About two years ago, Ms Chau began being overly critical of people around her. And, gradually, she had falling outs with family and coworkers.

She found she had become unhappy working in an office, and it started to not only affect her work, but her personal life as well.

And Chau is not alone.

Many white-collar workers aren't happy with their jobs, and according to a recent study, those ill-tempered feelings carry over into every aspect of their lives, from work to relationships.

Over the past two years, the Whole Person Development Institute interviewed 1,682 white-collar workers in Hong Kong, covering the business, finance, public service, education, tourism and other sectors. Their ages ranged from 21 to 60, with 67 percent being female.

As surveyed, 10.8 percent were very unsatisfied, 20.7 percent were not satisfied, 31.5 percent were satisfied and 1.5 percent were very satisfied with their lives, while the remaining 35.4 percent said they were neutral.

"The survey showed that only 33 percent were happy or very happy with their lives," said Samantha Yung, a clinical psychologist of the institute, who spoke at a press conference yesterday. "It is a cause of concern because it shows that the white-collar workers are not happy with their lives."

Referring to World Health Organization definitions, she said "being healthy" does not simply mean one is free from illness. Instead, "being healthy" means one's mental and psychological conditions are both in a healthy condition. For people who are neither healthy nor ill, their conditions may be deemed as a "third condition" or "sub-healthy condition".

Wong Chung-kwong, chairman of the institute's board of advisors, said that although they are not ill, the sub-healthy people are usually ill-tempered, live chaotic lives, don't have much work efficiency and have little passion for their lives or for family matters.

In his view, these people should find out solutions by upgrading themselves and tackling the problems in a positive manner.

Chau, for example, said she saw how facing her mental health issues helped her recover.

After joining a course on psychology, she began to reflect and look at things from other people's perspectives and has since managed to improve the relations with her family and colleagues.

(HK Edition 09/25/2008 page1)