Mental (intellectual) work. Physiological characteristics of mental work

Forms of intellectual (mental) labor. This work is represented both by professions related to the sphere of material production (for example, designers, engineers, technicians, dispatchers, operators, etc.), and outside it - scientists, doctors, teachers, writers, artists, artists, etc.

Intellectual work consists of processing and analyzing a large amount of varied information and, as a consequence, the mobilization of memory and attention, the frequency of stressful situations. However, muscle loads are usually insignificant; daily energy consumption is 10-11.7 MJ (2000-2400 kcal) per day.

Intellectual work is characterized by hypokinesia, i.e. a significant decrease in a person’s motor activity, leading to a deterioration in the body’s reactivity and an increase in emotional stress. Hypokinesia is an unfavorable production factor and one of the causes of cardiovascular pathology in mental workers.

In the context of scientific and technological progress, the role of the creative element in all areas of professional activity is increasing. In the advent of the computer age, in many professions, mainly physical labor, the share of the mental component is increasing, when even management and control functions are assigned to electronic equipment.

Mental work is associated with the reception and processing of information; it requires tension in the sensory apparatus, attention, memory, as well as the activation of thinking processes and the emotional sphere.

Forms of mental labor are divided into operator, managerial, creative work, the work of medical workers, the work of teachers, students and students. They differ in the organization of the labor process, the uniformity of the workload, and the degree of emotional stress.

Camera work. In the conditions of modern multifactor production, the functions of management and control over the operation of technological lines, processes of product distribution and customer service come to the fore. For example, the work of a wholesale warehouse dispatcher or the chief administrator of a supermarket is associated with processing a large amount of information in a short time and increased neuro-emotional tension.

Managerial work- the work of heads of institutions and enterprises is characterized by an excessive increase in the volume of information, rapid decision-making, increased personal responsibility, and the periodic occurrence of conflict situations.

Creative work- the most complex form of work activity, requiring a significant amount of memory and attention, which increases neuro-emotional stress. This is the work of teachers, programmers, designers, scientists, writers, composers, artists, painters, architects, constructors.

Labor of teachers, trade and medical worknicks, workers of all service sectors characterized by constant contact with people, increased responsibility, and often a lack of time and information to make the right decision, which causes a high degree of neuro-emotional stress.

Work of pupils and students- this is the tension of basic mental functions, such as memory, attention, perception; presence of stressful situations (exams, tests).

The successful implementation of various forms of human labor activity is possible with mandatory consideration of the physiological foundations of mental and physical labor, the implementation of necessary measures to increase the body’s performance, and the creation of comfortable conditions for work teams and individual workers.

Labor intensity characterized by emotional stress on the body during work that requires primarily brain work to receive and process information. According to the degree of intensity, work is divided into the following classes: optimal– mild tension, acceptable– moderate tension, hard work 2 degrees.

Mental work is considered the easiest, in which there is no need to make a decision (optimal). If the operator works and makes decisions within the framework of one instruction, then such working conditions are acceptable. Stressful hazardous conditions of the 1st degree include work that involves solving complex problems using known algorithms or working using several instructions. Creative activity that requires solving complex problems in the absence of an obvious solution algorithm. Must be classified as hard work of the 2nd degree of severity.

3. VENTILATION, ITS PURPOSE. AIR CHANGE RATE. CALCULATION METHOD.

The necessary characteristics of the air microclimate of the working area are, as a rule, provided by ventilation.

Ventilation is understood as organized and controlled air exchange, ensuring the removal of polluted air from a room and the supply of clean air in its place, with a certain humidity and temperature.

Ventilation can be: natural and forced, general and local, organized and unorganized.

Natural ventilation is carried out using openings in the walls (windows, doors, transoms, vents) or ventilation ducts, without the use of special mechanical air pumps.

Forced ventilation is ventilation carried out using mechanical stimulators (fans) through special air ducts or channels.

Organized ventilation is ventilation that is provided for in advance when designing a building or workplace (doors, vents).

