Work Addiction Assessment
Bergen Work Addiction Scale
Find out if your relationship with work has crossed the line from dedicated to compulsive. This test is based on research that treats workaholism as a behavioral addiction.
The Science Behind This Test
The Bergen Work Addiction Scale was developed by researchers at the University of Bergen, Norway. It treats workaholism as a behavioral addiction, similar to how we understand gambling or gaming addiction.
From the Research
"Workaholism can be defined as being overly concerned about work, being driven by an uncontrollable work motivation, and spending so much energy and effort on work that it impairs private relationships, spare-time activities and/or health."
— Andreassen, C.S., Griffiths, M.D., et al. (2012). Development of a Work Addiction Scale. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology.
Why it matters: This definition separates workaholism from simply working hard or loving your job. The key difference is compulsion and negative consequences.
The BWAS is built on the same framework used to understand other behavioral addictions. Each of the 7 questions maps to a core component of addiction:
This framework comes from Griffiths (2005) and Brown (1993), as applied by Andreassen et al.
From the Research
"Overall, the suggested cut-off seems well founded from both clinical and empirical points of view, suggesting that the BWAS has good discriminative validity."
— Andreassen, C.S., Griffiths, M.D., et al. (2012). Development of a Work Addiction Scale. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology.
High internal consistency means the 7 items reliably measure the same underlying construct.
Those who met the criteria worked about 9 hours more per week than those who didn't.
In a study of nearly 2,500 Norwegian workers, researchers found that about 1 in 12 people met the criteria for work addiction using the BWAS cutoff.
From the Research
"About 7.8% of people met the BWAS criteria for work addiction."
— Andreassen, C.S., et al. (2014). The Prevalence of Workaholism. PLOS One.
How Scoring Works
The BWAS uses a frequency-based scoring method. What matters most is how many symptoms you experience "Often" or "Always."
| Criteria Met | Risk Level | What It Suggests |
|---|---|---|
| 0-1 items scored 4 or 5 | Low Risk | Your answers don't indicate problematic work behavior |
| 2-3 items scored 4 or 5 | Some Signs | Some workaholic tendencies, but below the threshold |
| 4-7 items scored 4 or 5 | High Risk | Pattern consistent with work addiction |
The cutoff of 4+ criteria comes from the original Andreassen et al. (2012) research, which found this threshold effectively distinguishes workaholics from non-workaholics.
Understanding This Assessment
This tool uses the official Bergen Work Addiction Scale questions as published by Andreassen et al. (2012) and shared publicly by the University of Bergen. Here's what you should know:
This is an educational self-reflection tool based on published research. It is not a clinical diagnosis. "Work addiction" is not currently recognized as a formal disorder in psychiatric diagnostic manuals like the DSM-5. A high score indicates patterns that researchers associate with workaholism, but only a qualified professional can properly evaluate your situation.
The BWAS was developed by Cecilie Schou Andreassen and colleagues at the University of Bergen. The scale items were published in Scandinavian Journal of Psychology (2012) and subsequently shared in university press releases. We present the questions with proper attribution to the original researchers.
If your work habits are causing significant distress, affecting your relationships, or harming your physical or mental health, consider speaking with a mental health professional. A therapist or counselor can help you understand what's driving your work patterns and develop healthier approaches.