The Busy Professional’s Guide to Boosting Energy and Concentration

Guest Post: By Justin Bennett

Balancing demanding schedules and staying sharp can feel like an uphill battle for busy

professionals. The constant push to achieve more often drains energy and muddles focus,

leaving even the most driven individuals struggling to maintain momentum. However,

small, intentional changes in daily habits can dramatically improve both productivity and

well-being. By prioritizing practical strategies to recharge and refocus, professionals can

reclaim their energy and stay in control of their day.

Take Super Greens for Energy and Focus

Incorporating super greens into your daily routine can naturally boost your energy and

mental clarity, offering a caffeine-free alternative to staying alert. These nutrient-rich

powders are packed with essential vitamins and minerals that support your body’s energy

production and cognitive function. When choosing a super greens product, check out

ratings to find quality products; like this Live it Up greens review. Also, be sure to opt for

super greens made with organic ingredients and free of artificial additives to get the purest

nutrition. For added convenience, consider purchasing super greens in powder form, which

allows you to easily blend them into smoothies or other beverages.

Snack Smart

To keep your energy levels steady throughout a hectic day, it’s essential to choose nutrient-

rich snacks. Opt for snacks like nuts, seeds, or fruits, which are loaded with vital vitamins

and minerals. For example, almonds are a fantastic choice, providing magnesium and B

vitamins that aid in converting food into energy. This combination not only fuels your body

but also helps stave off the mid-afternoon energy slump. By incorporating these nutrient-

dense snacks into your routine, you can boost your focus and productivity, ensuring you

remain at your best.

Add Simple Stretches

Incorporating regular stretching breaks into your daily routine can significantly boost your

energy levels by preventing muscle stiffness and enhancing blood circulation. When you sit

or stand for long periods, your muscles can become tight, leading to discomfort and fatigue.

Taking just a few minutes to stretch can alleviate this tension and improve your range of

motion, making your muscles work more effectively. This practice not only reduces the risk

of injury but also elevates serotonin levels, a hormone that stabilizes mood and reduces

stress, thereby enhancing your overall mental well-being.

Try Mindful Breathing

In the hustle and bustle of a busy day, mindful breathing can be your secret weapon to

regain focus and energy. By setting aside just a few minutes for deep breathing exercises,

you can effectively reduce stress and sharpen your concentration. This practice involves

paying attention to each breath, which not only soothes your mind but also boosts oxygen

flow to your brain, enhancing cognitive function. Regularly incorporating these exercises

into your routine can lead to significant improvements in managing tasks and sustaining

energy levels.

Enhance Productivity with Quiet Zones

Creating designated quiet zones in your workplace can significantly enhance productivity

by reducing distractions. After a disruption, it often takes time for employees to regain

focus, increasing the risk of errors. By offering a peaceful space for tasks that require deep

concentration, you not only improve efficiency but also potentially reduce the time spent in

the office. This strategy can lead to cost savings and a more relaxed work environment.

Incorporating elements like natural light and greenery can further enhance these spaces,

making them both calming and invigorating.

Stay Energized with Whole Grains

Incorporating whole grains like oatmeal and quinoa into your daily meals can significantly

boost your energy levels, helping you stay focused and productive. These grains are rich in

complex carbohydrates, which are crucial for maintaining stable blood sugar levels and

avoiding the energy dips often caused by refined carbs. For instance, quinoa not only offers

more protein than rice but also contains a substantial amount of fiber, aiding in prolonged

digestion and sustained energy release. This makes it an excellent choice for busy

professionals who need to maintain their energy throughout the day.

Balance Caffeine and Alcohol

Managing your caffeine and alcohol intake can significantly impact your energy levels and

focus throughout the day. Consuming caffeine too close to bedtime can interfere with your

sleep cycle by delaying the onset of REM sleep, which is crucial for feeling rested. Similarly,

while alcohol might initially make you feel sleepy, it can disrupt your circadian rhythm and

worsen sleep-related breathing issues. To enhance your sleep quality, consider avoiding

caffeine at least eight hours before bedtime and limiting alcohol consumption in the

evening.

Embracing these strategies can transform your daily routine, fostering a more energized

and focused approach to your professional life. By prioritizing your well-being through

mindful practices and smart dietary choices, you can enhance your productivity and enjoy a

more fulfilling work experience. Each step you take toward better energy management

contributes to a healthier, more balanced lifestyle.

Fathers' parental leave might protect men against alcohol-related morbidity

October 6, 2023

Science Daily/Stockholm University

Men who have been on parental leave have a significantly reduced risk of being hospitalized due to alcohol consumption. This is shown by a study published in Addiction from researchers at the Department of Public Health Sciences, Stockholm University.

The aim of the study was to assess whether fathers' parental leave influences alcohol-related morbidity and mortality. In order to try to find out if that is the case, the researchers have investigated the effects of parental leave policy that was implemented in Sweden in 1995. The policy encouraged fathers to use parental leave by reserving 30 days of leave for their use alone and resulted in the proportion of fathers using parental leave increasing from 43 percent to 75 percent.

"Our findings were pretty remarkable considering the severity of the studied outcome. Although alcohol-related hospitalizations were rather uncommon, we found that after the policy was implemented there was a 34% decrease in these hospitalizations among fathers in the two years after birth, as well as smaller decreases up to 8 and 18 years after birth," says Helena Honkaniemi, researcher at the Department of Public Health Sciences, Stockholm University.

"Most changes were found among hospitalizations for alcohol intoxication and alcohol-related mental and behavioral disorders. Additional analyses evaluating actual changes in parental leave use from before to after the policy suggest that these health consequences could be explained by the increase in fathers' parental leave use, rather than other underlying trends," says Helena Honkaniemi.

However, no changes were found for alcohol-related mortality.

Co-author Associate Professor Sol Juárez believes that the results of the study could be useful for policymakers.

"Policymakers should consider that fathers' parental leave not only promotes more gender-equal participation in childcare, but can also reduce alcohol-related harms," Juárez says.

The study "Alcohol-related morbidity and mortality by fathers' parental leave: A quasi-experimental study in Sweden" draws on Swedish register data of all fathers of singleton children born from January 1992 to December 1997, three years before and after the policy was implemented.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/10/231006104552.htm

Coaching program reduces burnout in medical residents

A pilot program aimed at female physicians was expanded to a national level with significant results in all aspects of burnout

October 4, 2023

Science Daily/University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus

A pilot program that successfully reduced burnout among female medical residents has shown even greater results on a national level, according to researchers at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

The study was published today in the journal JAMA Network Open.

"We did a pilot program in 2021to see if it would work and it did," said study co-author Tyra Fainstad, MD, associate professor at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. "Then we expanded it to 26 graduate medical institutions in 19 states. There were 1,017 participants. We saw significant improvement in every wellbeing outcome we assessed including all three subscales involved in burnout."

Burnout within the health care community is a national epidemic disproportionally affecting women. Last year, the U.S. Surgeon General declared it a `crisis' deserving 'bold, fundamental change' though little was known about scalable, effective solutions to the problem.

Women are hit harder by burnout for reasons that include bias and sexism at work, pay disparities as well as a disproportionate burden of home management and child/elder care, the researchers said.

Fainstad and co-author Adrienne Mann, MD, both faculty in the CU Department of Medicine, created the web-based Better Together Physician Coaching Program at CU Anschutz with the goal of reducing that burnout. Then they replicated it to a national level and published their findings.

While the pilot program saw improvements in `imposter syndrome' (feeling as if you don't really belong in the job') and self-compassion, the expanded national study also showed significant improvements in outcomes across the board including moral injury and flourishing, offering actual evidence that the program works.

"Physician trainees who received online group coaching over four months had substantial reductions in multiple dimensions of professional distress (burnout, moral injury and imposter syndrome) and improvements in well-being (self-compassion and flourishing)," said Mann.

Mann and Fainstad are both certified life coaches. Better Together is owned and operated by the University of Colorado. It's not a business, they said, and they don't personally profit financially from it. The program is available to any heath care institution, school of medicine, department, or residency program wishing to meaningfully support the wellbeing of their clinicians and trainees.

