Drowning in emails: investigating email classes and work stressors as antecedents of high email load and implications for well-being.

Introduction: High email load has been associated with impaired well-being because emails impose specific demands, disturb the workflow, and thereby overtax individuals' action regulation toward prioritized goals. However, the causes and well-being-related consequences of email load are not yet well understood, as previous studies have neglected the interaction type and function of emails as well as co-occurring stressors as antecedents of high email load and have relied predominantly on cross-sectional designs.

Methods: In two studies, we aimed to clarify the nature of email load through the lens of action regulation theory.