Unorganized ventilation – ventilation carried out through cracks in windows, doors, walls due to poor quality construction of buildings or improper operation. This type of ventilation is not provided for in the project.

General ventilation is carried out throughout the entire volume of the room or work area.

Local ventilation is carried out in a limited volume area or workplace (above a kitchen stove, above a chemical cabinet table).

Natural ventilation is carried out by aeration, deflector or mixed methods.

Aeration ventilation is carried out due to the difference in the specific gravity of cold and warm air outside and inside the room, or wind pressure.

Deflector ventilation is carried out due to the pressure difference at the ends of the ventilation duct (pipe), which occurs due to the high-speed wind blowing on one of the ends of the pipe (usually placed on the roof of the building)

More often, mixed methods of natural ventilation are used, when both the temperature difference inside and outside the room and wind speed are used.

Forced ventilation is carried out in three ways: exhaust, supply and supply and exhaust.

With exhaust ventilation, a fan pumps air out of the room. As a result of rarefaction, clean air from the environment or utility rooms (through cracks in windows, doors, air ducts) enters the room. It is used when the indoor air pollutant is not toxic, fire or explosive (excess heat, human or animal breath products, excess humidity).

Monotony of work as one of the negative factors of production

Monotonous work is a type of work activity in which a person performs the same operation throughout the entire work shift, the duration of which does not exceed 30 seconds.

The shorter the duration of the operation, the fewer elements in the operation, the higher the degree of monotony, the more pronounced its negative impact on the human condition. In modern production, the division of labor into separate operations has led to the emergence of a huge army of workers engaged in monotonous labor. Monotonous work negatively affects a person in that monotonous operations seem to cause “chipping” of the same structures of the body - neurons, muscles, tendons. In the process of monotonous work, drowsiness and boredom develop, which is sometimes difficult to overcome. Conveyor production, where monotony is especially evident, causes hypertension, coronary heart disease, gastric and duodenal ulcers - diseases that develop under stress. It is obvious that monotony is a powerful stress factor.

When organizing work on conveyor lines, it is important to combat monotony. In particular, for this purpose, the technological process is organized in such a way that any operation is “rich” in content and requires effort and even a creative process from the performer. So, it is necessary that each operation lasts at least 30 seconds and contains at least 5-6 elements.

Functional music, industrial gymnastics, frequent macro-breaks (5-10 minutes each), rational organization of the workplace - this is an incomplete list of activities that are often used to combat monotony on assembly lines.

Mental work is the performance of work related to the reception and processing of information, which requires the active functioning of the sensory apparatus, as well as brain structures that provide such mental processes as attention, memory, thinking, emotions.

Classification of mental work.

1. Operator labor - groups of professions related to the control of machines, equipment, and technological processes.

2. Managerial work includes heads of institutions, enterprises, departments, teachers and professors. This category of mental work is characterized by a large amount of information required for constant use, lack of time, and responsibility for decision making.

3. Creative work - requires many years of preliminary preparation, high qualifications, special conditions, high intensity of attention, large amount of memory, intense thinking.



4. The work of medical workers is characterized by high neuro-emotional stress, contact with people, a large amount of memory, and personal responsibility.

5. The work of pupils and students - it requires tension in memory, attention (especially concentration and stability of attention), perception and is characterized by the presence of stressful situations - exams and tests.

Morbidity during mental activity. If mental work is organized correctly, there are no emotional factors, then it does not have a negative effect on the human body. And its positive fruits have a beneficial effect on health. Thus, the work of designers does not have great emotional breakdowns or stress, so the level of cardiovascular diseases among designers does not exceed 8%, while among telephone operators who have to deal with a lack of time when processing information, this level reaches 16%. The work of executives is especially emotionally intense. Among them, 40-50% have hypertension or coronary heart disease.

Risk factors for cardiovascular pathology in people with mental work are increased neuro-emotional tension, hypokinesia, excess body weight, smoking, and hereditary predisposition.

