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As Americans, we rightfully have pride in many of our nation’s fine accomplishments. After all, we live in the country ruled by the greatest political document ever written, built the largest economy in human history, helped end the terror of fascism in Europe, put a man on the moon, and have contributed more to the advances of science and technology than any country this planet has ever seen.

While there are many reasons our country has accomplished so much, one often gets overlooked. When it comes to getting things done, Americans aren’t afraid to put in the hard work. In fact, a recent study shows that when it comes to hard work, Americans completely crush the competition.

From the New York Post:

Start up the grill. Get the burgers and chicken going. And start imbibing. You deserve it, according to a new work study.

“We’re hard workers. We deserve the day off,” says Liz Bagot, a spokeswoman for NationalToday.com, which conducted the survey of 2,000 Americans.

It turns out the average American works harder than our Japanese counterparts or the average European worker.

“Statistics show that Americans work longer hours than the majority of other countries — 137 hours per year more than Japanese, 260 per year more than in the UK,” according to the study.

As far as the French go, it isn’t even close:

By the way, when the comparison is made between the average French worker and the average American worker, we’re talking vive la différence. The American worker records about 500 more working hours per year than his or her French counterpart.

Of course, the news should come as no surprise. To build the greatest economy in the history of the world, it takes quite a bit of hard work. As this study proves, that’s something Americans don’t shy away from.

[Note: This post was authored by Michael Lee. Follow him on Twitter @UAMichaelLee]