Better Together is web-based. Participants take part in two videoconferencing coaching calls per week where up to five people can be coached live on any topic with an unlimited audience. Calls are recorded for later listening on a private podcast.

Participants can also access unlimited, anonymous written coaching in a forum by submitting a narrative reflection and receive a coach's response published to Better Together's secure, members-only website. There are also weekly self-study sessions using videos and worksheets. They focus on topics pertinent to the physician lifestyle such as goal setting, cultivating a growth mindset, receiving critical feedback, imposter syndrome and perfectionism.

The researchers use the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) to measure their work. The MBI has three subscales: emotional exhaustion (EE) or feeling emotionally exhausted from work; Depersonalization (DP), detached and impersonal treatment of patients; Professional accomplishment (PA), beliefs around competence and success at work.

The EE score is a key construct in health care related burnout. A one point increase in the EE scale has been associated with a 7% increase in suicidal ideation and a 5-6% increase in major medical errors.

The researchers said a reduced mean EE score among those that took part in the training and an increased EE score in those that did not.

"From what we see in this study, coaching helps in every aspect of burnout," Fainstad said. "The multi-modal nature of our program is unique. You can interact in many ways. That partially explains the powerful impact -that and the group nature of our coaching."

Mann said the majority are watching others being coached and share in the experience.

"That is deeply connecting. They try to see themselves in someone else's story," she said. "When someone is on a view screen you have compassion and empathy for them and, by extension, learn to practice compassion and empathy for yourself."

While few strategies to address burnout have shown much overall effect, Fainstad said this study demonstrates that group coaching works.

"We're now showing that we have an actual evidence-based answer to burnout," she said.

Fainstad and Mann said burnout is a product of the current, often toxic, medical culture pervading every aspect of the profession.

"Culture is a belief system," Fainstad said. "And while structural changes are absolutely necessary to fix our medical system, working with individuals who have been harmed along the way will be imperative to healing."

Mann suggested a step towards healing the culture would be making coaching programs like Better Together accessible to everyone -- not necessarily mandatory but at least made available by institutions.

"There are other coaching programs in this space but this one is rigorously evidence-based. We studied it," Mann said. "There are no downsides. It helps in all aspects of burnout."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/10/231004132427.htm

How parents' work stress affects family mealtimes and children's development

September 29, 2023

Science Daily/University of Illinois College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences

Family mealtimes are important for parents and children as a space to communicate, socialize, and build attachment relationships. But it can be difficult for busy parents to balance family and work life. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign explores how parents' job stress influences their attendance at family mealtimes, and in turn, children's socioemotional development.

"We all struggle to maintain the balance between work life and family life. But this might be especially challenging for parents, who are engaging in childcare after a busy and stressful day at work. And when it comes to co-parenting in dual-earner families, which comprises 65% of families with children in United States, we do not know much about how mothers and fathers share caregiving roles under work stress," said lead author Sehyun Ju, doctoral student in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences (ACES) at U. of I.

The study included data from more than 1,400 dual-earner families, consisting of heterosexual married couples with children, in a nationally representative survey that traced children's development across family, home, child care, and school environments from 9 months to kindergarten. The researchers focused on the interplay of child characteristics, family mealtimes, and parents' job and financial dissatisfaction.

"We found that children of parents who expressed higher work-related stress when the children were 2 years old had lower socioemotional competency at age 4 to 5, measured by lower positive and higher negative social behaviors," Ju explained.

There were significant differences regarding the impact of mothers' and fathers' work stress. For mothers, higher job dissatisfaction did not impact frequency of family mealtimes; however, it was directly associated with lower socioemotional competency in their children.

On the other hand, fathers who had higher job and financial dissatisfaction were less likely to attend family mealtimes with their children, and this in turn resulted in the children having lower socioemotional competency at age 4 to 5.

"Even when the mother increased her mealtime presence to compensate for the father's absence, the child's socioemotional development was still negatively impacted. This indicates fathers may have a unique influence that cannot be replaced by the mother. Future intervention programs should help both parents obtain a better balance between work and family, and highlight the importance of family routines to promote healthy child development," stated co-author Qiujie Gong, a doctoral student in HDFS.

The findings speak to the pervasiveness of traditional gender roles, added Karen Kramer, associate professor in HDFS and co-author on the study. "Mothers are considered primary caregivers, and they are expected to be present and feed their children no matter what. The study showed they didn't adjust their mealtime frequencies in response to job dissatisfaction as fathers did."

Kramer notes the study is unique in combining topics from different disciplines, including psychology, sociology, economics, and nutrition, and connecting them in a holistic way that provides insights for policy measures.

"We have to acknowledge the challenges that families face in creating consistent routines. It's not just an outcome of individual influences. Outside factors, such as parents' work environment and financial situation can affect their interactions, mealtimes, and child development. For example, dinner time for young kids is typically around five or six o'clock, but the expectation that parents are home early in the day doesn't align with being an ideal worker. Policy initiatives to help provide a work environment and community support that facilitate family mealtimes would be important," Kramer concluded.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/09/230929131409.htm

Job loss is linked to increased risk of miscarriage and stillbirth

September 28, 2023

Science Daily/European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology

Researchers have found a link between a pregnant woman or her partner losing their job and an increased risk of miscarriage or stillbirth.

The study, which is published today (Thursday) in Human Reproduction, one of the world's leading reproductive medicine journals, found a doubling in the chances of a pregnancy miscarrying or resulting in a stillbirth following a job loss.

The researchers, led by Dr Selin Köksal from the Institute for Social and Economic Research at the University of Essex, UK, emphasise that their findings highlight an association between job loss and an increased probability of miscarriage or stillbirth and that the study cannot show that losing a job causes the pregnancy loss.

"Further research would need to be carried out to understand if losing one's job actually causes the increased risk of pregnancy loss," she said. "I would like to analyse socioeconomic factors influencing pregnancy loss in contexts where data for the entire population are available through administrative records. These data can help clarify whether there are solid causal links between job loss and pregnancy loss, and whether there are certain socioeconomic groups in the population that are particularly at risk, such as economically precarious employees.

"Being able to examine the association between job loss and pregnancy loss among different socioeconomic groups could help us to understand how exactly a job loss is related to higher risk of a miscarriage or a stillbirth. Is it because of economic hardship, or an experience of an unexpected event or is it due to loss of social status? These are the questions that I am hoping to answer in the future."

The study is based on data from the "Understanding Society" survey of 40,000 households in the UK between 2009 and 2022. It includes 8142 pregnancies for which there was complete information on the date of conception and pregnancy outcome.

Out of these pregnancies, 11.6% miscarried (947), which may be an underestimate because many pregnancies do not survive beyond the first month and pregnancy loss can go undetected. There were 38 stillbirths, representing 0.5% of conceptions, which is in line with the UK's official statistics for stillbirths.

Out of 136 women who were affected by their own or their partner's job loss, 32 (23.5%) miscarried and one (0.7%) had a still birth. Among 8006 women who were not affected by their own or their partner's job loss, 915 (10.4%) miscarried and 37 (0.5%) had a stillbirth.

Co-author of the paper, Dr Alessandro Di Nallo, from the Dondena Centre for Research on Social Dynamics and Public Policy at Bocconi University, Milan, Italy, said: "The reasons for these associations may be related to stress, reduced access to prenatal care, or changes in lifestyle.

"My previous research indicates that job loss reduces the likelihood of having children. This might be because people postpone their plans to have children under conditions of economic uncertainty, but it could also be due to other reasons. Stress results in a physiological response, releasing hormones that are known to increase the risk of miscarriage or premature delivery. The reduction in income following a job loss could restrict access and compliance with prenatal care, so that at-risk pregnancies are discovered late or are undetected. In addition, the emotional discomfort of job loss could prompt unhealthy behaviours, such as alcohol consumption, smoking or unhealthy eating."

Dr Köksal said: "Our findings are important as we uncover a potential socioeconomic, hence preventable, factor behind pregnancy losses that can be addressed through effective policymaking.

"It is important to raise awareness of women's legal rights and protection in the workplace during pregnancy, so that women can feel safer and more empowered to communicate their pregnancy with their employer. Moreover, stress during pregnancy can have negative effects on both maternal and foetal health. So, provision of psychological support during pregnancy through the public health system is important regardless of women's and their partner's job status.

