LONDON, Sept. 24, 2024 — Ahead of World Mental Health Day on October 10, ASICS has enlisted actor Brian Cox to deliver a crucial message urging individuals to step away from their desks and prioritize their mental health in a compelling Public Service Announcement (PSA).
A recent global State of Mind study by ASICS, involving 26,000 participants, highlights a significant link between sedentary behavior and mental well-being. The study found that State of Mind scores decline as inactivity increases; after just two hours of continuous desk work, mental health scores begin to drop, and stress levels rise. Notably, after four hours of uninterrupted desk time, stress levels surged by 18%. However, the new Desk Break experiment indicates that just 15 minutes of movement can help counteract these negative effects.
Conducted by Dr. Brendon Stubbs from King’s College London, the experiment revealed that office workers who incorporated 15 minutes of movement into their day saw a 22.5% improvement in their mental state, with State of Mind scores increasing from 62 to 76 out of 100. The findings suggest that daily Desk Breaks for one week can lower stress by 14.7%, boost productivity by 33.2%, and enhance focus by 28.6%. Participants reported feeling 33.3% more relaxed and 28.6% calmer and more resilient, with 79.2% expressing greater loyalty to employers who offer regular movement breaks.
In the PSA, Cox portrays the world’s scariest boss to emphasize the hidden dangers of a sedentary work lifestyle. The message encourages office workers to take short movement breaks throughout their day to support their mental health.
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