Of course, what's actually not good for you is having to work twelve hours a day. Leisure time isn't the problem.
"Many young Chinese workers prioritise leisure time over sleep after long work days – even though they know it’s unhealthy."
It's clear even from this formulation that what's really been prioritised (and really unhealthy) is the long work day.
I mean there's workarounds like the gig economy, but for most people things are still pretty good.
It does work for workers in many sectors, though. I'm not criticizing working hours regulations, far from it - just saying we should probably do more than that.
If the only way to not be 'mediocre' is to sacrifice one's health, there's something wrong.
Not to be unsympathetic, but it's baffling to me why academics, who are mainly smart, innovative people, don't band together across disciplines to reshape their environment and wrest control out of the hands of the administrators who frequently make their life a misery.
That matches my experience in academia. The prof in charge of our lab worked a lot because he was obsessed with the work and wanted to succeed, not because someone was cracking a whip.
Yes, but why? Most academics I know are miserable and worn ragged by this endless competition. I'm asking why they don't construct a more favorable environment for themselves where they are not constantly being played off against each other. Administrators are part of that system, as opposed to being autonomous villains.
It's almost like they're trying to normalize a 6 day/72 hour week for everyone.