"In the UK, pregnancy is a period that is protected fairly well by labour market legislation. However, there is no job loss protection for the partners of pregnant women who are dismissed without notice.Policymakers, for instance, could consider extending job protection to workers whose partners are pregnant as our results shows that a partner's job stability is equally as important as the woman's job stability for the course of pregnancy. Additionally, it makes sense to increase economic support for individuals -- and their partners -- who lose their jobs because the lack of economic support is shown to be one of the main causes of stress and personal distress, which can eventually increase the risk of pregnancy loss."

Limitations of the study include the fact that pregnancy and job loss were self-reported and may be affected by recall and a bias towards what is socially desirable; other factors might also be correlated with both job loss and pregnancy loss; and finally the researchers do not know if the findings hold true for different socioeconomic groups.

"The UK welfare state has an anti-poverty focus and unemployment benefits are less generous than in the rest of Europe -- on average only 34% of the last job's salary for six months. Therefore, it would be interesting to see if more generous welfare regimes are better at reducing the psychosocial hardship of job loss," concluded Dr Köksal.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/09/230928152436.htm

Job strain combined with high efforts and low reward doubled men's heart disease risk

These psychosocial stressors are each associated with heart disease risk and the combination was especially dangerous to men, finds study in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes journal

September 19, 2023

Science Daily/American Heart Association

Men who say they have stressful jobs and also feel they exert high efforts for low reward had double the risk of heart disease compared to men free of those stressors, according to new research published today in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, a peer-reviewed American Heart Association journal.

"Considering the significant amount of time people spend at work, understanding the relationship between work stressors and cardiovascular health is crucial for public health and workforce well-being," said lead study author Mathilde Lavigne-Robichaud, R.D., M.S., doctoral candidate, Population Health and Optimal Health Practices Research Unit, CHU de Quebec-University Laval Research Center in Quebec, Canada. "Our study highlights the pressing need to proactively address stressful working conditions, to create healthier work environments that benefit employees and employers."

Heart disease is the No. 1 cause of death in the U.S. according to American Heart Association statistics. In 2020, nearly 383,000 Americans died of heart disease.

Research has shown that two psychosocial stressors -- job strain and effort-reward imbalance at work -- may increase heart disease risk. However, few studies have examined the combined effect.

"Job strain refers to work environments where employees face a combination of high job demands and low control over their work. High demands can include a heavy workload, tight deadlines and numerous responsibilities, while low control means the employee has little say in decision-making and how they perform their tasks," Lavigne-Robichaud explained.

"Effort-reward imbalance occurs when employees invest high effort into their work, but they perceive the rewards they receive in return -- such as salary, recognition or job security -- as insufficient or unequal to the effort. For instance, if you're always going above and beyond, but you feel like you're not getting the credit or rewards you deserve, that's called effort-reward imbalance."

The study found:

• Men who said they experienced either job strain or effort-reward imbalance had a 49% increase in risk of heart disease compared to men who didn't report those stressors.

• Men reporting both job strain and effort-reward imbalance were at twice the risk of heart disease compared with men who did not say they were experiencing the combined stressors.

• The impact of psychosocial stress at work on women's heart health was inconclusive.

• In men, the impact of job strain and effort-reward imbalance combined was similar to the magnitude of the impact of obesity on the risk of coronary heart disease.

"Our results suggest that interventions aimed at reducing stressors from the work environment could be particularly effective for men and could also have positive implications for women, as these stress factors are associated with other prevalent health issues such as depression," Lavigne-Robichaud said. "The study's inability to establish a direct link between psychosocial job stressors and coronary heart disease in women signals the need for further investigation into the complex interplay of various stressors and women's heart health."

Interventions might include different approaches, such as providing support resources, promoting work-life balance, enhancing communication and empowering employees to have more control over their work, she said.

"The U.S. workforce is among the most stressed in the world, and these workplace stressors can be as harmful to health as obesity and secondhand smoke," Eduardo J. Sanchez, M.D., M.P.H., FAHA, FAAFP, chief medical officer for prevention at the American Heart Association. "This study adds to the growing body of evidence that the workplace should be prioritized as a vehicle for advancing cardiovascular health for all. The American Heart Association remains committed to and engaged in providing employers with the resources and information they need to actively support the health of their employees and communities through science-backed changes to policy and culture."

Study background and details:

• Researchers studied nearly 6,500 white-collar workers, average age about 45 years old, without heart disease, and followed them for 18 years, from 2000 to 2018.

• They studied health and workplace survey information for 3,118 men and 3,347 women in a wide range of jobs in Quebec. The surveys included employees working in senior management, professional, technical and office workers roles. Education levels ranged from no high school diploma to university degree.

• Researchers measured job strain and effort-reward imbalance with results from proven questionnaires and retrieved heart disease information using established health databases.

One study limitation is that the researchers studied men and women in white-collar jobs primarily in Quebec, Canada, and the results might not fully represent the diversity of the American working population. However, the study findings may be relevant to white-collar workers in the United States and other high-income countries with similar job structures, according to Lavigne-Robichaud.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/09/230919155014.htm

New parent? Night shift? New analysis suggests ideal nap strategy to survive all-nighters

September 15, 2023

Science Daily/Hiroshima University

New analysis of pilot studies on night shift naps conducted from 2012 to 2018 revealed the ideal snoozing strategy that might help counteract drowsiness and fatigue during a 16-hour overnight duty. The findings can also benefit new parents.

Reanalysis of data showed that when staying up all night, scheduling two nap sessions -- a 90-minute one followed by a quick 30-minute shut-eye later -- is the optimal choice over a single 120-minute snooze in putting off drowsiness and fatigue. The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports.

"A 90-minute nap to maintain long-term performance and a 30-minute nap to maintain lower fatigue levels and fast reactions, as a strategic combination of naps, can be valuable for early morning work efficiency and safety," said study sole author Sanae Oriyama, a nursing science professor at Hiroshima University's Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences.

Shift work is a norm in emergency sectors such as healthcare where round-the-clock access to services can be life-saving. And working double shifts on nontraditional hours isn't unheard of among medical professionals. However, night shift work is also known to increase the risk for sleep-related physical and mental health disorders and impair job performance.

During the daytime, our light-sensitive internal clock activates wakefulness. The opposite happens at nighttime when alertness dims as our biorhythm readies to switch off, elevating the likelihood of errors and accidents. In the medical field, this may inadvertently lead to serious harm to patients or to oneself. Naps are usually taken by shift workers to offset disruptions to the body clock.

In Japan, nurses are typically allowed to sleep up to two hours during 16-hour night shifts. Oriyama wanted to find out which napping schedule is the best in fighting off sleepiness and diminished cognitive function during such grueling work hours. And while at it, figure out how sleep quality factors in.

Single versus split naps

Oriyama reexamined past pilot studies she co-authored to compare alertness and cognitive performance after taking a nap and throughout a simulated 4 p.m. to 9 a.m. shift. The one-nap condition experiment was conducted in 2012, the two-nap in 2014, and the no-nap in 2018.

"I want to be able to combine multiple naps, depending on the type of work and time of day, and choose naps that are effective at reducing drowsiness, fatigue, and maintaining performance," she said.

She found that those who took a single 120-minute nap ending at midnight experienced worse drowsiness as soon as 4 a.m. and lasted until the end of the shift. However, participants who scheduled two naps -- the 90-minute one lasting until midnight and the 30-minute one ending at 3 a.m. -- staved off drowsiness until 6 a.m. Oriyama suggested adding an extra 30 minutes of shut-eye between 5-6 a.m. given that drowsiness might shoot up from 7-8 a.m.

As for fatigue, although all nap groups expressed significantly heightened levels of it from 4-9 a.m., the two-nap group experienced it at an intensity lower than the rest.

"During a night shift that, for example, lasts from 4 p.m. to 9 a.m. the next morning, a split nap of 90 minutes and 30 minutes, ending at 12 a.m. and 3 a.m., respectively, is thought to be more effective than a 120-minute monophasic nap ending at 12 a.m. when tasks requiring quick responses to maintain a high level of safety are scheduled between 2 a.m. and 9 a.m.," Oriyama said.

