and supply one another. Young people with passion for their calling are more likely to be successful later on and satisfy both their personal and professional needs, regardless of inherent talent, because they take risks, persist, and acquire jobs in their chosen fields, according to a news release.

"Given the economic reality today, people commonly face trade-offs as they make decisions that pit the two sides of careers - the 'heart,' or intrinsic side, and the 'head,' or extrinsic side - against one another," Heller said. "We wanted to examine people who chose to follow more challenging career paths, such as those in the arts, and assess their chances of 'making it.'" 

In the study, Heller and Riza surveyed 450 high school music students enrolled in two elite U.S. summer music programs, from 2001-2012, as they grew from adolescents to young adults, and finally to professional musicians. 

"We found that participants with stronger callings toward music in adolescence were likely to assess their musical abilities more favorably and were more likely to pursue music professionally as adults regardless of actual musical ability," Heller said.

Those in the study who were professionally involved with music earned an average of $12,000 less than those who simply pursued their musical interests outside of work, showing that difficulties in pursuing dreams are still evident. However, those who were professionally involved in their passion reported having similar or greater satisfaction with both their lives and their jobs when compared to those who were not. This allowed the researchers to conclude that for those with strong callings, personal rewards may outweigh professional rewards - like income.

This plays an essential role in contemporary society in the United States, at a time when only 22 percent of U.S. employees are engaged and thriving, according to the Gallup poll. The poll also found that when employees are engaged and thriving in their lives overall, they are more likely to maintain strong performances at work - even during difficult times. This suggests that perhaps having a passion for one's work is more important to the success of the both employee and employer.

"We found that, in certain fields, one's drive or passion afforded a competitive advantage over others, even when unrelated to objective ability or talent," Heller said.

Passionate workers can be the lifeblood and driving force of the workplace. They care more, and generally produce better results with their work. The poll, in agreement with the study, found that companies and organizations with engaged employees "have significantly higher productivity, profitability, and customer ratings, less turnover and absenteeism, and fewer safety incidents." 

Even those who follow their passions that don't maintain consistent work in their specific field are reportedly happier with their experiences than those who do not, according to the study.

"In general, society benefits from an excess of talented people competing for a limited number of positions in winner-take-all labor markets," Heller said. "Individuals who 'win' in this market are exemplary. Although individuals entering this type of market eventually 'lose' in extrinsic terms by definition, they still benefit from intrinsic rewards and garner subjective value and well-being, such as the satisfaction derived from attempting to fulfill their calling, even for a short time."

The researchers are currently examining the implications of career choice on overall well being. Their work was published in The Journal of Applied Psychology.

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