(#7) Tight Deadlines Can Adversely Affect Learning And Memory
Short-term stress lasting as little as a few hours can impair brain-cell communication in areas associated with learning and memory, researchers have found. It has been known that severe stress lasting weeks or months can impair cell communication in the brain's learning and memory region, but this study provides the first evidence that short-term stress has the same effect."
At least, according to Science Daily. That's wonderful news if you're "not a school person," since it essentially means school is bad for you. If you're a journalist, however, you're totally screwed.
(#4) It's Possible The Air You're Breathing In Your Office Is 100x Worse Than The Air Outdoors
Sick building syndrome is a phrase used to describe general symptoms related to any illness people generally experience in a building despite no specific known cause: headache, nausea, fatigue, dizziness, etc. It was initially thought these symptoms were directly related to people's lack of desire to be at work, that they were, in essence, psychosomatic. However, people are beginning to question that way of thinking as they come to realize that, for generations, building development has put very little research into ventilation.
Technical University of Denmark researcher, Jan Sundell, told Newsweek, “Outdoor air is a political hot topic. You get sick due to indoor air. You die due to indoor air.” The problem is clear: people aren't focused on indoor air pollutants. Reportedly, 100 times more money is spent on research for outdoor air pollution than indoor, but there are not only the same pollutants affecting office workers, there are more. Particulate matter, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and other gases are all regularly found in higher concentrations in office buildings.
(#6) The Temperature Of Your Office Is Only Comfortable — And Productive — If You're A Man In The 1960s
If you're a 40-year-old, 154-pound man, you probably think the temperature in your office, which is somewhere around 72 degrees, is just perfect. If you're anyone else, you might not be overly comfortable. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) determined optimal office temperatures for the average worker in the 1960s, an era in which few-to-no women could be found in the workplace and men were wearing wool suits. The problem is, workplace temps might still be in that ballpark because OSHA hasn't changed their regulations since.
Boris Kingma, a researcher in human biology at Maastricht, conducted a study to put OSHA regulations to the test, and he found ideal temperature varies drastically based on a variety of factors, especially gender, with as much as a five-degree Fahrenheit discrepancy. The study recommends changing the formula not only for the comfort of a wider representation of the office workforce, but also for energy and cost efficiency. “If you have a more accurate view of the thermal demand of the people inside, then you can design the building so that you are wasting a lot less energy, and that means the carbon dioxide emission is less," said Kingma.The temperature of your office ties into how productive and effective you are.
...Women were significantly more productive when their office was kept at a warmer temperature. At 77° F (25° C), the women were typing 100% of the time with a 10% error rate. But, when the temperature dipped to a cool 68° F (20° C), typing rates plummeted and error rates rose to 25%.
Additionally, According to the Association for Physiological Science. As the group points out, "Studies going back to the 1940s have shown that the temperature can shape emotions and perception."
(#13) Shared Keyboards At Work Can Carry A Whole Host Of Diseases
According to Business Insider, "Microbiologists found that keyboards can even have up to five times as many bacteria as a bathroom, and can include dangerous ones like E. coli and coliforms — both commonly associated with food poisoning — along with staphylococcus, which causes a range of infections." Those are some rough diseases that can cause death in extreme cases. Try to remember to disinfect your keyboard regularly if you work in such an environment.
(#9) Windowless Offices Are Terrible In Every Way, Even For Your Quality Of Sleep
If you're in one of those particularly soul-crushing workplaces that don't have windows, it may be affecting your sleep. According to a study in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, employees who aren't exposed to natural light at work sleep an average of 46 minutes less per night, and the sleep they do get is less restful. As weird as it sounds, if your office doesn't have windows, and you find yourself having trouble falling asleep at night, the two things may be related. Not to mention the adverse effects a lack of natural daylight and sunlight can have on a person. SAD — Seasonal Affective Disorder — is a verified diagnosis, perpetuated year-round by clinical or corporate environments.
(#5) A 10+ Mile Commute Could Cause A Number Of Negative Physical And Psychological Effects
According to a study conducted in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, "Commuting distance was negatively associated with physical activity and CRF and positively associated with BMI, waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressure." 10 miles is the magic number, so to speak, but this can vary greatly depending on location — even a five-mile commute in Los Angeles can take an hour, so time spent commuting is a better indicator.
Psychology Today also warns of "the stress that doesn't pay," noting the adverse effects of a long commute.
The ride to work is also associated with increased blood pressure, musculoskeletal problems, lower frustration tolerance, and higher levels of anxiety and hostility. It can cause bad moods when arriving at work and coming home, increased lateness and missed work, and worsened cognitive performance.
The solution to this is to at least consider moving closer to work – or find things to make the commute more zen. Podcasts, audio books, real books for public transit commuters, and meditation apps are all viable distractions that promote health instead of stress.
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About This Tool
Office jobs are not as easy as people think. Sitting for a long time and the office environment often make people uncomfortable. Although the daily distress of office work is enough to make anyone feel sick, we need to realize that sometimes the workplace is slowly killing you, the computer screen you are staring at all day long and the air you are breathing in the office, which all can directly affect your health.
This random tool introduces 15 crazy ways how office jobs slowly damage our health and sanity. We should not only focus on income but also learn how to adjust the balance between work pressure and healthy life.
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