Finding the best nap length, timing

Both the single and split naps did not result in improved cognitive task performance. However, Oriyama noted that those who took longer to fall asleep during the 90-minute nap session showed poorer scores in the Uchida-Kraepelin test (UKT), a timed basic math exam meant to measure speed and accuracy in performing a task.

It takes 90 minutes to complete a full sleep cycle. And waking up before it is finished could exacerbate sleep inertia, the grogginess and disorientation felt upon first waking up. Similarly, the study found that if total sleep time is prolonged, fatigue and drowsiness could also increase.

Meanwhile, past research showed that a nap of 30 minutes or less could help boost vigilance, alertness, and energy levels.

The study also found that the timing of your nap plays a crucial role: the later you take it, the more potent it is in fending off sleepiness and exhaustion. However, delaying it too much could interfere with your focus as your sleep drive builds up.

"Hence, the ideal time for taking a nap and the ideal nap schedule during long night shifts need further elucidation," Oriyama said.

Beneficial for new parents, too

Oriyama said her findings could also be helpful to new parents.

"The results of this study can be applied not only to night shift workers but also to minimize sleep deprivation fatigue in mothers raising infants."

A total of 41 females in their 20s participated in the studies. Research participants were invited to a windowless and soundproofed laboratory for a 16-hour night shift simulation. The room temperature was kept at a comfortable 26 degrees Celsius and light intensity above work desks was set at 200 lux, the typical illuminance level in offices. All took the UKT each hour. Their hourly temperature, self-reported drowsiness and fatigue levels, heart rate, and blood pressure were also measured. After the tests, participants have free time to do anything they want on their desks like reading, drawing, or drinking water. During the scheduled nap time, they moved to a neighboring bedroom where they were allowed to darken the light according to their preference. Their sleep parameters were measured during this time.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/09/230915105258.htm

All work and no play will really make a dull life

September 14, 2023

Science Daily/University of Essex

Prioritizing career goals over fun and freedom doesn't make your life better, researchers have found. The study across three countries discovered people who prioritized achievement over enjoyment were less happy on the next day.

The study across three countries led by the Department of Psychology's Dr Paul Hanel discovered people who prioritised achievement over enjoyment were less happy on the next day.

Whereas those who aimed for freedom said they had a 13% increase in well-being, recording better sleep quality and life satisfaction.

And participants who tried to relax and follow their hobbies recorded an average well-being boost of 8% and a 10% drop in stress and anxiety.

Dr Hanel worked with colleagues at the University of Bath on the Journal of Personality-published study.

For the first time, it explored how following various values impacts our happiness.

Dr Hanel said: "We all know the old saying 'All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy' and this study shows it might actually be true.

"There is no benefit to well-being in prioritising achievement over fun and autonomy.

"This research shows that there are real benefits to having a balanced life and taking time to focus on enjoying ourselves and following individual goals.

"Ironically by doing this, people could in fact be more successful as they will be more relaxed, happier and satisfied."

The study -Value Fulfilment and Well-being: Clarifying Directions Over Time -- examined more than 180 people in India, Turkey and the UK.

They filled in a diary across nine days and recorded how following different values affected them.

Interestingly all nationalities reported the same results with the following of 'hedonism' and 'self-direction' values leading to increased happiness.

'Achievement' and 'conformity' values had no impact on happiness whatsoever.

However, the researchers believe achievement could impact on happiness when linked to job satisfaction or the amount of days worked.

Professor Greg Maio, University of Bath, said: "This multination project was an exciting foray into questions about how values affect well-being in day-to-day life.

"People often spend most of their days working hard for their daily income, studies, and careers.

"Against this backdrop, where achievement-oriented values have ring-fenced a great portion of our time, we found that it helps to value freedom and other values just enough to bring in balance and recovery.

"In the future, it will be interesting to consider how this pattern interacts with relevant traits, such as conscientiousness, and situational contexts, such as type of employment."

It is hoped the research will now influence mental health provision and influence therapeutic give to clients.

Dr Hanel added: "Our research further shows that it might be more important to focus on increasing happiness rather than reducing anxiety and stress, which is of course also important, just not as much."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/09/230914103346.htm

Enter Sandman: Study shows dreams spill over into the workplace and can be channeled for productivity

August 28, 2023

Science Daily/University of Notre Dame

Studies show that on any given morning, about 40 percent of the working population recalls its dreams. New research shows that when dreams are first recalled, people often draw connections between their dreams and waking lives, and the connections they draw alter how they think, feel and act at work.

Before heading to work each day, most people have spent the night dreaming. Studies show that on any given morning, about 40 percent of the working population recalls their dreams.

New research from the University of Notre Dame shows that when dreams are first recalled, people often draw connections between their dreams and waking lives, and the connections they draw alter how they think, feel and act at work.

"A Spillover Model of Dreams and Work Behavior: How Dream Meaning Ascription Promotes Awe and Employee Resilience" is forthcoming in the Academy of Management Journal from lead author Casher Belinda, assistant professor of management at Notre Dame's Mendoza College of Business, and Michael Christian from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

"Similar to epiphany, we found that connecting the dots between dreams and reality gives rise to awe -- an emotion that sparks a tendency to think about ourselves and our experiences in the grand scheme of things," said Belinda, who specializes in organizational behavior, specifically emotions, interpersonal communication and close relationships in organizations. "This makes subsequent work stressors seem less daunting, bolstering resilience and productivity throughout the workday."

"People experience awe when they undergo something vast -- something that challenges their understanding or way of thinking about things," Belinda explained. "These experiences can come in different forms, whether physical, such as when witnessing aurora borealis, or conceptual, such as when grasping the implications of a grand theory. Awe often borders on the extremes or upper bounds of other emotions, for example, when people experience profound gratitude or admiration. Dreams are conceptually vast experiences that have a striking capacity to elicit feelings of awe."

The team performed three studies that collectively captured approximately 5,000 morning-of reports of dream recall among full-time employees. The researchers issued a morning-of field study, a single-day morning-to-afternoon study and a two-week experience sampling study.

They found that these relationships persisted even after accounting for how much or how well people slept, suggesting that the psychological consequences of recalling and finding meaning in dream experiences may at times offset the physiological consequences of poor sleep.

At face value, dreaming appears to have little connection to work. However, most people are dreaming shortly before they start work on a given day. And the study reveals that when we recall our dreams -- which, to sleeping minds, are very real -- they can set the stage for the rest of our day.

"We arrive at work shortly after interacting with deceased loved ones, narrowly escaping or failing to escape traumatic events and performing acts of immeasurable ability," Belinda said. "Regardless of our personal beliefs about dreams, these experiences bleed into and affect our waking lives -- including how productive we are at work."

Say you recall an awe-inspiring or meaningful dream in the morning, and then later in the afternoon, your supervisor tells you to conduct 10 more interviews than you were expecting to do. You might now think that in the grand scheme of things it's not that big a deal because your awe-inspiring dream just put everything into perspective. You have a greater realization that there's a bigger world out there and you're just part of it or that you're connected to everything.

"Harnessing the benefits of awe may prove invaluable to organizations," Belinda said. "And one of our primary goals was to understand how to do so."

First, get a good night's sleep.

Belinda explains that dreams occur in all stages of sleep and are impactful regardless of sleep habits. However, the most vivid dreams -- those most likely to have meaning and create waking awe -- occur during REM sleep. Because REM sleep takes place late in a given sleep cycle, getting sufficient, high-quality sleep will help you get the most out of your dreams.

Sleep-tracking devices that indicate when and how much time you spend in REM sleep can help improve sleep schedules to increase the odds of having awe-inspiring dreams.

"Also, keep a dream journal to allow meaningful dreams to stick with you," Belinda said. "Recording dreams gives them repeated opportunities to elicit beneficial emotions and make connections between dreams."

For both managers and employees, Belinda suggests promoting the "awe experience" at work. In addition to dreams, other elicitors include nature, art, music and exposure to senior leaders, all of which can increase productivity at work.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/08/230828162332.htm

Are you breaking your body clock?