Mechanisms of mental activity. This is mainly mental activity. It occurs with the participation of neurons in many parts of the brain - the cortex, subcortical formations of the limbic system. During mental activity, both hemispheres of the brain function simultaneously. With any mental activity, generalized activation of the brain occurs and at the same time local activity increases, depending on the type of mental process (perceptual, motor, verbal, mnestic). For example, when performing verbal functions, some brain structures are activated, which is reflected in the EEG, and when solving problems, others are activated. The frontal lobes play a special role in mental activity. Emotions play the role of organizer of purposeful mental activity.

What causes neuro-emotional tension during mental activity? This is explained by the fact that the amount of information that the brain needs to process is close to or exceeds the capacity of individual links of the functional system involved in the implementation of this function. This often requires distinguishing signals that are close in meaning and performing subtle thinking processes. The responsibility of work leads to emotional stress. In general, during mental work there is usually a combination of emotional factors and mental stress. That's why they talk about nervous-emotional tension.

EEG studies show that during mental activity the alpha rhythm changes - its amplitude decreases, the index of alpha complexes decreases. When overloaded, when performing complex mental processes, a slow rhythm, or theta rhythm (4-7 Hz), appears on the EEG, which is regarded as a sign of emotional stress.

The activity of the sympathetic-adrenal system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenalcortical axis is of great importance for ensuring mental activity. The higher the degree of neuro-emotional stress, the higher the activity of these structures (stress-realizing systems). A short-term increase in neuro-emotional tension probably plays a positive role in the activity of the central nervous system, since the intensity of metabolism in the central nervous system increases and the speed of information processing increases. However, with significant neuro-emotional stress, the activity of the cardiovascular system changes significantly - the systolic and cardiac output increases, blood pressure increases, and the pulse quickens. In stressful situations, such as an exam, the sympathetic nervous system is activated to an even greater extent.

The presence of emotional stress during mental activity is indicated by the value of blood pressure. For example, for railway operators, when an accident is detected, blood pressure immediately increases to 160/100 mmHg, art. and is maintained at this level throughout the rest of the shift. The existence of an emotional component in work is most clearly reflected by the value of average dynamic blood pressure (diastolic + 1/3 pulse pressure) - it increases immediately after emotional stress.

With significant emotional stress, the ECG changes: for example, the T wave decreases, which indicates a decrease in the intensity of coronary blood flow. Thus, during emergency situations in the subway, the driver’s heart rate reaches 150 beats per minute, and typical signs of coronary insufficiency appear on the ECG. V.S. Fomin (1970) proposed using the vagosympathetic index to assess the emotional component - this is the amplitude ratio p/T: with an increase in the tone of the sympathetic nervous system caused by emotional stress, the index increases, and with an increase in vagal tone, on the contrary, it decreases. This index reflects the situation better than heart rate.

During mental activity, a redistribution of cerebral blood flow occurs; it becomes more intense in the regions directly involved in the activity. In general, the intensity of blood flow during mental activity increases, especially in the left hemisphere.

And the constant high neuro-emotional stress that accompanies mental work leads to pathology.

Features of fatigue during mental activity. Fatigue is manifested primarily by a decrease in the functionality of the central nervous system, which is reflected in the EEG. The tone of the parasympathetic nervous system increases (probably as a way of protecting against excessive stress) - this is evidenced by a decrease in the galvanic skin reflex, a decrease in blood pressure, a decrease in the vagosympathetic r/T index, and a decrease in heart rate. In the presence of emotiogenic factors, all changes in the body are more pronounced.

Let us note once again that all the shifts that are observed during mental activity mainly arise due to the presence of emotional stress. The higher this component, the deeper the changes in the process of mental activity.

According to Fomin V.S. (1979), fatigue during mental activity is most likely due to a decrease in the activating influence of the reticular formation on the cortex and subcortical region. Evidence of this is provided by data on the use of chlorpromazine - this substance blocks the ascending influence of the reticular formation and in this case a condition arises that is accompanied by the same changes as with mental fatigue, including those caused by a change in mental state.

