Can scientific curiosity and pressure to work long hours be balanced with well-being?

Anyone who works in a university is well aware that a long hours culture can be the norm. This can affect everyone from the leadership down to students. There can be a kind of pride associated with pushing oneself to spend longer in the lab, at the office and out at conferences, displaying dedication to one’s chosen field. There are still some researchers who see long hours as a rite of passage, separating the truly committed from those with less endurance. And in recent years, an additional pressure to work harder and put in more hours has also come from management. University leaders are keen for researchers to produce more to put their institute on the map. While a push can help many succeed, when does the pressure become too much?