Researchers linked working in open bench seating areas to users’ daytime stress (perceived and physiological) and activity levels. A group led by Casey Lindberg determined that:
“Workers in open office seating had less daytime stress and greater daytime activity levels compared to workers in private offices and cubicles…That greater physical activity at the office was related to lower physiological stress during after-work hours outside the office…The study evaluated 231 people who work in federal office buildings and wore stress and activity sensors around the clock for three workdays and two nights…workers in open bench seating arrangements were 32 percent more physically active at the office than those in private offices and 20 percent more active than those in cubicles. Importantly, workers who were more physically active at the office had 14 percent less physiological stress outside of the office compared to those with less physical activity at the office” [quote from press release].
These stress and activity-related findings were published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.In that article, the investigators report that, “Workers in open bench seating were more active at the office than those in private offices and cubicles (open bench seating vs private office…(31.83% higher on average)…open bench seating vs cubicle…(20.16% higher on average)…Furthermore, workers in open bench seating experienced lower perceived stress at the office than those in cubicles…(9.10% lower on average)…Finally, higher physical activity at the office was related to lower physiological stress (higher heart rate variability in the time domain) outside the office…(14.18% higher on average).” Professional performance was not evaluated by investigators.
Casey Lindberg, Karthik Srinivasan, Brian Gilligan, and 11 others. 2018. “Effects of Office Workstation Type on Physical Activity and Stress.” Occupational and Environmental Medicine, http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/oemed-2018-105077
“Your Office May Be Affecting Your Health.” 2018. Press release, University of Arizona, https://uanews.arizona.edu/story/your-office-may-be-affecting-your-health
Sally Augustin, PhD,a cognitive scientist, is the editor of Research Design Connections (www.researchdesignconnections.com), a monthly subscription newsletter and free daily blog, where recent and classic research in the social, design, and physical sciences that can inform designers’ work are presented in straightforward language. Readers learn about the latest research findings immediately, before they’re available elsewhere. Sally, who is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, is also the author of Place Advantage: Applied Psychology for Interior Architecture (Wiley, 2009) and, with Cindy Coleman, The Designer’s Guide to Doing Research: Applying Knowledge to Inform Design (Wiley, 2012). She is a principal at Design With Science (www.designwithscience.com) and can be reached at sallyaugustin@designwithscience.com.