Creative department

Does your job seem scarily similar to the employment experience of the characters in the film "Office Space?" Does your boss call emergency meetings to address the lack of emergency meetings that have been called lately? Are the directives you receive sometimes more complicated than a space shuttle launch sequence?

If so, this utter confusion, brought on by a lack of control and creativity in the workplace, is both counterproductive and detrimental to your health, say researchers from the University of Texas.

In a study of more than 2,500 survey respondents, researchers discovered that an enjoyable experience at work causes people to feel healthier and have fewer physical problems than workers who don't enjoy their jobs. Creativity and control of daily work, according to researchers, play particularly important roles in determining a worker's level of happiness with their job.

Maybe you can use this study as leverage with your boss during your next review.