Researchers use mathematical models to better understand how the body regulates circadian rhythms

August 17, 2023

Science Daily/University of Waterloo

Researchers are using mathematical models to better understand the effects of disruptions like daylight savings time, working night shifts, jet lag or even late-night phone scrolling on the body's circadian rhythms.

The University of Waterloo and the University of Oxford researchers have developed a new model to help scientists better understand the resilience of the brain's master clock: the cluster of neurons in the brain that coordinates the body's other internal rhythms. They also hope to suggest ways to help improve this resilience in individuals with weak or impaired circadian rhythms.

Sustained disruptions to circadian rhythm have been linked to diabetes, memory loss, and many other disorders.

"Current society is experiencing a rapid increase in demand for work outside of traditional daylight hours," said Stéphanie Abo, a PhD student in applied mathematics and the study's lead author. "This greatly disrupts how we are exposed to light, as well as other habits such as eating and sleeping patterns."

Humans' circadian rhythms, or internal clocks, are the roughly 24-hour cycles many body systems follow, usually alternating between wakefulness and rest. Scientists are still working to understand the cluster of neurons known as Suprachiasmatic Nucleus (SCN) or master clock.

Using mathematical modelling techniques and differential equations, the team of applied mathematics researchers modelled the SCN as a macroscopic, or big-picture, system comprised of a seemingly infinite number of neurons. They were especially interested in understanding the system's couplings -- the connections between neurons in the SCN that allow it to achieve a shared rhythm.

Frequent and sustained disturbances to the body's circadian rhythms eliminated the shared rhythm, implying a weakening of the signals transmitted between SCN neurons.

Abo said they were surprised to find that "a small enough disruption can actually make the connections between neurons stronger."

"Mathematical models allow you to manipulate body systems with specificity that cannot be easily or ethically achieved in the body or a petri dish," Abo said. "This allows us to do research and develop good hypotheses at a lower cost."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/08/230817164008.htm

Better coaching to promote a person's growth

New research suggests more effective approach -- for managers, therapists, teachers and parents

August 3, 2023

Science Daily/Case Western Reserve University

What if there was a more effective way to coach and inspire your employees? Athletes? Students? Even your kids? A new study suggests there is. Their newly published work used neuroimaging to peer into the brains of participants as they responded to two different styles of coaching. The researchers wanted to see what happens in the brain that either helps people grow or causes them to resist change.

What if there was a more effective way to coach and inspire your employees? Athletes? Students? Even your kids?

A new study by a team of researchers from Case Western Reserve University suggests there is.

Their newly published work used neuroimaging to peer into the brains of participants as they responded to two different styles of coaching. The researchers wanted to see what happens in the brain that either helps people grow or causes them to resist change.

"You could say it's about how we get around the problem that you can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink," said Anthony "Tony" Jack, the Elmer G. Beamer -- Hubert H. Schneider Chair in Ethics and an associate professor in philosophy at Case Western Reserve and the study's lead researcher.

Jack was joined by Richard Boyatzis, Distinguished University Professor and professor in the departments of organizational behavior, psychology and cognitive science at Case Western Reserve; and Case Western Reserve PhD graduate Angela Passarelli, now an associate professor of management at the College of Charleston.

All three are members of the Coaching Research Lab at Case Western Reserve's Weatherhead School of Management.

"This work applies to all helping roles and professionals," Boyatzis said, "from therapists, physicians, nurses, clerics, managers, teachers, faculty, social workers, dental professionals, and, yes, even parents."

"Many who seek to help, conflate helping with fixing problems," Passarelli said. "This research demonstrates that when we begin helping interactions by doubling down on someone's immediate problems, we inadvertently constrain their ability to see future possibilities -- and this undermines the very intention of helping."

The study

The study involved 47 full-time Case Western Reserve undergraduates. Each had a series of 30-minute coaching sessions before entering a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanner. The researchers examined brain function to compare what is described in psychology as a person's "ideal self" -- the person you'd like to be -- with their "real self" -- the person you actually are.

An example of ideal self would be, "I am excited about the possibilities my future holds;" and real self: "I am afraid I will not achieve what is expected of me."

The researchers used fMRI to reveal neural activity while subjects engaged in coaching and visual attention tasks. Face-to-face coaching sessions were conducted before the fMRI scan. All subjects had one coaching session focused on the real self and were randomly assigned to a varying number of ideal-self coaching sessions.

The coaching task simulated ideal and real self-based coaching interactions in a video-conference-style interaction between the participant and the coaches.

Each of the subjects was presented 96 pre-recorded videos of the coaches making statements about the participant's educational experience or outlook on the future. The statements were developed around the themes of hope, compassion, mindfulness and playfulness in the ideal-self condition and lack thereof in the real-self condition. Subjects indicated the degree to which they agreed or disagreed with each statement.

The study built on neuroimaging research by the same team 10 years ago. Both studies used neuroscience to test aspects of Boyatzis' Intentional Change Theory, a multi-level theory of how to achieve sustained, desired change for individuals to teams, organizations, communities and countries.

Their findings…and how to make them work for you

The researchers found something surprising that most typical coaching approaches fail to appreciate. They saw evidence of conflict between these two different ways of thinking about ourselves. This insight matters because it shows how easily "shoulds" and other self-critical thoughts can get in the way of developing a strong vision of our ideal self.

To set ourselves on a path to personal development, we need to recognize these kinds of negative thoughts create defensiveness and resistance to change, the researchers concluded.

Individuals whose ideal self is salient are better able to scan the broad environment and perceive emerging themes, the researchers asserted. They experience more positive emotion, are more open to new ideas and possess more sustained intrinsic motivation.

"Many think the best way to get others -- and themselves -- to change is to use some combination of carrot and stick, for instance by sandwiching a criticism with compliments," Jack said. "These findings show why it works better to get the individual to focus first and foremost on their dreams and aspirations for the future."

Once someone has developed a clear vision of their ideal self, he said, they become willing and eager to grow instead of willful, resistant and prone to denial.

"Many managers overestimate the importance of telling their employees about their strengths and weaknesses. The real trick is to help someone get to a place where they are actively seeking feedback for themselves," Jack said. "Companies, coaches and managers who want people to change must hold their tongue about what they think needs fixing. Instead, they must put their faith in the individual's intrinsic desire to grow and allow them to direct their own development process. Otherwise, they are likely to hit a wall of psychological resistance."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/08/230803112946.htm

Creative people enjoy idle time more than others

July 6, 2023

Science Daily/University of Arizona

For those with creative minds, screen-free downtime can be fruitful and entertaining: Creative people use their idle time by letting one idea lead to another.

Creative people are more likely to make the most of their downtime during a typical day by exploring their mind, a new study by University of Arizona researchers suggests.

The study, published in the Creativity Research Journal, finds that creative people are more likely to fruitfully use idle time by letting one idea lead to another. Study participants who were more creative felt less bored when they sat alone in a room, researchers found. And during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time when the world experienced unusually extended periods of unstructured time, creative people were less bored and more engaged with their thoughts.

"I am particularly interested in creativity because we wanted to know what's going on in the mind of creative individuals, especially in situations where nothing constrains their thoughts," said lead study author Quentin Raffaeli, a graduate student in the UArizona Department of Psychology.

In psychology and neuroscience, most studies on human thoughts either prompt participants to think in a certain way or ask them to report on thoughts they experienced, but less is known about how thoughts naturally arise and unfold over time in unprompted contexts, said Jessica Andrews-Hanna, an associate professor in the Department of Psychology and senior author of the paper.

"This is where our study comes in," Andrews-Hanna said.

History is filled with anecdotes of famous scientists, artists and philosophers who enjoyed being alone with their thoughts, and those people often generated some of their best ideas during idle time, Andrews-Hanna said.

"In today's busy and digitally connected society, time to be alone with one's thoughts without distraction may be becoming a rare commodity," she added.

The researchers divided the study into two parts. For the first experiment, the researchers asked each participant to sit alone in a room for 10 minutes without any access to digital devices. In the absence of any particular prompt, the participants were asked to voice their thoughts aloud in real time. The recorded files from 81 participants were then transcribed and analyzed.