Optimization of the labor process during mental activity. It is characteristic of mental activity that it can continue even after work and sometimes it is difficult to stop it. A. I. Herzen said that a thought cannot be folded like hands. In order to stop the thought process, a switch is necessary. From this point of view, switching from mental to physical activity is especially effective. When organizing mental activity, all researchers refer to 5 points that were put forward back in 1911 by N.E. Vvedensky.

1. You need to get into work gradually. 2. There must be a certain rhythm of work, since rhythmic work promotes the development of skills and slows down the development of fatigue. 3. It is necessary to adhere to the usual sequence of activities. This involves regular, organized and planned work. 4. It is necessary to establish the correct alternation of work and rest. When working mentally, rest should be active and combined with physical exercise. 5. High performance is maintained with constant and systematic activity, during which the skill is strengthened.

Table 5.

Classification of overwork and its signs

Sign Beginning fatigue Mild fatigue Severe fatigue Severe fatigue
Decreased ability to work Little expressed Pronounced noticeably Expressed enough Expressed sharply
Compensation by volitional efforts for decreased ability to work Not required Full compensation Incomplete compensation Minor compensation
Emotional shifts Temporary decrease in interest in work Unstable mood at times Irritability Depression, severe irritability
Sleep disorder Difficulty falling asleep or waking up Difficulty falling asleep or waking up Daytime sleepiness Insomnia
Decreased mental performance No Difficulty concentrating Forgetful at times Noticeable loss of attention
Treatment Organize your rest and exercise. Another vacation and relaxation Urgent next vacation, organized vacation Treatment in a hospital or clinic

Overfatigue during mental activity. It has been proven that intense mental activity without sufficient rest between workdays leads to the appearance of stress. It manifests itself, first of all, in an increase in blood pressure, an increase in peripheral resistance, a change in cerebral blood flow and the excretion of catecholamines (there is no nighttime decrease in the production of these hormones during fatigue). Some signs of overwork are reflected in the table (Platonov K.K., 1962).

Peculiarities of students' work activities

Morbidity of students. The first place in the structure of students' diseases is occupied by hypertension. In students of technical universities it is found in 8-9%, in doctors - in 1%. The 2nd place is occupied by hypotonic states. Then there are diseases such as chronic and acute tonsillitis (approximately 3.3-5.7% of students), peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum. In older students, peptic ulcers are more common. Thus, among first-year students in Chelyabinsk, per 1000 students it occurs in 2 cases, among 3rd year students - in 4 cases. The prevalence of myopia is pronounced: for example, in Chelyabinsk it was detected in 31% of students, and in senior years the percentage of myopia is higher than in first-year students.

Work and rest schedule. In reality, students work 12 hours every day. Up to 30% of students are forced to spend night time studying. Consequently, even during the non-exam period, 1/4-1/3 of students do not get enough sleep. Up to 30% of students do not have free time. All this indicates that students have a heavy workload, and their work and rest schedule is clearly irrational. In recent years, however, an attempt has been made to regulate the work of students and reduce the duration of academic work in the student classroom. But in reality the time spent has not decreased.

According to the literature, only 6-10% of students follow the diet, the rest
either they do not have breakfast, or eat at different hours, or are forced to take dinner late. A student's diet is dominated by fatty and carbohydrate foods, and little protein, especially of animal origin.

Up to 30% of medical students spend little time outdoors. About 83% of the day, students are in a state of relative immobility. The percentage of students who regularly engage in sports does not exceed 23%.

It has been established that even within 1 hour, carbon dioxide accumulates in the classroom (its content increases 3-4 times in an unventilated classroom), the air temperature increases by 3-5°, and humidity increases by 3-4%. By the end of the school day, in many poorly ventilated rooms, the air temperature reaches 26°, the relative humidity reaches 80%, and the CO 2 level exceeds the maximum permissible concentrations.

