Science Easily Explains Why Working From Home Makes Us Happier - Sciencing

"When you stop and think about it, working in an office has to be one of the strangest ideas humankind has ever conceived of. Throwing a bunch of people who might never get along otherwise into a drab cubicle-scape menaced by fluorescent lights and essentially trapping them there for eight hours a day doesn't seem like the most healthy thing."

"Now, the world has changed. In a post-pandemic society, it seems many are waking up to the idea that being physically present in an office isn't actually all that necessary. But it might also be unhealthy, as multiple studies have now shown the negative impact working on-site can have. Now, a new study from the University of South Australia, published in PLOS One, has shown that working from home significantly boosts happiness, health, and our overall well-being."

"In the study, "Changes in diet, activity, weight, and wellbeing of parents during COVID-19 lockdown," researchers tracked changes in participants' physical activity, sedentary time, sleep, recreational physical activities, diet, weight, and wellbeing from before COVID-19 restrictions were put in place to after they were established. As Ty Ferguson, Carol Maher, and Rachel Curtis, three of the study's authors, wrote in an accompanying article published in The Conversation,"

Office work often forces people into drab cubicles, harsh fluorescent lighting, and prolonged sitting, while typical productivity averages about four to five hours per day. Post-pandemic conditions enabled many to adopt remote work and reduce exposure to negative on-site impacts. Longitudinal tracking of parents' diet, physical activity, sedentary time, sleep, recreational activities, weight, and wellbeing before and after COVID-19 restrictions revealed notable improvements in happiness, health, and overall wellbeing associated with working from home. Remote work facilitates healthier activity patterns, reduces commuting stress, and supports lifestyle adjustments that benefit both mental and physical health.

Read at Sciencing