The researchers assessed the participants' creativity through a "divergent thinking test," a lab-based verbal test that measures a person's ability to think outside of the box. Participants who performed well in the divergent thinking test had thoughts that flowed freely and were associated with one another, often indicated by phrases such as "this reminds me of" or "speaking of which."

"While many participants had a tendency to jump between seemingly unrelated thoughts, creative individuals showed signs of thinking more associatively," Raffaeli said.

The first experiment also found that creative people were more engaged in their thoughts when they were left alone without distractions, such as cell phone and internet.

"Creative people rated themselves as being less bored, even over those 10 minutes. They also spoke more words overall, which indicated that their thoughts were more likely to move freely," Andrews-Hanna said.

To complement their initial findings, the researchers extended their study in the context of a much larger span of time -- the COVID-19 pandemic -when many people were alone with their thoughts more often.

For the second experiment, over 2,600 adults answered questions through a smartphone app called Mind Window, developed by Andrews-Hanna and her graduate student Eric Andrews. Participants who self-identified as being creative reported being less bored during the pandemic.

"As we become more overworked, overscheduled and addicted to our digital devices, I think we need to do a better job in our homes, our workplaces and our schools to cultivate time to simply relax with our thoughts," Andrews-Hanna said.

The researchers are continuing this line of work using their Mind Window app. They encourage people to download and use the app to help scientists understand how people across the world think in their everyday lives.

"Understanding why different people think the way they do may lead to promising interventions to improve health and well-being," Andrews-Hanna said.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230706124528.htm

What's an underrated way to study decisions? Think out loud

Researchers developed an online protocol for recording audio of people thinking aloud when trying to overcome trick questions

June 13, 2023

Science Daily/Stevens Institute of Technology

A philosopher-scientist and other researchers have developed an online protocol for recording audio as people narrate all of their thoughts while answering a series of trick questions. The work may not only help scientist reveal how people solve reasoning problems, but help optimize analysts' reports and briefings that inform high-level decisions.

Think fast: if you're running a race and overtake the person in second place, what position are you in? Many people instinctively respond that you're in first place. However, upon reflection, some people realize the correct answer is that you're now in second place: the former number-two runner slipped into third as you overtook them.

Trick questions of this kind are invaluable to cognitive scientists because they shed light on the cognitive quirks that shape our decision-making. "These aren't just trick questions," explained Nick Byrd, a philosopher-scientist and Intelligence Community Fellow who led the research at Stevens Institute of Technology. "They're opportunities to reveal whether we are thinking reflectively -- sometimes we are lured into accepting faulty responses that feel right."

In their work, Byrd's team worked with research startup Phonic, Inc., to develop an online protocol for recording audio as people narrate all of their thoughts while answering a series of trick questions. The work, reported in a special issue of the Journal of Intelligence, may not only help scientist reveal how people solve reasoning problems, but help optimize analysts' reports and briefings that inform high-level decisions.

"The mind is often a black box, and figuring out what's going on inside is challenging," Byrd explained. "Brain imaging is useful, but we can also learn a great deal simply by asking people to say whatever they're thinking."

However, think-out-loud experiments come at a cost: Recording people thinking out loud is much more complex and time-consuming than surveys. "It took three of us three months to complete an in-person think-aloud study -- and just one of us three hours to complete an online survey with the same number of subjects," Byrd said.

The new tool will significantly decrease the amount of time for completing think-out-loud experiments, lifting the lid on the black box for how humans overcome trick questions.

The paper shows that both online and in-person think-aloud testing can offer valuable insights into subjects' cognitive world. Many researchers focus on whether subjects fall for the trick or give correct answers, assuming that arriving at correct responses involved careful reflection and falling for the tricks did not. In the think-aloud recordings, however, Byrd's team found that in as many as 31% of cases, the opposite was true. "Sometimes people were tricked despite thinking reflectively, and sometimes people were correct without reflecting," Byrd said.

Presented with the race-position question, for instance, one subject gave the correct answer almost immediately -- then explained that it was easy for them, since they'd run track in high school. "It turns out that with enough relevant experience you can answer quickly without falling for the lure," Byrd said. "That might sound like a trivial insight, but higher education's publish-or-perish environment discourages scientists from using resource-intensive methods like think-aloud protocols to detect and quantify such measurement error."

Having shown that online surveys can streamline think-aloud audio collection, Byrd and colleagues now hope to use AI tools to streamline the analysis, making it possible to quickly record and interpret think-aloud data. That added efficiency would enable more researchers to conduct larger studies, study more diverse and representative groups of people, and obtain greater confidence in their results.

"One complaint about psychological science is its focus on student research participants in countries like the United States, who aren't necessarily representative of the whole of humanity," Byrd said. "Our online method will enable researchers to reach anyone with a smartphone and an internet connection, which includes most of the world's population."

The stakes can be high in decision-making: the U.S. Intelligence Community pays close attention to techniques that overcome faulty thinking. "If you're making important decisions, our think-aloud recordings show that people were much more likely to overcome mistakes if they questioned their initial impulse and considered some reasons," Byrd said. "So, helping scientists reveal how people solve reasoning problems may improve not only our decision science, but also our decision-making."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230613190808.htm

Entrepreneurs' brains: Researchers reveal increased cognitive flexibility

A pioneering and multidisciplinary study involving serial entrepreneurs and managers found evidence of increased neuronal connectivity in the brains of entrepreneurs, which may contribute to distinct cognitive attributes

June 13, 2023

Science Daily/University of Liege

In a pioneering study involving serial entrepreneurs and managers, a multidisciplinary research team led by HEC -- School of Management at the University of Liège and Liège University Hospital (CHU Liège), combining entrepreneurship researchers and brain specialists, found evidence of increased neuronal connectivity in the brains of entrepreneurs, which may contribute to distinct cognitive attributes.

Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI), the study showed that serial entrepreneurs have higher connectivity between the right insula (associated with cognitive flexibility) and the anterior prefrontal cortex (a key region for exploratory choices), compared to their fellow managers. These results, published in the journal Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, suggest that serial entrepreneurs possess greater cognitive flexibility, enabling them to alternate effectively between exploration and exploitation, a balance that is crucial to their success.

Unlike the traditional fMRI approach based on tasks submitted to the subject, the rs-fMRI on which this study is based observes the brain at rest, in the absence of cognitive tasks or presentation of stimuli, which constitutes an innovative approach to improving understanding of the entrepreneurial mind. Forty people, entrepreneurs and managers, took part in the study.

"This study represents an important advance in our understanding of the entrepreneurial mind. It highlights the potential of neuroscience and how this approach complements the traditional tools used to study entrepreneurial cognition. By highlighting the difference in cognitive flexibility, it also offers a new perspective to inform the design of training or professional development programmes aimed at improving the cognitive flexibility and entrepreneurial spirit of individuals within various organisations," explains Frédéric Ooms, researcher and Assistant Professor in management and entrepreneurship (HEC -- ULiège School of Management), first author of the publication, based on the results of his PhD thesis on entrepreneurial cognitive flexibility presented in April 2023.

"In a world of rapid and unpredictable change, organisations need to cultivate an entrepreneurial mindset and foster cognitive flexibility within their teams, qualities recognised by the OECD as a 21st century challenge," points out Professor Bernard Surlemont, Professor of Entrepreneurship at ULiège (HEC Liège).

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230613110035.htm

Loneliness, insomnia linked to work with AI systems

fter-work drinking also associated with AI work

June 12, 2023

Science Daily/American Psychological Association

Employees who frequently interact with artificial intelligence systems are more likely to experience loneliness that can lead to insomnia and increased after-work drinking, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

Researchers conducted four experiments in the U.S., Taiwan, Indonesia and Malaysia. Findings were consistent across cultures. The research was published online in the Journal of Applied Psychology.

In a prior career, lead researcher Pok Man Tang, PhD, worked in an investment bank where he used AI systems, which led to his interest in researching the timely issue.

"The rapid advancement in AI systems is sparking a new industrial revolution that is reshaping the workplace with many benefits but also some uncharted dangers, including potentially damaging mental and physical impacts for employees," said Tang, an assistant professor of management at the University of Georgia. "Humans are social animals, and isolating work with AI systems may have damaging spillover effects into employees' personal lives."

