STOPWATCH EXHAUSTION: A PSYCHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE 6X1 SCALE AND ITS EFFECTS ON MENTAL LOAD AND SOCIAL BONDS

Abstract

The 6x1 work schedule, widely adopted in Brazil in sectors such as commerce, health, and services, subjects workers to six consecutive days of labor activity with only one rest day, establishing a regime that compromises mental health and social bonds. This study analyzes the psychological effects of this schedule on workers' mental load and on the quality of their interpersonal and family relationships. The research adopts a qualitative approach, of bibliographic nature and exploratory character, based on a systematic review of specialized literature in work psychology, occupational health, and social relations. The results indicate that prolonged exposure to this work regime produces multidimensional occupational fatigue, elevated burnout indices, deterioration of family bonds, and reduction of time allocated to leisure and psychic recovery. The study concludes that the 6x1 schedule represents an organizational model that operates against the principles of balance between professional and personal life, requiring normative revision and systematized psychosocial interventions in the Brazilian work environment. The findings reveal that the mental overload generated by this regime is not restricted to the physical dimension of fatigue, but extends to cognitive, emotional, and relational dimensions that compromise the worker's overall quality of life. The research contributes to the field of occupational psychology by systematizing evidence on the effects of the 6x1 schedule and by pointing to directions for public policies and organizational practices oriented toward the protection of workers' mental health.