We Liked Remote Work. and Then We Looked at Data

> Our estimates, published in Science this month, indicate that remote work explains a third of the deterioration in mental health over the last 15 years.

Yikes. Makes you wonder if there is also a selection bias. Mental health issues are much more common in certain demographic groups (women, politically liberal), and I wonder if those trends confound this conclusion. People who are liberal are more likely to be in white collar jobs and therefore be eligible for remote work. Similarly, remote work may disproportionately appeal to women because it gives flexibility with child/elder care.

Since women and liberals are more likely to have mental health issues in general, trends like these could confound their conclusion about how much remote work is to blame.