Standing desks. Media and fans raved about them, even though little solid scientific evidence supports their alleged ergonomic and health benefits. In fact, many scientific studies show that they cause lower back pain and have other negative effects, like putting pressure on your skeletal and circulatory systems and increasing the risk of deep thrombosis and varicose veins. Now, a new research paper suggests standing desks have a negative effect on our cognitive abilities, too.
A research team from Curtin University, in Perth, Western Australia, observed 20 subjects working for two hours on standing desks. The results–published in the journal Ergonomics–show negative impacts on both their bodies and their minds.
The subjects’ mental reactiveness dropped, which affected their ability to concentrate. On the positive side, the researchers found that the subjects’ creative problem solving abilities improved–but only marginally. Their overall conclusion is that “body discomfort was positively correlated with a [decreased] mental state.” This is the first study to detect these psychological effects. (It’s worth noting, though, that the sample size was quite small, so take the results with a grain of salt.)