Changes in the body of students during semester classes and exams. It has been established that by the end of the working day, students' level of attention decreases, their memory capacity decreases, their heart rate slows down, their blood pressure level decreases, the latent time of their visual-motor reaction increases, and their differential inhibition weakens. All this indicates the development of fatigue (decreased tone of the sympathetic nervous system). These shifts are especially noticeable in the second half of the work week. According to EEG data, by the end of the day, students’ indicators of general brain activity decrease, the focus of excitation shifts from the left-anterior parts of the brain to the right-posterior parts, and the degree of interhemispheric and fronto-occipital asymmetries decreases.

Among first-year medical students, by the end of the working day, performance indicators decrease on average by 24%, among 4th-year students - by 18%, and among 5th- and 6th-year students, no changes were noted (data from 1970). Judging by the results of the blood test, independent work is the most tiring for a student, practical classes are in second place, and the least progress is observed in lectures.

LITERATURE

1. Agadzhanyan, N.A. Human physiology: textbook (course of lectures)/N.A. Agadzhanyan, L.Z. Tell, V.I. Tsirkin, S.A. Chesnokova. - St. Petersburg: SOTIS, 1998. – 526 p..

2. Alekseeva, T.I. Human adaptation in various ecological niches of the earth: a course of lectures / T.I. Alekseeva. – M.: MNEPU, 1998. – 279 p.

3. Physiological foundations of human health / ed. B.I. Tkachenko. – St. Petersburg. – Arkhangelsk: Publishing Center of the Northern State Medical University, 2001. – 728 p.

4. Weiner, E.N. Valeology: a textbook for universities. 2nd ed., revised/E.N. Weiner. – M.: Flinta: Nauka, 2002.- 416 p.

5. Savchenkov, Yu.I. Normal human physiology: textbook/Yu.I. Savchenkov. – Rostov n/a: Phoenix; Krasnoyarsk: Publishing projects, 2007. – 448 p.

6. Korobkin, V.I. Ecology: textbook for universities / V.I. Korobkin, L.V. Peredelsky. – Rostov n/d: Phoenix, 2008. – 602 p.

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Mental (intellectual) work

Mental work combines work related to the reception and transmission of information, requiring activation of the processes of thinking, attention, and memory.

Mental work consists of processing and analyzing a large volume of varied information, and as a consequence of this, the mobilization of memory and attention, the frequency of stressful situations. However, muscle loads are usually insignificant; daily energy consumption is 10-11.7 MJ (2000-2400 kcal) per day.

This type of work is characterized by a significant decrease in motor activity (hypokinesia), which leads to cardiovascular pathology; prolonged mental stress depresses the psyche, impairs the functions of attention and memory. The main indicator of mental work is tension, which reflects the load on the central nervous system.

Forms of mental labor are divided into operator, managerial, creative work, the work of medical workers, the work of teachers, students and students. They differ in the organization of the labor process, the uniformity of the workload, and the degree of emotional stress.

Forms of mental work.

Camera work

In the conditions of modern multifactor production, the functions of management and control over the operation of technological lines, the processes of product distribution and customer service come to the fore. For example, the work of a dispatcher of a wholesale warehouse or the chief administrator of a supermarket is associated with processing a large amount of information in a short time and increased neuro-emotional tension.

Managerial work (managers of enterprises, institutions). It is characterized by a large increase in the volume of information with a lack of time to process it, great personal responsibility for decisions made, stressful and conflict situations.

Creative work (scientists, writers, designers, artists, painters). The most complex form, as it requires a large amount of memory, tension, and attention. Leads to increased neuro-emotional tension, tachycardia, increased blood pressure, ECG changes and other changes in autonomic functions.

The work of teachers, trade and medical workers, workers in all service sectors - constant contact with people, increased responsibility, frequent lack of time and information to make the right decision, which leads to high nervous and emotional stress.

The work of pupils and students. Concentration of memory and attention is required. There are stressful situations (exams, tests).

The weight of the brain is 2% of the body weight, and it consumes energy (15 - 20)% of the total metabolism in the body. 100 g of the cerebral cortex consumes 5 - 6 times more oxygen than skeletal muscle of the same weight during physical work.