At the same time, working with AI systems may have some benefits. The researchers found that employees who frequently used AI systems were more likely to offer help to fellow employees, but that response may have been triggered by their loneliness and need for social contact.

Furthermore, the studies found that participants with higher levels of attachment anxiety -- the tendency to feel insecure and worried about social connections -- responded more strongly to working on AI systems with both positive reactions, such as helping others, and negative ones, such as loneliness and insomnia.

In one experiment, 166 engineers at a Taiwanese biomedical company who worked with AI systems were surveyed over three weeks about their feelings of loneliness, attachment anxiety and sense of belonging. Coworkers rated individual participants on their helpful behaviors, and family members reported on participants' insomnia and after-work alcohol consumption. Employees who interacted more frequently with AI systems were more likely to experience loneliness, insomnia and increased after-work alcohol consumption, but also showed some helping behaviors toward fellow employees.

In another experiment with 126 real estate consultants in an Indonesian property management company, half were instructed not to use AI systems for three consecutive days while the other half were told to work with AI systems as much as possible. The findings for the latter group were similar to the previous experiment, except there was no association between the frequency of AI use and after-work alcohol consumption.

There were similar findings from an online experiment with 214 full-time working adults in the U.S. and another with 294 employees at a Malaysian tech company.

The research findings are correlational and don't prove that work with AI systems causes loneliness or the other responses, just that there is an association among them.

Tang said that moving forward, developers of AI technology should consider equipping AI systems with social features, such as a human voice, to emulate human-like interactions. Employers also could limit the frequency of work with AI systems and offer opportunities for employees to socialize.

Team decision-making and other tasks where social connections are important could be done by people, while AI systems could focus more on tedious and repetitive tasks, Tang added.

"Mindfulness programs and other positive interventions also might help relieve loneliness," Tang said. "AI will keep expanding so we need to act now to lessen the potentially damaging effects for people who work with these systems."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/06/230612114659.htm

Your thoughts can harm your neck and back during lifting tasks

In lab, contradictory feedback linked to increased spine loading

May 25, 2023

Science Daily/Ohio State University

The mental distress of cognitive dissonance -- encountering information that conflicts with how we act or what we believe -- can lead to added pressure on the neck and low back during lifting and lowering tasks, new research suggests.

When study participants were told they were performing poorly in a precision lowering experiment in the lab, after initially being told they were doing well, their movements were linked to increased loads on vertebrae in their neck and low back.

Results showed that the higher the cognitive dissonance score, the greater the extent of loading on the upper and lower parts of the spine.

The finding suggests cognitive dissonance may be a previously unidentified risk factor for neck and low back pain, which could have implications for risk prevention in the workplace, according to researchers.

"This increased spine loading occurred under just one condition with a fairly light load -- you can imagine what this would be like with more complex tasks or higher loads," said senior author William Marras, executive director of the Spine Research Institute at The Ohio State University. "Basically, the study scratched the surface of showing there's something to this."

The research was published recently in the journal Ergonomics.

Marras' lab has been studying daily living and occupational forces on the spine for decades. About 20 years ago, he found that psychological stress could influence spine biomechanics, using a study design that involved having a fake argument with a graduate student in front of research participants.

"We found that in certain personality types, the loads in the spine increased by up to 35%," Marras said. "We ended up finding that when you're under that kind of psychosocial stress, what you tend to do is what we call co-activate muscles in your torso. It creates this tug of war in the muscles because you're always tense.

"In this study, to get at that mind-body connection, we decided to look at the way people think and, with cognitive dissonance, when people are disturbed by their thoughts."

Seventeen research participants -- nine men and eight women aged 19-44 -- completed three phases of an experiment in which they placed a light-weight box within a square on a surface that was moved left and right, up and down. After a short practice run, researchers gave almost exclusively positive feedback during the first of two 45-minute trial blocks. During the second, the feedback increasingly suggested participants were performing in an unsatisfactory way.

To arrive at a cognitive dissonance score for each participant, changes during the experiment to blood pressure and heart rate variability were combined with responses to two questionnaires assessing discomfort levels as well as positive and negative affect -- feeling strong and inspired versus distressed and ashamed.

Wearable sensors and motion-capture technology were used to detect peak spinal loads in the neck and low back: both compression of vertebrae and vertebral movement, or shear, from side to side (lateral) and forward and back (A/P).

Statistical modeling showed that, on average, peak spinal loads on cervical vertebrae in the neck were 11.1% higher in compression, 9.4% higher in A/P shear and 19.3% higher in lateral shear during the negative-feedback trial block compared to the baseline measures from the practice run. Peak loading in the lumbar region of the low back -- an area that bears the brunt of any spinal loading -- increased by 1.7% in compression and 2.2% in shear during the final trial block.

"Part of the motivation here was to see whether cognitive dissonance can manifest itself not only in the low back -- we thought we'd find it there, but we didn't know what we'd find in the neck. We did find a pretty strong response in the neck," said Marras, a professor of integrated systems engineering with College of Medicine academic appointments in neurosurgery, orthopaedics and physical medicine and rehabilitation.

"Our tolerance to shear is much, much lower than it is to compression, so that's why that's important," he said. "A small percentage of load is no big deal for one time. But think about when you're working day in and day out, and you're in a job where you're doing this 40 hours a week -- that could be significant, and be the difference between a disorder and not having a disorder."

Marras is also principal investigator on a federally funded multi-institution clinical trial assessing different treatments for low back pain that range from medication to exercise to cognitive behavioral therapy.

"We're trying to unravel this onion and understand all the different things that affect spine disorders because it's really, really complex," he said. "Just like the whole system has got to be right for a car to run correctly, we're learning that that's the way it is with the spine. You could be in physically great shape, but if you're not thinking correctly or appropriately, or you have all these mental irregularities, like cognitive dissonance, that will affect the system. And until you get that right, you're not going to be right.

"We're looking for causal pathways. And now we can say cognitive dissonance plays a role and here's how it works."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/05/230525141244.htm

Even slight traffic noise has a negative impact on work performance

May 19, 2023

Science Daily/Chalmers University of Technology

Researchers at Chalmers' Division of Applied Acoustics have conducted a laboratory study in which test subjects took concentration tests while being exposed to background traffic noise. The subjects were asked to look at a computer screen and react to certain letters, then to assess their perceived workload afterwards. The study shows that the subjects had significantly poorer results on the performance test, and also felt that the task was more difficult to carry out, with traffic noise in the background.

"What is unique about our study is that we were able to demonstrate a decline in performance at noise levels as low as 40 dB, which corresponds to the regular noise level in an office environment or a kitchen," says Leon Müller, Doctoral student at the Division of Applied Acoustics in the Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering.

The background noise consisted of two audio sequences simulating trucks passing by at a distance of ten and fifty metres. Both sequences were normalised to the same total indoor level of 40 dB.

"The audio sequence simulating the closer passages, where the sound changes significantly as the vehicle passes by, was usually the one that bothered the test subjects the most," Müller says. "This could be because traffic that is further away is perceived as a more constant drone."

Housing is built closer to roads now

The new results emphasise an already problematic situation of negative impact on health and job performance due to traffic noise. In recent years, the distance between roads and newly built housing in Swedish cities has been allowed to shrink -- a trend that can also be seen internationally.

Put somewhat simplistically, the Swedish regulations for where construction is permitted are based on the average outdoor noise level over a 24-hour period -- meaning that they do not take individual pass-bys into account. In addition, current regulations do not cover the peaks of low-frequency noise indoors, which is difficult to avoid and is, according to research, more disruptive and therefore more impacting on human health.

In one study modelling low-frequency noise, Jens Forssén, Professor of applied acoustics at Chalmers, showed that such noise is primarily generated by heavy traffic at low speeds, and is difficult to shut out even with well-insulated windows and buildings that comply with all the construction norms and guidelines for sound insulation.

Reduced vehicle speed can increase the noise exposure indoors

"The calculations for different types of facades show that it is difficult to achieve ideal indoor sound environments near heavily trafficked roads," Forssén says. "Reducing speeds is not a solution, as our calculations show that the indoor noise exposure can even increase at lower speeds."

