The hour-long lunch may be a charming relic of the past, like phone cords and typewriters, but in today's 24-7 work culture, many of us don't take any lunch break at all. Fewer than 20 percent of American workers regularly step away for a midday meal, and 39 percent usually eat at their desks, according to a survey done by Right Management.
This trend is fueled by the notion that the most dedicated, effective workers are constantly available and on-task, and that taking a lunch break is counterproductive. It's a perception that's especially powerful in the tech sector, which gave birth to the meal-replacement drink Soylent so you don't need to stop what you are doing to eat. The tagline for the product is "free your body," which implies we'd be better off liberated from the pesky burden of needing to be fed. But the idea that breaking for a meal hinders accomplishment is plainly wrong. The truth is, stopping to eat can actually make you much better at what you do.
Carbohydrate is the brain's primary fuel and study after study, on everyone from children to airline pilots to the elderly, show improvement on memory tests after eating carbs, especially slow-release carbohydrates such as whole grains and vegetables.
But the food itself imparts only part of the benefits of a lunch break. Technically you could fuel your brain by eating - or slugging a Soylent - at your desk. But, research shows that there are tremendous performance advantages to stepping away from your computer, and even more pluses if you can get outside. "Taking a break from cognitively taxing work improves creative thinking," says Kimberly Elsbach, professor of management at the Graduate School of Management at the University of California at Davis, "and everybody's job has a creative component, such as problem-solving, managing teams or finding creative solutions." Not to mention taking a break from that steady stream of e-mails helps reduce stress and, in turn, can help keep you healthier.
Engaging with co-workers casually over lunch can also help advance your career, as important social bonds can be forged over a relaxed meal. According to Elsbach, an official business lunch doesn't count as a mentally recharging break, but talking casually with a co-worker does, and can be an effective way to network at the same time.
© 2015 The Washington Post
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