Taking a 90 minute brisk walk or a long swim may prevent office frustrations from spilling over into your home, scientists have found.
The study , which tracked sleep patterns and daytime physical movements, found employees who recorded an average of more than 10,900 steps each day were less likely to perpetuate abuse at home than those recording fewer than 7,000.
“Research shows employees who are belittled or insulted by a supervisor tend to vent their frustration on members of their household. Our study shows that happens because they’re too tired to regulate their behaviour,” said Shannon Taylor, professor at University of Central Florida.
The study concluded that sleep and exercise were intervention points that could be leveraged to prevent the spread of harmful behaviour.
Study participants included 118 MBA students with full-time jobs. Taylor said the study found that burning an additional 587 calories could reduce the harmful effects of mistreatment and help prevent it from carrying into home.
“The findings are particularly compelling given recommendations from the US Centres for Disease Control and the American Heart Association to walk between 8,000 and 10,000 steps per day ,” Taylor said.
PTI