STOP EATING LUNCH AT YOUR DESK (Please)

If you’re like the majority of Americans (two in three, to be exact),  you either don’t take a lunch break or you usually spend your lunch sitting at your computer. You wander over to the office freezer, heat up your Lean Cuisine, and quietly sit back at your desk to finish that report you were working on. Sounds thrilling, right? Now that 2015 has rolled around, it’s time to make a new commitment to your health and to your office mentality: stop eating lunch at your desk!

Figure 1. This guy. Don't be this guy.

You’re probably thinking, “But Francis, I can’t afford to take the time to sit outside for lunch. My boss is breathing down my neck to get all of this work done!” Be that as it may, taking the time to sit with coworkers or leave the building during lunch actually increases your productivity and improves cognition. In fact, researchers at Humboldt University in Berlin found that those who chose to go out for lunch with coworkers had increased sensitivity to detecting subtle changes in facial expression, indicating  an enhanced perception of minute stimuli. Want to be on your toes at your next meeting with that big client? The science shows that going out may be your best bet.

Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to eat at a restaurant to get these positive benefits. After all, I’m sure that your New Year’s resolutions include a fixed budget! The key here is to move to a different location and to socialize with others. I’m sure you’ve all felt that mid-afternoon slump in your desire to get anything done and this is a great way to combat that.

And if that wasn’t enough to convince you, eating away from your desk may actually result in you eating less. This is due to a phenomenon known as “distracted eating”. Your brain needs about 20 minutes from the start of your meal to receive signals from your stomach saying, “Hey, I’m full!” If your attention is focused on something else, making a presentation for example, your brain may not release the signal until sometime after you should have stopped eating.

So there you have it. Take the time to sit outside or in your cafeteria, socialize with your colleagues, and get ready for a more productive you. The science is on your side!