New Books in Communications Mark Deuze, "Well-Being and Creative Careers: What Makes You Happy Can Also Make You Sick" (Intellect Books, 2025)
Dec 14, 2025
Mark Deuze, a media studies professor at the University of Amsterdam, explores the paradox of passion in creative careers. He reveals how the very love for their work often leads to burnout and mental health struggles among media professionals. Deuze highlights systemic issues like high workloads and lack of support, alongside the need for reforms in workplace culture. He emphasizes the importance of emotional literacy and open conversations surrounding mental health, presenting practical solutions to cultivate healthier creative environments.
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Student Asking If Creatives Are 'Troubled'
- Deuze recounts a student asking if creatives are inherently troubled, revealing students' self-reference.
- He uses this anecdote to show the weak link between creativity and psychopathology in professional survival.
Passion–Sickness Paradox
- Creative work often combines intense passion with high rates of poor health and burnout.
- Deuze argues this paradox arises because the very things that make the work meaningful also expose workers to systemic stressors.
Predictable Occupational Risk Factors
- Occupational-health models predict sickness from lack of reciprocity, injustice, and high workload with low autonomy.
- Deuze finds these predictors describe media workplaces, explaining high turnover and distress.