Daily energy expenditure during mental work increases by 48% when reading aloud while sitting; 90% when giving lectures; by 90-100% for computer operators. In addition, the brain is prone to inertia, because after stopping work, the thought process continues, mental work does not stop, which leads to greater fatigue and exhaustion of the central nervous system than during physical labor.

Physiologist N.E. Vvedensky (1852 - 1922) developed issues of hygiene of mental labor and recommended the following conditions to ensure high performance:

the need for gradual involvement in work;

strict rhythm of work, equally excluding both overwork and inactivity;

consistency and systematicity of mental work;

correct alternation of work and rest.

Mental work combines work related to the reception and processing of information, which requires primary attention to memory, as well as the activation of thinking processes. Most modern professions are characterized by an accelerated pace of work, a sharp increase in the volume and heterogeneity of information, a lack of time for making decisions, an increase in the social significance of these decisions and the personal responsibility of the employee.

Mental labor is represented both by professions related to the sphere of material production, for example, designers, engineers, technicians, dispatchers, operators, etc., and outside it - scientists, doctors, teachers, writers, artists, artists, etc.

During mental work, the main load falls on the higher part of the nervous system - the cerebral cortex. Muscular loads, as a rule, are not significant, energy consumption is at the level of light physical work, category Ia and amounts to 10-11.7 MJ (2000-2400 kcal) per day.

The frontal lobes of the brain play a significant role in mental activity. Their extensive connections with nonspecific structures at different levels of the brain provide nonspecific forms of activation necessary for the flow of mental work. The frontal lobes integrate a variety of information coming from the surrounding and internal environments of the body, from underlying brain structures, and information about a person’s emotional state.

The limbic-reticular and thalamocortical emotiogenic areas are the most energy-intensive. Under the influence of emotions, people tune in to work. This is the signaling role of emotions.

An increase in the intensity of metabolic processes, hemodynamic parameters and oxygen consumption occurs in those structures that are involved in the implementation of mental functions.

Intellectual work is characterized by hypokinesia, i.e. a decrease in a person’s motor activity, leading to a deterioration in the body’s reactivity and an increase in emotional stress. Hypokinesia is an unfavorable production factor and one of the causes of cardiovascular pathology in mental workers.

Forms of mental labor are divided into operator, managerial, and creative work. They differ in the organization of the labor process, the uniformity of the workload, and the degree of emotional stress.

Operator labor. It is caused by the need to carry out management and control functions over the operation of technological lines, the processes of product distribution and customer service, and the collection of information.

Managerial work is carried out by heads of institutions, dispatchers, and teachers. This type of work is dominated by factors associated with the need to perceive a large, sometimes excessive amount of information, an increasing lack of time for processing it, increasing social significance and personal responsibility for decisions made. The work of managers is characterized by the need to make non-standard decisions, irregular workload, and the periodic occurrence of conflict situations.

Creative work (scientists, writers, artists, performers, composers, architects, designers) requires many years of training, high qualifications, and special conditions for implementation. The work of this category of workers is characterized by non-stereotypical activities, an unregulated work schedule, and requires a significant amount of memory, attention, and mental activity.

Labor intensity reflects the load on the central nervous system, mental functions, is characterized by the volume of perceived information, the density of incoming signals, the state of the analyzer systems, the level of emotional stress and is determined by the degree of attentional tension. According to this indicator, mental work is also divided into 4 groups:

1 - relaxed, requiring concentration of attention up to 25% of the time;

2 - low-stress, requiring concentration of attention up to 50% of the time;

4 - very intense, requiring concentration more than 75% of the time.

With intense mental activity (as opposed to physical work), gas exchange either does not change at all or changes slightly, blood pressure rises, breathing quickens, blood flow to the brain vessels increases, but blood flow to the vessels of the extremities and abdominal cavity decreases, the excitability of the central nervous system increases, and the contractile function of the muscles increases. , heart rate increases, blood pressure increases, respiratory rate increases, tidal volume decreases.

Prolonged mental work leads to a decrease in conditioned vascular reflexes, imbalances in the processes of inhibition and excitation occur, expressed in a disorder of positive inhibition of conditioned connections.

