Another study came out regarding the treadmill desk. This one tested the effects of walking on work efficiency. Both manual (typing) and cognitive (memory and concentration) tests were performed. The results: walking diminishes both abilities, especially the manual task. I like this study because it touches on something worth contemplating on a deeper level, which is, are donuts better than regular hamburger buns?
Ok, Where did that come from – a very legitimate question. Well, honestly, treadmill desks are pretty weird looking things. Just look at this picture and tell me your first reaction isn’t; what is that thing?! They strike me as a product that is a truly strange combination, much like the infamous donut-burger. Undeniably though, you can make a case for why the donut-beef combination would be appealing! Hamburgers are delicious, donuts are delicious, and the deliciousness of the combination of sweet and salty is pretty well established. Given these facts, it seems reasonable to conclude that a Luther Burger is a good idea. Treadmill desks are a bit of the same logic. It is well established that we need to move more, and it is also well established that we have to spend a large amount of our time working. It is therefore totally reasonable to conclude that combining the two would be a good thing. And bam, here we find ourselves in some futuristic dystopia where humans are attached to some version of what is effectively a hamster wheel, only less fun.
Now, I am being a bit facetious here but this study really does do something very important that I love. It asks, is this logic that we are applying sound, or might there be some hidden mistakes – things we are overlooking when following such a linear thought process? Is the treadmill desk the equivalent of thinking that because sweet is good, and because salty is good, throwing them together must be doubly good?
In the case of the treadmill desk the answer they came up with is no, and what we understand about human brainpower could have predicted this. As Daniel Kahneman tells us in his book Thinking, Fast and Slow (which is featured in this post) we only have so much brainpower and every task we undertake utilizes some. Thus, the more tasks we do at one time, the smaller the share of brainpower for each. This is why, he tells us, when a person is walking down the street, engrossed in telling a long story, and suddenly they have difficulty remembering a detail, they will stop dead in their tracks when trying hard to remember. (1)
Is The Treadmill Desk Worth It?
I think this research, rather than merely shooting down our hopes for the treadmill desk , really just challenges us to look at the problem a little more holistically. Instead of being distracted, as we so often are, by trying to add some fix into the equation, such as this less enjoyable version of a hamster wheel, we need to examine the problem from all angles. A treadmill desk probably doesn’t add a ton of exercise benefit for a number of reasons, (details here), but it does have a lot of benefit in what it takes away – sitting. Several studies have shown the negative consequences of too much sitting. Replacing sitting desks with standing desks would go a long way to improving many health issues, without having to add more fitness products into the equation. That is something that should be highlighted, rather than being lost in a discussion of the ineffectiveness of the treadmill portion of the desk. Also, we do need more movement in our lives, but that does not automatically have to be movement that is so gym-oriented. I’d advocate for getting a little more real movement during the day by taking an actual lunch break for example (something I wrote about here). Get up, out of the office, and go walk for your food. Something as simple as that would be a great way to promote physical, mental, and nutritional health, without fancy gadgets.
Conclusion
In short, I guess what I am trying to say is that I feel our default way of approaching problems is often a bit too linear. If movement is necessary, and work is necessary, combine the two and you will have the perfect solution. In the natural world, it seems, the answer is usually not that simple an equation. The biggest challenges are solved by a more 360 degree approach involving an understanding of all of the complex factors, the reduction or elimination of the underlying causes of an issue, and then possibly, once this has been achieved, the introduction of a ‘fix’. Finally, to conclude, the jury is still out on the treadmill desk. It may still have benefits that have yet to be highlighted, but remember that it is highly unlikely that it will ever be a simple solution to such a complex problem.
References:
1) Kahneman, Daniel. Thinking, Fast and Slow. New York, NY; Farrar, Strauss and Giroux, 2011
Related:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2015/06/10/the-downside-of-treadmill-desks/?_r=0
http://www.dothemovement.com/staying-balanced-with-that-unstable-mind/
http://www.dothemovement.com/treadmill-desks-dont-work-or-do-they/
http://www.dothemovement.com/losing-collective-lunch/
PHOTOS:
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