Certain aspects of life become so ingrained in our daily routines that we hardly notice them.
Not too long ago, this could easily have described smoking. For much of the 20th century, smoking was so widespread that many people smoked hundreds of cigarettes a week, with a cigarette often feeling like an extension of the hand.
But changes in laws, culture, and attitudes – alongside the rise of vaping – have transformed this once-common routine into something that could feel entirely foreign in another decade or so.
As the smoke clears, it’s worth reflecting on which of our current habits might appear odd to future generations.
One candidate could be the simple act of sitting down.
As several landmark studies, including those in The Lancet and the British Medical Journal, have underscored the harmful effects of inactivity, concern about our increasingly sedentary lifestyles has grown. This worry has only intensified as desk jobs have become more common in developed countries, drawing greater attention to the habit of sitting and the tendency for many of us to spend much of the waking day comfortably ensconced in chairs.
We sit for meals, sit during the commute, sit in meetings, sit for recreation at the theatre, cinema, sports stadium… only to finally retire, exhausted, to lie down in bed. We need a rest after all that sitting, right?
Just as our parents' generation might have reached for the ashtray at this point, we might wonder how something so comforting and supportive – literally taking the weight off our feet – could be a problem. However, as Chris Terry (a director at the occupational health service Insight Workplace Health) explains in The Times,
The human body is not designed to sit down on a chair behind a desk. We are meant to be walking around or lying down or at least squatting.
But why is sitting so bad for us, exactly? According to studies reported in New Scientist, prolonged sitting is associated with higher levels of triglycerides (a type of fat that circulates in the blood), along with increased rates of mental health issues and even declining IQ scores compared to those who spend more time standing.
Probably best if we don’t just sit this one out, then...
One solution to this problem is a standing desk. It's a gadget-based fix that doesn't require much disruption or expense – you can find a shelf-like modification for your existing workstation for as little as £50 or opt for a fully adjustable desk for a few hundred pounds. With features like anti-collision sensor, built-in power sockets and quiet motors that discreetly raise or lower the desk, there's even a bit of fun to be had in customising the perfect setup to match your frame, office space, and budget.
Like Early Man gradually becoming more upright, the shift to standing desks feels like a natural evolution. Research from the Take-a-Stand project found that 87 percent of employees who transitioned to a sit-to-stand workstation reported feeling more energised, 66 percent felt more productive, and 75 percent felt healthier overall.
So, we should all rush out and replace our traditional desks immediately? Not so fast…
First and foremost, it is essential to ensure that any office setup is fully accessible. Adjustable desks with sympathetic ergonomic adaptations must be prioritised over inflexibly tall office furniture. No two people are the same, and their workstations shouldn't be either.
Secondly, it’s important to consider the dynamics of the office. Having a colleague looming over you with a full view of your screen may not create the most relaxed or creative working environment. To address this, it might be more effective to offer standing desks as an option rather than a universal mandate. Allowing for a choice between standing and seated work environments could help foster a more comfortable and flexible workspace for everyone.
Lastly, we shouldn’t delude ourselves into thinking that simply standing is a cure-all for improved health. After all, replacing sitting with standing merely substitutes one stationary activity for another.
While research into standing desks shows positive results, their impact on overall daily activity is more moderate than radical. They do, however, represent a bumper pay day for manufacturers, with global sales projected to reach £13 billion by 2033.
And it’s not just in the workplace that many of us are now taking a stand.
Premier League grounds have, after a successful trial period, re-introduced standing areas for football fans.
The move to all-seater stadiums was an understandable and sensible response to the Heysel and Hillsborough tragedies of the 1980s. However, with lessons learned and enhanced safety measures now in place, there is growing support for reinstating standing areas. These areas can enhance the matchday atmosphere and provide a designated space for those restless match goers who could never stay in their seat anyway (itself a health and safety headache).
So, after standing at the office all week and then at the footy, you’ve surely earned some sitting-down time? Even if it’s just to reenact the match on FC 24 that you just paid a small fortune to see in real life!
Well, if you really must sit down, emerging research suggests that specialist gaming chairs might help prevent muscular issues and even enhance gaming performance. Joanne DiFrancisco-Donoghue from the New York Institute for Technology shared with New Scientist that:
Regardless of ergonomics, the gaming chair was orthopaedically better and more comfortable for the gamers... sitting in the gaming chair was linked to 25 percent more game wins and 15 percent more character 'kills' than the office chair.
So, while it's unlikely we'll be discarding our favourite chairs or sofas anytime soon, there are practical steps and fun gadgets we can explore to address the compelling health concerns related to sitting and inactivity.
And it’s worth remembering that not so long ago, the billowing clouds of cigarette smoke in offices, pubs, and airplanes seemed perfectly normal – a public health disaster for both smokers and those exposed to second-hand smoke, which now seems absurd.
How will future generations view our sitting addiction, I wonder?
“Cover me for ten minutes, mate … I’m popping out for a sneaky sit!”
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