A person’s mental creative activity highly depends on his emotional state.

Mental work is closely related to the work of the senses, primarily vision and hearing. It is known that mental work proceeds more fruitfully in conditions of silence.

Muscular work plays an important role in human mental activity. Light muscular work stimulates mental activity, and hard, exhausting work, on the contrary, reduces it and reduces quality. For many representatives of creative mental activity, walking was a necessary condition for successful performance of work.

During intense mental activity, there is a significant increase in energy consumption, which is associated with involuntary contraction of skeletal muscles that are not directly related to the work being performed. In this case, motor reactions often occur (gestures, walking around the room, rearranging objects on the desk), and when they are voluntarily suppressed, postnotonic (isometric) muscle tension increases.

It has been established that mental activity is associated with increased protein and carbohydrate metabolism. During mental work, lipid consumption increases. The process of excitation is associated with an increase in the oxidation of carbohydrates and an increase in ATP metabolism.

After intense mental work, the content of phosphates in the blood and urine increases significantly. Vitamins B1, B2, PP and C are also essential for mental work.

As a rule, the total amount of cerebral blood flow changes slightly during various types of mental activity. The redistribution of blood flow is carried out by autonomous mechanisms of cerebral vessels in such a way that the most active areas of the brain receive a larger volume of blood per unit time. This is naturally accompanied by an increase in the delivery of oxygen and the energy substrate of the brain - glucose. For example, during muscular work of average intensity, regional blood flow through the motor area of ​​the cortex increases (by 50%), during visually intense work - in the visual area of ​​the cortex (up to 100% or more).

Mental work associated with neuro-emotional stress increases the activity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system, which ensures the mobilization of the autonomic components of emotions. Carbohydrate and fat metabolism are activated.

Intense work, both physical and mental, can lead to fatigue and overwork and, as a result, to injury and illness.

One of the objective signs is a decrease in labor productivity, but subjectively it is usually expressed in a feeling of fatigue, i.e. unwillingness or even impossibility of further continuation of work.

More on the topic Physiological characteristics of mental work:

  1. Physiological characteristics and classification of physical labor
  2. Features and prevention of fatigue during mental activity of schoolchildren and students. Optimizing mental performance
  3. Factors of rational organization of life activity of a knowledge worker
  4. Impact of production factors on health. Hygiene of mental and physical labor. Prevention of overwork. Occupational hazards and occupational diseases. The main directions of their prevention

Brainwork.
Features of intellectual work.

Characteristics of mental work:

Mental work (intellectual work) includes activities related to the reception and processing of information, requiring intense functioning of the processes of attention, memory, thinking, and emotional sphere.

Scientific and technological progress increases every year the number of people performing primarily mental work.

Many professions with a traditional predominance of physical labor currently have a strong tendency to increase the share of the mental component.

Most modern professions are characterized by an accelerated pace, a sharp increase in the volume of information, a lack of time for making decisions, and an increase in the social significance of these decisions and personal responsibility.

These factors often lead to nervous overload, and as a result, to the occurrence of cardiovascular and nervous diseases.

Main types of mental work:

The main types of mental labor in modern production can be divided into the following groups:

Features of intellectual work:

A scientific analysis of the prevalence of neuropsychic and cardiovascular diseases among mental workers indicates that intense mental activity in itself, not complicated by negative emotional factors, does not have an adverse effect on the human body. With relatively calm, regulated (as a rule, without time pressure), intellectual work of designers, cardiovascular morbidity is low (in particular, 2 times lower than for telephone operators, whose work is associated with time pressure and a high emotional background). The most emotionally stressful work in modern production conditions is the work of executives, in whom hypertension and coronary heart disease reach 40-50% and occur at a relatively younger age.

Among the risk factors for cardiovascular pathology in mental workers, in addition to increased neuro-emotional tension, experts identify hypokinesia, monotony, high pace, three-shift work schedule, excess weight, smoking, and hereditary predisposition. Of these, occupational factors lead to heart and vascular diseases 5 times more often than all other risk factors combined.

