The Problem: How Desk-Bound Work Is Literally Killing Us

Human bodies were designed to be active.

For nearly all of humanity's existence, from the era of hunter-gatherers through the mid-20th century, humans had a naturally active lifestyle, walking anywhere from 14,000 to 18,000 steps on average. However, from about 1950 onward, that lifestyle became steadily less active, with technological advancements enabling a more sedentary, indoor lifestyle that often involves hours in front of a computer (or other) screen. As a result, the average US adult today barely manages between 4,000 and 5,000 steps.^1,2

Over the past 75 years, despite exponential medical progress, life expectancy in the United States has seemingly hit a plateau, reaching nearly 79 years in 2010 and actually slightly decreasing to 78 years today.³

Why the plateau? The shift to a more sedentary lifestyle, driven in large part by time spent in the workplace, is a primary culprit. Since 1950, sedentary jobs have increased by 83%, and Americans have gone from sitting an average of less than 4-5 hours a day to an average of 8 hours per day. This significant increase has introduced a new host of health problems that were far less prevalent for most of human history: sedentary behavior is well-documented to increase the risk of premature death, due to the higher likelihood of contracting cardiovascular diseases, metabolic disorders, musculoskeletal disorders, cancer, depression, and even cognitive impairment.^4,5 Figure 1 explores some of these alarming trends.

And while depression, anxiety, and burnout were not as well-documented in the workplace in the 1950s, sedentary behavior is linked to poorer mood, higher stress, increased fatigue, and increased risk of depression and anxiety.^10,11

Over the past 10-15 years, the public has become increasingly aware of the dangers that come with being chained to a desk to work. This has sparked the development of new technologies such as standing desks and mini treadmills to accompany desks, as well as workplace movements to encourage taking more breaks to go on walks. Sadly, these efforts are not nearly enough to make a tangible impact.

Standing Desks

Standing at a desk just barely meets the minimum threshold of greater than 1.5 metabolic equivalent tasks (METs) to count as behavior that is not considered sedentary, and can have a positive impact to alleviate pressure on the lower back, neck, and shoulders. However, standing for prolonged periods of time does not significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease or metabolic disorders, and even introduces new problems such as an increased risk of lower leg discomfort, swelling, varicose veins, and deep vein thrombosis due to blood pooling in the veins. Additionally, musculoskeletal problems, such as carpal tunnel, still persist.^12,13

Mini Desk Treadmills

Treadmills under a desk, meanwhile, are beneficial in that they enable motion and allow office workers to increase their daily step output during a subset of normally sedentary tasks (e.g., taking Zoom calls remotely), but are an impractical solution for many types of sedentary tasks (e.g., it is difficult to type on a keyboard while moving). So while office-compatible treadmills do represent a slight improvement to sitting or standing at a desk, they are not a comprehensive or pragmatic enough solution to solve the sedentary crisis society is facing.

Taking Breaks to Go on Walks

The best way to not be sedentary is to, of course, go on actual walks to get as many steps in as possible. However, both employers and employees feel pressure to minimize the amount of time spent away from their desks during the workday to reduce time spent not being productive.¹⁴ While one could argue that this is a problem with work culture, the issue remains that it is simply not possible to complete the vast majority of work-related duties away from a desk, and therein lies the problem.

Simply put, humans were not meant to be sedentary beings. And the way that we work in the 21st century - tied to our desks - is quite literally killing us, deteriorating our bodies and exposing us to a myriad of health risks.

This is part 2 of our series on the future of ergonomic work. Read part 1 to understand the vision and motivation behind our research. Read on to learn more about solutions in part 3, where we explore the technological innovations that could finally free us from desk-bound productivity.