Further, Forssén says that noise and the sound environment are a factor that is often considered too late in the planning process, and that there are advantages that could be achieved if adjustments were made in order to better utilise the space in terms of noise pollution.

The researchers also agree that the most effective solution would be to avoid urban densification in areas where traffic noise would have too great an impact on health and wellbeing.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/05/230519104544.htm

Time out: We all need a three-day weekend

April 13, 2023

Science Daily/University of South Australia

As a four-day work week is trialled in countries across the globe, health researchers at the University of South Australia say they're 'all in' when it comes to a long weekend, especially as new empirical research shows that the extra time off is good for our health.

Assessing changes in daily movements before, during and after holidays, researchers found that people displayed more active, healthy behaviours when they were on holiday, even when they only had a three-day break.

Across the 13-month study period, people generally took an average two to three holidays, each being around 12 days. The most common holiday type was 'outdoor recreation' (35 per cent), followed by 'family/social events' (31 per cent), 'rest and relaxation' (17 per cent) and 'non-leisure pursuits' such as caring for others or home renovations (17 per cent).

Specifically, it showed that on holiday people:

• engaged in 13 per cent more moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) each day (or five min/day more)

• were five per cent less sedentary each day (or 29 min/day less)

• slept four per cent more each day (or 21 min/day more).

UniSA researcher Dr Ty Ferguson says that the research indicates that people display healthier behaviours when they are on holiday.

"When people go on holiday, they're changing their everyday responsibilities because they're not locked down to their normal schedule," Dr Ferguson says.

"In this study, we found that movement patterns changed for the better when on holiday, with increased physical activity and decreased sedentary behaviour observed across the board.

"We also found that people gained an extra 21 minutes of sleep each day they were on holiday, which can have a range of positive effects on our physical and mental health. For example, getting enough sleep can help improve our mood, cognitive function, and productivity. It can also help lower our risk of developing a range of health conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and depression.

"Interestingly, the size of these changes increased in line with the length of the holiday -- so the longer the holiday, the better the health benefits."

The study used data from the Annual rhythms in adults' lifestyle and health (ARIA) study where 308 adults (mean age 40.4 years) wore fitness trackers 24 hours a day for 13 months. Minute-by-minute

movement behaviour data were aggregated into daily totals to compare movement behaviours pre-holiday, during holiday and post-holiday.

Senior researcher UniSA's Prof Carol Maher says that the study offers support for the growing movement for a four-day week.

"A shorter working week is being trialled by companies all over the world. Not surprisingly, employees reported less stress, burnout, fatigue, as well as better mental health and improved work-life balance," Prof Maher says.

"This study provides empirical evidence that people have healthier lifestyle patterns when they have a short break, such as a three-day weekend. This increase in physical activity and sleep is expected to have positive effects on both mental and physical health, contributing to the benefits observed with a four-day work week.

"Importantly, our study also showed that even after a short holiday, people's increased sleep remained elevated for two weeks, showing that the health benefits of a three-day break can have lasting effects beyond the holiday itself.

"As the world adapts to a new normal, perhaps it's time to embrace the long weekend as a way to boost our physical and mental health."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/04/230413011820.htm

Improving your work-life balance can make you a more effective leader at work

April 12, 2023

Science Daily/University of Florida

Silencing your notifications and ignoring your email at the end of the workday could make you a better leader at your job, according to new research.

Managers who disconnected from their jobs at home felt more refreshed the next day, identified as effective leaders and helped their employees stay on target better than bosses who spent their off hours worrying about work.

Less-experienced leaders were especially prone to becoming ineffective if they spent their time focusing on their jobs at home.

The upshot is that the key to effective leadership in the office might be a better work-life balance. Led by scientists from the University of Florida, the University of Arizona and Florida State University, the new study was published April 6 in the Journal of Applied Psychology.

"The simple message of this study is that if you want to be an effective leader at work, leave work at work," said Klodiana Lanaj, a professor in UF's Warrington College of Business who led the research. "This is particularly important for inexperienced leaders, as they seem to benefit the most from recovery experiences when at home. Leaders have challenging jobs as they juggle their own role responsibilities with the needs of their followers, and they need to recover from the demands of the leadership role."

The study surveyed managers and their employees at U.S. businesses in 2019 and 2022. The researchers assessed leaders' ability to disconnect from work when at home the night before and their level of energy and how strongly they identified as a leader in the morning at work. Employees rated their bosses on their ability to lead their teams.

"What we found is that on nights when leaders were able to completely turn off and not think about work, they were more energized the next day, and they felt better connected to their leadership role at work. On those same days, their followers reported that these leaders were more effective in motivating them and in guiding their work," Lanaj said.

"But on nights when leaders reported that they were thinking about the negative aspects of work, they couldn't really recuperate their energy by the morning," she said. "They saw themselves as less leader-like and they weren't as effective, as rated by their followers."

How to improve work-life balance

So how can leaders -- and businesses -- promote this kind of work-life balance to build effective leaders?

"My hope is that this study will give managers data to support their decision to be present at home and to disconnect from work," Lanaj said.

While Lanaj's study didn't ask managers how they relaxed at home, other research points to well-known ways to unwind and reset: Exercise, socialize with friends, spend quality time with family, or engage with TV shows, books or hobbies. What helps one person leave work at the office might not help another. The key, Lanaj says, is to find the methods that let you decompress from work as much as possible.

And businesses that want the best out of their leaders on the job should help them recharge at home. Reducing after-hours emailing and expectations for on-call work is one way to do that.

Tech fuels a lot of this after-hours work, but also might offer a solution. You can set your phone to disable notifications after a certain hour or leave work devices in a dedicated office.

"You can start small," Lanaj said. "Say, 'After this time in the evening, I won't check my work email.' See where that takes you."

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/04/230412131136.htm

Teachers who struggle to cope with stress report far lower job satisfaction

Findings can help identify coping mechanisms that alleviate teacher stress, which has implications for teacher shortages.

April 10, 2023

Science Daily/University of Missouri-Columbia

As teacher shortages continue to worsen across the United States, a new study at the University of Missouri gives insight into why so many stressed and burnt-out teachers are leaving the profession. The study found teachers who struggle to cope with the stress of their job report far lower job satisfaction compared to teachers who find ways to manage the pressure.

Seth Woods, a former doctoral student at MU, collaborated with Keith Herman, a Curators' Distinguished Professor in the MU College of Education and Human Development, and others to analyze survey data of 2,300 teachers from Missouri and Oklahoma who were asked to rate how stressed they were at work, if they found ways to cope with work stress and how satisfied they were with their jobs.

Woods said while the findings were not particularly surprising, the study highlights how the ability -- or inability -- to cope with work stress can be a significant factor contributing to teacher burnout, which ultimately leads many teachers to leave the profession.

"In my 20 years as an educator, I've seen many great people leave the profession unfortunately, and this research confirms that we need to start devoting more time and resources into helping teachers identify and adopt healthy coping mechanisms," said Woods, who is now principal at Beulah Ralph Elementary School in Columbia, Missouri. "Finding ways to mitigate teacher stress and investing in ways to help them cope with stress in positive manners will pay us back in not having to constantly hire and train new teachers all the time. In addition, retaining experienced teachers will likely benefit student achievement as well."

The researchers explained that positive, healthy coping mechanisms can be quick, easy and free. One healthy coping mechanism Woods suggests for stressed teachers is writing and delivering a short letter of gratitude to a colleague they enjoy working with. Herman, who authored a book titled, "Stress Management for Teachers: A Proactive Guide," said simple things like increasing positive interactions with students and peers, improving classroom management skills, and avoiding gossip at work can also help.

Herman added that while systematic issues, such as low teacher pay and overburdened teacher workloads remain critical topics to address, school principals, district superintendents and school administrators can all play in a role in supporting stressed teachers who may be struggling to cope.

"Communicating with teachers about their concerns, demonstrating empathy and checking in on their health and well-being shows that you care," Herman said. "Our overall goal is to create school environments that allow teachers to thrive and give them the tools they need to be successful."

"The relationship between teacher stress and job satisfaction as moderated by coping" was published in Psychology in the Schools. Funding for the study was provided by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Institute of Justice.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/04/230410111623.htm