Want to feel happier at work? Take a five-minute walk
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- British Journal of Sports Medicine published a Columbia University study finding that a five-minute walk every hour produced the largest improvement in productivity, mood, and alertness among desk workers.
- Keith Diaz, the lead researcher, said most adults now spend three-quarters of their waking day sedentary and that hourly five-minute breaks were "realistic and attainable" for employees.
- The study surveyed more than 11,000 US employees — mostly in office jobs on eight- to nine-hour shifts — and tested walking breaks every half hour, every hour, and every two hours over two weeks.
- Half-hourly walks boosted mood and reduced tiredness but were disruptive to work, while two-hourly walks were better than nothing but less effective, researchers found.
- Diaz noted that employees in the study worried about what their boss or co-workers would think of their breaks, even though movement breaks can improve executive function, attention, and memory.
- Emily McGrath, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, welcomed the findings but cautioned that the study relied on self-reported, short-term data and that longer research is needed to confirm heart-health impact.
- Walking meetings or pacing during phone calls — indoors or outdoors — count as low-cost movement snacks that don't require stopping work, Diaz said.
Why it matters: With 11,000 office workers studied, the research gives employers and employees a concrete, low-cost intervention — just five minutes per hour — that lead researcher Keith Diaz says is realistic enough to overcome the social stigma of being seen taking breaks at work, potentially reshaping how offices structure the workday.
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