Happiness Increased by Having Lunch Outside the Office

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Image Credit: Shinjiro, Wiki Commons Image Credit: Shinjiro, Wiki Commons

Summary: Eating lunch outdoors increased worker happiness in a research study.

Key Take Aways

- Getting away from one's work desk at mid day can be a very effective mood booster.
- Staying at one's desk during lunch can decrease happiness.

Scientists at the  University of Sussex evaluated happiness levels while various workers ate lunch at several different locations. Word association tests and self-evaluation questionnaires were used to measure happiness and assign scores for each site.

Some of the results were not the least bit surprising. Workers who ate lunch at a beach had the highest happiness increases.  The outdoor locations with the next highest happiness scores (in descending order)  were a public green space, a restaurant, home with family and public transport. People who stayed in and ate at their desks experienced a slight decrease in happiness.

As mentioned, eating at one's work desk decreased happiness slightly, but it also made the worker's experience a decrease in happiness associated with their work. So, it might be a good policy to allow employees to eat outdoors on their lunch breaks if they are not, and to encourage them not to eat at their desks.

It isn't surprising that getting outside the office and walking or eating can boost one's mood. Research has shown running in a natural setting, with green plants can also be a mood booster. 'There is evidence that exposure to natural environments improves our quality of life; for instance, jogging in a park is more effective than urban jogging for lowering anxiety and depression. In a workplace, this could translate to the presence of plants, and studies have shown that their presence can improve concentration and remove stress.' (Source: The British Psychological Society, via Inc.com)

Regular exposure of the skin to sunlight helps generate Vitamin D, which has been thought to be connected to both physical and mental well being for some time. (Caution must also be exercised with sunlight because overexposure is associated with skin cancer and macular degeneration.)

Another thing that could help with happiness is what you eat. Some months ago, a different study found that peak mental well-being was associated with eating seven servings of fresh fruits and vegetables each day.

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Jake Richardson

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