ABSTRACT
This chapter defines the concepts of cognitive (over)load, attentional processing, and human sustainability at work. It discusses how, historically, human concerns centered mostly around survival and fighting disease, but today’s workplace has brought about unprecedented challenges. In particular, the chapter highlights the rise in workplace-related psychological distress, ranging from health warnings to increased rates of anxiety and depression to work-related suicides across professions. Evidence suggests that employees face cognitive overload, owing to excess information processing requirements in the contemporary workplace beyond what their attention can handle, leading to negative psychological outcomes. To formalize the definition of cognitive overload, the chapter presents the concepts of attentional processing capacity and demand, explaining how exceeding the cognitive system’s equilibrium leads to stress and other negative psychological outcomes at work. The narrative described how the digital age exacerbates cognitive overload via information proliferation and misinformation, underscoring the urgent need for global action related to cognitive overload at work and psychological distress. Finally, it proposes a focus on promoting human sustainability at work as one of the grand societal challenges of our time.