Special studies show that negative emotiogenic factors cause pathology in mental workers much more often than in manual workers. People forced to suppress their desire to “discharge” put themselves at risk of illness. Some people cling to the deceptive appearance of relief that alcohol or drugs provide. And the solution is simple: regular physical activity (at least in the form of long, fast walks).

Let us consider in more detail the mechanisms of mental activity (features of intellectual work).

During mental work, the brain is not only a regulatory, but also a working organ, therefore the influence of intellectual stress affects primarily the functional state of the central nervous system. The main condition for a stable labor process during mental work is the development and maintenance of a stable dominant, which devalues ​​a high level of performance.

The doctrine of dominance is confirmed today. The phenomenon of dominance is explained by the formation of a center of increased excitability in the central nervous system: stimulation of a wide variety of receptive fields begins to cause a reflex response characteristic of the activity of this particular dominant area. The dominant is a temporary association (constellation or constellation) of nerve centers and other structures of the body to achieve a goal that is extremely necessary for the body. If the specified goal is achieved and the problem is solved, the dominant ceases to exist and the association disintegrates.

It should be noted that mental activity is not realized by the entire brain as a whole, the different parts of which function very differently. Certain morphophysiological substrates, which are complex functional systems and include numerous cortical and subcortical structures, correspond to types of mental activity that differ in content. A variety of mental processes are accompanied by activation of the corresponding functional system. In this case, both specific (in particular, sensory) and nonspecific (reticular formation) brain structures are activated. During mental activity, local activation develops in many areas of the brain. If generalized, general changes in brain activity accompany any type of mental activity, then local activation processes develop in the corresponding areas of the cortex and subcortical formations with all the variety of activities: perception, memorization, thinking, movements.

Any mental work causes neuro-emotional stress. Each type of activity requires its own optimum of emotional stress, at which the body’s reactions are most perfect and effective. Under the influence of the social environment, a person’s emotional apparatus has reached a high degree of development, is extremely complex and reacts not so much to physiological stimuli as to complex and subtle socio-psychological motives, largely determined by professional activity. Especially often, emotional stress arises in a person in the process of evaluative activity (choosing alternatives) and organizing new types of activities in accordance with the dominant need. Emotional activation is essential when solving complex mental problems. Emotions always act as an organizer of purposeful mental activity, although the presence of activation does not guarantee the achievement of the right result, and excessive overexertion can cause a breakdown.

Intensity of mental activity is a characteristic of work that reflects the physiological cost of the load during mental work. The main reason for increased tension and resulting violations of adequate regulation of functions is overload of the sensitive (afferent), central and executive (effector) links of the functional systems that carry out labor activities. This occurs, in particular, when a person distinguishes signals with similar parameters, attempts to isolate a useful signal from noise, performs extremely precise and clear movements, and the need to make a decision with an alternative choice under time pressure.

Certain semantic characteristics of work activity also lead to a certain tension: the significance of the work, its danger, responsibility.

Success in modern work activity largely depends on the personal characteristics of a knowledge worker. Business qualities (the ability to navigate a difficult situation, efficiency, literacy, etc.) can be determined and predicted using multifactor personality questionnaires, in particular the 16-factor personality questionnaire (R. Cattell), the standardized method of personality research (SMIL), some others. For information, along with psychological questionnaires, there are currently a very large number of survey companies on the Internet offering everyone paid questionnaires. That is, survey companies pay money to fill out their questionnaires. At the same time, the topics of surveys can be completely different, including, for example, “On medical prevention of occupational diseases,” as well as many others.

When analyzing the personalities of leaders of leading enterprises using psychological questionnaires, it was found that their most pronounced qualities were persistence in achieving goals, responsibility, discipline and even conformism. For a group of experienced foremen and foremen in production shops, the most characteristic features were self-confidence, conscientiousness, responsibility, and balance. At the same time, a correlation analysis between the factors of the questionnaire and the level of blood pressure in the examined persons of managerial intellectual work showed that increased sensitivity and suspicion contribute to the disease of hypertension and coronary heart disease.