Comment by const_cast

This is true, but elephant in the room: many people also work long hours because they want to, because it is comforting for them.

Humans have a tendency to do whatever it is they know best, whatever is in their comfort zone. There's some people who purposefully work more than is necessary because they're "scared", so to say, of going home. Maybe they are lonely at home, or maybe they're not and their family is a source of stress.

Either way, it's a form of self-destructive behavior. If you're lonely, then delving deeper into your work is only going to make it worse. Because, ultimately, solving problems is uncomfortable. If you're always comfortable, we might interpret that as you being stagnant.

Yes, solving marital problems is uncomfortable. So is spending time with your rebellious teen. And so is going to the bar and cold-approaching people you don't know. But choosing not to dedicate time to these things doesn't make them go away, it just makes them grow behind your back. And that's how people get blindsided with divorces, for example.

Anyway, long rant, point is: lots of people willingly do the easy thing, working, to avoid the harder stuff. And they may not even realize that's why they're doing it.